Program Objectives: Just as in the U.S., people in Serbia confront disinformation, misinformation, and inaccurate news stories on a daily basis, making it difficult to understand and make sense of the world. On top of that, news stories of the greatest importance to communities, or ones about disadvantaged groups, sometimes do not make their way into the media. In addition, in order for Serbia to join the European Union, which is a stated goal of the Government of Serbia, changes and reforms must take place to secure and guarantee freedom of the press in Serbia. The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to provide program support for Media Small Grants Program as described under “Program Objectives” below. The grantee would receive the full amount of the award (through a Cooperative Agreement with the U.S. Embassy) and would issue sub-grants in line with this year’s Program Themes (still to be determined by PAS). The grantee will work closely with PAS through all stage of implementation of the program: publicizing the sub-grant competition, collecting submissions, conducting technical reviews, preparing materials for the Embassy’s sub-grant review panel, issuing sub-grants for approved projects, monitoring the progress of sub-grantee activities, and evaluating the impact of their projects. The purpose of the Media Small Grants Program is to fund individual projects that: strengthen the media literacy and critical thinking skills of students, news consumers, and other citizens of Serbia; ensure the free flow of accurate information; support people’s efforts to tell stories of greatest interest to them; support the strengthening of the Serbian press; and educate community members about the importance of a free press in a democratic society like Serbia’s. At the same time, we are also trying to strengthen the institutional capacity of the sub-grantee to manage and implement projects. Sub-grantee activities may take any number of forms, including: media workshops, courses, public debates, conferences, role-playing sessions/simulations, TED Talks, hackathons, online projects, public campaigns, podcasts, summer camps, cross-border exchanges, curriculum development, exhibits, or other activities. You may NOT apply for a grant from PAS if your project: · involves partisan political activities; · involves charitable activities and/or the distribution of humanitarian aid; · is a fundraising campaign; · is commercial in nature, i.e., you or a project partner are making money from this project, or the activity supports a current or future business or entrepreneurial venture. · involves the provision of health care or services, child care, food subsidies, or other social services to populations. Priority Region: Serbia. Note: Sub-grantee activities could take place anywhere in Serbia. Participants and Audiences: Your target audience will be potential sub-grantees who could submit competitive applications in line with the Embassy’s revised application form and accompanying instructions. That could include: · Not-for-profit organizations, including journalist associations, civil society organizations or non-governmental organizations, think tanks, educational institutions, media outlets, etc. · Individual citizens, including alumni of U.S. Government (USG) exchange programs, who have a demonstrated capacity or proven track record to carry out the proposed activities. Anticipated program start date: No earlier than May 15, 2021. PAS anticipates that a final funding decision will be made by May 5, 2021. Program Performance Period: The program should be completed in 24 months or less. (This would include the time for the sub-grantees to complete their projects, plus your organization’s assessment and evaluation, as well as the drafting of the final report for this cooperative agreement.) Other Submission Requirements: All application materials are available via "Related Documents" tab, and on the Embassy's website at https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/. The documents must be submitted by email to
[email protected]. Information Session: PAS will hold a virtual information session on March 31, 2021 at 16:00 (4pm) CET to discuss this funding opportunity and to answer questions from potential applicants. To join the information session, please register at: http://bit.ly/3b5OBKU . If you happen to miss that online session for any reason, we will provide a link to the recording on the website. If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact:
[email protected]. Please check for information on other PAS funding opportunities on the U.S. Embassy website at: https://rs.usembassy.gov/education-culture/grants-programs/.