US Embassy inviting Applications to increase sustainability and reach of Kosovo Serbian language

Deadline: 31-May-21

The United States Embassy in Kosovo announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to increase the sustainability and reach of Kosovo Serbian language independent media through partnerships with local technology firms/startups.

Program Objectives

The objectives of this program are:

To develop sustainable practices and partnerships between independent Serbian language Kosovo media partners in order to provide alternative sources of information to Serbian language speakers in Kosovo and throughout the region.
To develop partnerships with local technology start-ups to help increase the reach of independent Serbian language Kosovo media partners and identify innovative ways to interact with youth audiences.
To increase media literacy of independent media partners to help them avoid amplifying misinformation/disinformation from malign actors.

Funding Information

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $300,000 to a maximum of $350,000
Total available funding: $350,000
Length of performance period: 12 to 24 months
Number of awards anticipated: 1award (dependent on amounts)
Type of Funding: Assistance to Europe, Eurasia, and Central Asia – AEECA Funds
Anticipated program start date: August 1, 2021

Participants and Audiences

Independent Serbian language media partners and at least one technology partner are the participants. Journalists from media partners are the participants/audience for exchange and training activities. Intended audience for engaging with youth in Kosovo aged 15-22.

Priority Region: Kosovo

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility for grantees and sub-grantees are limited to not-for-profit organizations (Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO’s), independent media outlets, IT and Software organizations officially registered in the Republic of Kosovo.
Successful proposals must have and include:
- Partnerships with at least four (4) established Serbian language independent media partners in Kosovo or the region.
- Partnership with at least one (1) Kosovo-based startup, technology NGO, or technology firm focused on developing innovative technology solutions with Serbian language independent media partners.
- Exchange program elements where partners work for periods in each other’s newsrooms and joint investigative efforts.
- Joint training programs to increase knowledge about attribution standards, fact-checking, ethics, media literacy, sources of mis/disinformation, and other topics.
- Developing technological automated solutions to share and amplify partners’ content while ensuring standardized attribution language; technological solutions would also provide tracking mechanisms for partners to see when media content is shared which partners shared it.
- A combination of innovative technological solutions paired with journalist SMEs, identify, measure, and track disinformation in Serbian language media to help media partners understand the original source of content before amplifying.
- Innovative ways to use technology to interact with youth Serbian language audiences while providing alternative sources of news.
Proposals should include appropriate funds for the monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of program successes and challenges, and a detailed description of how M&E will be carried out and program success will be determined, including a logic frame and a list of outputs and outcomes expected.
Proposals should detail a robust media plan, and winning applicants should plan to share their online activities/posts with the Embassy’s Public Affairs Section (PAS).