Grants to support CSOs in the development of Media and Information literacy and Media Activism in BiH

Deadline: 19-Feb-24

The Media and Civil Society Development Foundation “Mediacentar” is seeking project proposals aimed at increasing the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) in urban and rural areas to promote media activism and combat misinformation and polarization.

This call for project proposals is part of the regional project “Our media”, supported by the European Union, which is implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Kosovo, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.

Objectives

General goal: Encourage engagement and support capacity building of CSOs in urban and rural areas in media activism and media literacy.
Specific goals:
- Engage CSOs in the Western Balkan region to actively contribute to the creation of MIA practices in urban and rural areas.
- Mobilize CSOs in the Western Balkans to participate in educating citizens about the important role of free media, ethical standards in journalism, and the threats that polarization and misinformation pose to stability in the region.
- Support CSOs in providing knowledge, platforms and tools for citizens to actively exercise their rights to reliable and responsible media.
- Support CSOs to promote gender representation and underrepresented groups and topics in media reporting.
- To facilitate the participation of local CSOs in regional networks that are dedicated to the exchange of knowledge and experience and the multiplication of successful practices of media activism.
- Enable the transfer of knowledge on development, project implementation and grant management between CSOs operating in regional centers/capital cities with more developed capacities for project implementation and rural CSOs with potential for local influence, but less developed capacities.

Funding Information

The total budget of this call for project proposals is EUR 46,500.
The value of each proposed project must be between 7,000 and 15,500 EUR.

Duration

The duration of the project must be between 9 and 18 months.

Expected Results

An increased number of MFA solutions developed in civil society that are available to citizens.
Citizens in urban and rural areas have a better understanding of the role of the media, the professional standards in journalism and the ethical standards that media reporting should meet in order to be considered reliable.
Citizens understand the threat and act against polarization in the media.
Citizens demand high-quality media content, content without misinformation, learn and use available mechanisms at the local/national level to express their needs and expectations from the media, actively contribute to the shaping of a professional media environment.
CSOs develop capacities for design, management and promotion of projects in the field of media activism and MFA.
Rural CSOs have built capacities through cooperation projects with more experienced organizations.

Eligible Activities

Educational activities: Workshops, trainings, camps, hackathons, etc. designed to lead to concrete actions by citizens dealing with a wide range of MIP topics, including but not limited to professional media standards, ethical standards in journalism, social media and content moderation, hate speech and propaganda, disinformation, polarization, mechanisms the influence of citizens on the quality of media coverage and the mechanism of change in local communities.
Communication activities, such as production and distribution of media content, podcasts, campaigns and media reporting on gender equality and minorities. The focus of media content should be on promoting media education and knowledge about the role of professional and independent media, standards of professional media reporting, the importance of ethical media reporting, regulatory and self-regulatory mechanisms and ways in which citizens can use them to influence their media environment, etc.
Development of accessible resources for MFA (publications, guidelines, dictionaries, didactic tools) based on best practices at regional, global and EU level.
Public events such as public debates, expert panel discussions, gatherings of citizens and journalists with the aim of exchanging knowledge and opinions and discussions between relevant actors about current events of importance for media freedom, MFA, safety of journalists, representation of women in the media, representation of minorities and marginalized group, etc. at the local, national and regional level.
Small-scale research at the local level, related to a better understanding of the use of the media, key sources of polarization, understanding the level of media literacy of the rural population, the position of men and women in the local media, etc. Research must be justified, related to project activities and must not be a predominant part of the project.
Well-informed public advocacy actions that encourage citizens to exercise their right to demand professional and reliable media and equal representation: letters to media editors, CSOs, policy and decision makers, representatives of the international community, networks of civil society organizations, local CSOs, media; organized visits to public institutions, media, regulatory and self-regulatory bodies focused on specific issues recognized by civil society and citizens, street actions, art exhibitions, media campaigns, development and promotion of recommendations for the improvement of relevant policies.

Eligibility Criteria

The call for submission of project proposals is open to CSOs from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The invitation is open both to independent organizations and to partnerships formed between developed CSOs based in urban areas (larger centers and capital cities) and local organizations operating in smaller communities and rural areas. Partnerships are preferred.
Eligibility criteria for applicants and co-applicants are as follows:
- Applicants
  - CSO is a legal entity established and registered in BiH in accordance with local laws and definitions.
  - CSO operates primarily in the field of media, freedom of expression or digital technologies, as well as education, human rights or gender equality, which is evident from its founding documents.
  - The CSO has been actively operating for at least one year (i.e. at least 12 months prior to the publication date of this call for project proposals).
- Co-applicants
  - CSO is a legal entity established and registered in BiH in accordance with local laws and definitions.
- Note on project partnership:
  - The call is open both to organizations as individual applicants, and to partnerships formed between developed CSOs based in urban areas (larger centers and capitals) and local organizations operating in smaller communities and rural areas. Partnerships are preferred.
  - Interstate partnerships are not the subject of this call for project proposals.
  - One CSO can register as an applicant in only one project, and can be a co-applicant in other projects of this call.