Strengthening Media Systems (SMS)

The overall purpose of the SMS activity is to strengthen Serbian media outlets’ ability to provide citizens with professional news that would increase their knowledge and enable them to effectively engage in informed citizenship and play an active role in Serbian society. To achieve this purpose, the SMS activity will seek to achieve two interrelated objectives: (1) Support the development of a more enabling legal, regulatory and market environment for media in Serbia, and (2) Catalyze financial sustainability, innovation and partnerships in the Serbian media sector. To address these objectives, USAID will seek proposals that bring together a wide range of traditional and non-traditional partners (emphasis on the non-traditional) and stakeholders (such as local or Code 937 implementing organizations, media/journalist associations, media outlets, private sector representatives such as advertising, marketing, PR agencies, academia, scientific and research and development institutions, regulators, self-regulators, business associations, and others) with common interests in advocating for and effecting an improved enabling environment that will foster better operating conditions for media. Given the cross-sectoral nature of the factors affecting the enabling environment for media, such as the requirements of the EU accession process and its focus on market fairness, technological advances, and ongoing Serbian reforms regarding public funding for media, among others, a broadened network of stakeholders will be important to ensuring that the requirements of the EU accession process and technological change are leveraged to improve the operating environment for Serbian media. When the solicitation is released, USAID may utilize the following two aspects in considering technical approaches: • Strategies for convening a broad network of stakeholders interested and committed to adapting to emerging technological and regulatory issues, and facilitating consensus among them, to advocate for reform and further media market development on a range of issues affecting the media sector in economic, legal and regulatory terms • Leveraging of resources, i.e. the extent to which proposals demonstrate leveraging of local, regional and international private and public sector resources and the level of their commitment (through instruments such as MOUs, co-funding, consulting expertise, etc.) Please review the full solicitation when it is released.