Countering Terrorist Recruitment of Central Asian Foreign Workers
This grant funds projects to prevent ISIS-K’s online recruitment of Central Asian migrant workers, focusing on early intervention, digital literacy, and law enforcement support to reduce terrorism threats to the U.S.
Funder: Bureau of Counterterrorism
Due Dates: June 9, 2026
Funding Amounts: $986,679 (single award; cooperative agreement)
Summary: Supports projects countering ISIS-K's online radicalization and recruitment of Central Asian foreign workers, with a focus on Tajik and Uzbek speakers.
Description
This funding opportunity, offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism, seeks proposals for projects aimed at countering ISIS-K’s online radicalization and recruitment of Central Asian foreign workers, particularly those who are Tajik and Uzbek speakers. ISIS-K leverages advanced, multilingual online propaganda—including social media, gaming platforms, and generative AI—to target vulnerable labor migrants from Central Asia working abroad. The resulting recruitment pipeline poses risks of radicalization that may ultimately threaten U.S. interests and security.
The project is designed to advance early investigative interventions to disrupt these recruitment pathways. Potential activities include:
- Online peer engagement to address isolation among foreign workers
- Pre-departure and on-arrival consultations
- Digital literacy training
- Initiatives to build trust between local law enforcement and communities
- Enhancing information-sharing platforms and digital forensics capabilities
- Partnerships with experts and NGOs to identify and disrupt terrorist recruitment online
- Providing technical assistance to Central Asian law enforcement partners to improve identification and investigation of digital evidence leading to counterterrorism prosecutions
