Deadline: 20-May-22
The United States Embassy in Kosovo announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out programs to improve the cyber security and resilience of Kosovo’s independent media and civil society organizations through partnerships with ethical “white hat” hackers.
Objectives
The objectives of this program are:
- To strengthen Kosovan civil society organizations’ and independent media organizations’capacity to counter cyberattacks, thereby strengthening their ability to better hold government institutions (national and local) accountable, increase transparency, and provide unbiased information that informs the public.
- To develop the capacity of Kosovo “white hat” ethical hackers and ethical hacker organizations not only to identify weaknesses and help partners fortify against them, butalso improve communication skills needed to educate partners and the public about the potential for malign actors to gain access to critical infrastructure and information.
- Successful proposals must have and include:
- A network of ethical hackers able to test media partners’ and civil society partners’ online infrastructure
- At least 10-20 sustainable partnerships with media outlets and civil society partners willing to participate in the program and share best practices with other organizations. (Note: a significant number of these partnerships should include Kosovan underserved minority communities, i.e. Romani, Egyptian, Ashkali, Gorani, Bosniak, Turks, Serb, etc.
- The term “underserved community” is defined in the Executive Order on Advancing Racial Equity and Underserved Communities. End Note).
- Innovative projects to educate media partners and civil society organization partners on how to identify, respond to, and fortify their online infrastructure.
- Innovative communication strategies and campaigns to increase awareness around these issues with other independent media, civil society organizations, and other Kosovo audiences
Funding Information
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $100,000
- Total available funding: $100,000
Participants and Audiences
- Participants for main activities are “white hat” hackers and partners (Kosovo-based media and civil society organizations).
- For education and awareness campaigns, audiences would include journalists, civil society activists, commercial and government IT professionals, and policy makers.
Eligibility Criteria
- Eligible Applicants
- Eligibility is limited to not-for-profit organizations (Nongovernmental Organizations (NGO’s), independent media outlets, and IT and Software organizations officially registered in the Republic of Kosovo.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338984