US envoy launches Fund Grant Programme

LAHORE: US Consul General Colleen Crenwelge on Thursday launched the five-year, multi-million dollar Ambassador’s Fund Grant Programme in Lahore.

Approximately 200 grants will support valuable programmes carried out by Pakistani organisations working to improve economic and social conditions throughout the country. “This programme will help people address local problems in ways that have immediate and long-lasting effects,” Consul General Crenwelge said. “The first grants in Punjab will help children in Kasur, provide vocational training in Multan, and help with disaster preparedness in Muzaffargarh district. These diverse projects reflect the collaboration between the United States and Pakistan to address important issues and will empower communities to create a more stable and prosperous country.”

The Fund Programme supports economic development initiatives in priority areas identified by the US Ambassador to Pakistan. During the current cycle, these initiatives will focus on promoting culture and the arts, improving disaster preparedness, developing small-scale energy solutions, encouraging social entrepreneurship, and empowering vulnerable populations. Private sector organisations, NGOs, and non-government academic research and training institutions, including those led by women and those working in the regions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan, are eligible to apply. The programme is funded by the US Agency for International Development and is managed by the Trust for Democratic Education and Accountability.