Jordan: Entrepreneurial Approaches to Countering Disinformation & Misinformation

Deadline: 10-Aug-21

The U.S. Embassy in Jordan / Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs (NEA) of the U.S. Department of State has announced an open competition for organizations to submit applications to develop and implement the “TechCamp Jordan (Hakkerha): Entrepreneurial Approaches to Countering Disinformation & Misinformation” program in September 2021.

TechCamp Jordan will bring together youth with proven talents in fields such as coding, statistics, design, journalism, and technology to develop innovative solutions to the challenges of online misinformation, disinformation and propaganda. Participants will launch real-world entrepreneurial solutions under the guidance of trusted mentors, activists, advisors and officials. Ultimately, TechCamp Jordan will establish a network to incubate new ideas and champion innovative social entrepreneurship in the post-pandemic world within the domain of media and information literacy, with a special focus on countering disinformation.

Goals

The goals must be aligned with the Integrated Country Strategy goals of the U.S. Embassy in Jordan, and the following goals, specific to this program:

Establish an innovative and multidisciplinary platform to engage Jordanian youth as the primary problem-solvers;
Build politically aware resilience in communities affected by violent extremism through innovative multidisciplinary approaches to problem solving;
Elevate Jordanian voices to counter disinformation, misinformation, fake news, and extremism;
Promote active, well-informed, politically aware and engaged citizenship through entrepreneurship and private sector engagement.

Activities

The 12–15-month program should include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following main activities:

3-day in-person Inaugural TechCamp: The camp should bring together approximately 35 to 40 participants, organized in small groups, who will engage with trainers and mentors from across various professions and disciplines to explore how to identify economic opportunities within a digital landscape of misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and propaganda campaigns.
6-Month Incubation Program with Strategic Partners: The implementer will be responsible for matching the top ideas generated during the inaugural event with strategic local partners. This is done to ensure that participants continue to work with experts in the field and coordinate with government counterparts to ensure accessibility, relevance, and practicality of their proposed ideas and prototypes.
Final Pitching Competition and Seed Funding for Winning Prototypes: At the end of the incubation period, participants will be provided with the opportunity to pitch their ideas to a panel of experts. Up to five teams will be awarded sub-grants to work on refining their solutions in collaboration with one of the program’s strategic partners. Award amounts will vary based on availability of budget.
Follow on Activities & Post Project Support: Follow-on activities should include establishing a community of practice and/or network to carry forward the ideas and projects that emerged in the tech camp in collaboration with strategic partners from both the private and public sectors as well as relevant civil society organizations.

Funding Information

Total available funding: Up to $120,000.00
Length of performance period: 12-15 months
Number of awards anticipated: 1 award
Anticipated program start date: September 2021

What proposals should include?

In coordination with the U.S. Embassy in Amman, the implementing partner will be responsible for all aspects of the planning, design, and implementation of TechCamp Jordan. Submitted proposals should include programmatic and financial details on the following:

Logistics for the program: The implementing partner will be responsible for devising and implementing the agenda, organizing schedules, acquiring all printed/digital programmatic materials and promotional items, designing recruitment campaigns, arranging expert travel, and all logistics and planning associated with this tech camp, including the travel of participants in coordination with the U.S. Embassy.
Selection of participants: The implementing partner will finalize the criteria of the target audience as proposed in this Funding Notice, as well as establish open-competition recruitment mechanisms and channels, in coordination with the U.S. Embassy.
Identification of local tech experts/other local strategic partners: The implementing partner will identify local tech experts to design and lead any and all training workshops in coordination with U.S. Embassy personnel.
Digital engagement and outreach: The implementing partner will be responsible for developing communication plans that clearly outline the plan for the amplification of the program activities and outcomes both online and offline through robust and innovative digital engagement approaches.
Financials: Applications must cover all and any expenses associated with the program, including, but not limited to: winning teams’ sub-grants, venue(s), experts and participants allowances, printing services and promotional items, internet bundle support, providing simultaneous translation if needed, follow-on program activities’ costs, travel of participants from and to activities, placement fees with strategic partners (if any), and the operational costs and staffing of the implementing partner.
Monitoring and evaluation plan: The implementing partner will be responsible for submitting a detailed monitoring and evaluation plan for all components of the program, including the follow-on program activities.

Priority Region: Jordan

Eligibility Criteria

The following organizations are eligible to apply: