Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs: Global Media Makers Program 2021 (U.S.)

Deadline: 16-Mar-21

The Office of Citizen Exchanges of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA, or “Bureau”) announces an open competition for the FY 2021 Global Media Makers (GMM) program to conduct an innovative professional development program for film, television, and online episodic content creators from participating countries to enhance their creative skills.

This program, like other ECA film program models, seeks to elevate influential voices that are building resilient civil societies by using film, television, and online episodic content to address critical local issues including, but not limited to, freedom of expression, pluralism, tolerance, women’s and youth empowerment.

GMM will connect approximately 12 to 18 mid-career film and television professionals (“Fellows”) from approximately six to eight countries with leading U.S. entertainment and media professionals (“Mentors”). These Mentors will facilitate behind-the-scenes access, bolster participants’ technical skills and creative content development, and build the foundations for lasting professional networks.

Program Goals

The goals and outcomes of GMM are to:

Enable participants to more effectively harness the power of visual storytelling to explore the critical issues confronting their communities;
Connect participants with a range of U.S. creative, business, and technical leaders through mentorships and other engagement opportunities;
Help visual storytellers acquire the necessary skills, enabling them to create compelling content for multi-media platforms;
Establish professional networks by linking participants with each other and with professional leaders in the U.S. entertainment industry;
Develop business skills and connections necessary to secure film financing and increase market distribution;
Expose filmmakers to community-based organizations that either provide media-focused training for youth and underserved populations or use film as a tool to promote critical thinking and mutual understanding;
Showcase films and episodic content and to organize industry panel discussions to promote the exchange of ideas and to create a professional dialogue.

Funding Information

Award Ceiling: $1,300,000

Eligibility Criteria

Eligible applicants:
- U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit applications for this competition. Applicants must have nonprofit status with the IRS at the time of application.
- All applicants must also have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number and be registered in SAM.gov.
Other Eligibility Requirements:
- Bureau grant guidelines require that organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges be limited to $130,000 in Bureau funding. ECA anticipates making one award, in an amount up to $1,300,000, to support program and administrative costs required to implement this exchange program.
- Therefore, organizations with less than four years of experience in conducting international exchanges are ineligible to apply under this competition.
Technical Eligibility:
- All proposals must comply with the requirements stated in the NOFO, and the Proposal Submission Instructions (PSI); non-compliance will result in your proposal being declared technically ineligible and given no further consideration in the review process.
- Eligible applicants may not submit more than one proposal in this competition. If more than one proposal is received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared technically ineligible and will receive no further consideration in the review process.