Deadline: 20-Apr-21
The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to provide program support for Media Small Grants Program.
The purpose of the Media Small Grants Program is to fund individual projects that: strengthen the media literacy and critical thinking skills of students, news consumers, and other citizens of Serbia; ensure the free flow of accurate information; support people’s efforts to tell stories of greatest interest to them; support the strengthening of the Serbian press; and educate community members about the importance of a free press in a democratic society like Serbia’s. At the same time, they are also trying to strengthen the institutional capacity of the sub-grantee to manage and implement projects.
Program Objectives
Just as in the U.S., people in Serbia confront disinformation, misinformation, and inaccurate news stories on a daily basis, making it difficult to understand and make sense of the world. On top of that, news stories of the greatest importance to communities, or ones about disadvantaged groups, sometimes do not make their way into the media. In addition, in order for Serbia to join the European Union, which is a stated goal of the Government of Serbia, changes and reforms, must take place to secure and guarantee freedom of the press in Serbia.
Program Themes
PAS is currently considering the following four themes, but they will confirm with you if you are awarded the Cooperative Agreement:
- Media Freedom and the Role of the Free Press in a Democracy;
- Strengthening Digital Platforms and Online Media;
- Expanding Public Debate; and
- Diversity of Views.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: Up to24months (including the evaluation period).
- Number of awards anticipated: 1 award.
- Award amounts: Up to $145,000 for the Cooperative Agreement, with sub-grants (drawn from that total figure) ranging from $2,000-$15,000.
- Total available funding: Up to $145,000.
- Program Performance Period: The program should be completed in 24 months or less. (This would include the time for the sub-grantees to complete their projects, plus your organization’s assessment and evaluation, as well as the drafting of the final report for this cooperative agreement.
Participants and Audiences
Your target audience will be potential sub-grantees who could submit competitive applications in line with the Embassy’s revised application form and accompanying instructions. That could include:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including journalist associations, civil society organizations or non-governmental organizations, think tanks, educational institutions, media outlets, etc.
- Individual citizens, including alumni of U.S. Government (USG) exchange programs, which have a demonstrated capacity or proven track record to carry out the proposed activities.
Eligibility Criteria
The following not-for-profit entities, from Serbia or the U.S.,are eligible to apply:
- Journalist or media unions or associations, civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks.
- To be eligible for consideration, every Serbia-based applicant organization must be registered in the territory of the Republic of Serbia with the Agencija za privredne registre (APR).
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=332165