Deadline: 16 June 2019
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the Embassy of the United States in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic is currently inviting non-governmental organizations Safer World, Search for Common Ground, I Alert, and FTI to submit respective proposals for a Cooperative Agreement to support the Citizen Narrative Campaign program in the Kyrgyz Republic.
The CNC initiative will create a network of social influencers which positively influence vulnerable Kyrgyzstanis’ attitudes and behaviors to build communal resilience to violent extremist radicalization and recruitment.
Project Objectives
- Objective 1: Identify networks of individuals, programs, and services that influence and interact with individuals vulnerable to terrorist radicalization and recruitment
- Activity 1: Identify and map existing community-based intervention programs and services.
- Activity 2: Conduct social network analyses to identify credible messengers from religious communities, youth and student organizations, media, research/academia, local businesses, and community elders able to identify and engage credible messengers in local communities.
- Activity 3: Design and conduct focus groups during which influencers provide information that further helps identify and validate those credible messengers capable of effectively influencing individuals vulnerable to terrorist radicalization and recruitment.
- Objective 2: Increase the network’s capacity to design locally-resonant outreach campaigns that positively influence the attitudes and behaviors of vulnerable communities.
- Activity 1: Conduct a workshop to train select influencers and credible messengers on designing and implementing tailored messaging campaigns that discredit violent extremist organizations’ narratives and tarnish their brand among vulnerable local audiences. Workshop sessions will teach participants how to identify local drivers of radicalization, articulate campaign objectives, develop persuasive narratives that address specific drivers of violent extremism; identify optimal messaging platforms and dissemination tactics; and develop a comprehensive measurement and evaluation plan.
- Activity 2: Conduct pre- and post-workshop testing on influencers’ ability to develop, conduct, and measure persuasive media campaigns.
- Objective 3: Community based groups implement offline and online counter messaging campaigns in their local communities
- Activity 1: Community-based groups develop local CVE messaging action plans that demonstrate key concepts learned during the CNC training to include a plan to measure changes in the attitudes and behaviors of target audiences as a result of their messaging campaigns.
- Activity 2: In coordination with Embassy Bishkek and the GEC, provide small grants funding for groups to implement selected local CVE messaging action plans.
Award Information
- Award amount: The award floor is set at $270,000
- Anticipated period: 12-24 months
- Anticipated start date: July 30, 2019
Geographic Scope
Exact project location will be proposed by the implementing organization taking into consideration geographic and demographic diversity.
Audiences
- Key influencers: Workshop participants who are people with high social networking potential, respected opinion leaders, alumni of U.S. government sponsored exchange programs, and/or cultural figures.
- Credible messengers: Individual attitudes and behaviors are most influenced by face-to-face communications in one’s immediate social networks, particularly those the individual respects or trusts such as: local imams, youth organizations, community leaders, family members, teachers, media, sports leaders, and business leaders.
- Secondary audience: vulnerable youth (ages16-35), migrants, and families of migrants. Organizations are encouraged to draw on their previous and/or current activities and current research, including previous work that has identified groups vulnerable to radicalization to violence, the key drivers of radicalism and recruitment, and the types of messages that would resonate most deeply with those audiences.
How to Apply
Applicants should submit a request for a paper copy of the application forms, including templates and materials via email at the address given on the website.
For more information, please visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=316415