Deadline: 5 July 2019
USAID’s BMAP aims to stimulate the production of highly engaging, quality digital content that will help local media expand their audiences and build trust with the public while reporting on public interest issues in innovative, interactive ways. To this end, they are seeking applications for Engaging Content Grants (ECG).
USAID’s Balkan Media Assistance Program (BMAP) goal is to make media in the Western Balkans more competitive in the local and regional marketplaces and strengthen the sustainability of the independent media sector across the region, particularly in the digital space.
Truly engaging content should:
- Involve audiences in a meaningful public discourse by providing information critical for making informed decisions;
- Target general audiences, but in a new and creative way;
- Encourage audiences to devise potential solutions and get involved in addressing problems they see in their own communities;
- Help audiences communicate more closely with journalists, people they might not otherwise be able to reach (e.g. experts, public figures, etc.), and with one another;
- Create paths for communication between content producers and the public;
- Enable audiences to contribute to content production in some way, where and when possible;
- Address important social issues and engaging marginalized and/or less informed audience groups in the dialogue, especially women and girls, younger people, ethnic, social, sexual and other minorities, diaspora, audiences in other countries, etc.);
- And/or promote diversification of the experiences and voices featured in media content.
Funding Information
Grant Amount for individual grants: $15,000 – $20,000;
What kinds of things will these grants support?
USAID’s BMAP want to see proposals for production of quality content in innovative digital packages or reporting projects that will use interactive formats to cover issues that both reflect audience interests and are important to the country’s (or region’s) civic, economic and social development. Grants will support recipients to launch or expand digital content initiatives with the potential to improve their core production, broaden their audience reach, solve a particular issue/problem detected in the local community, attract new types of audiences (for example, women and girls, members of ethnic, social or sexual minority groups, youth, diaspora, other marginalized and/or less informed audience groups, audiences in other countries ) but also attract general audience in a new and creative way, facilitate interaction between journalists and audiences or between audience members themselves, and/or increase user loyalty.
Eligibility Criteria
- All applicants must be registered in one of the partner countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia).
- An organization can submit only one project proposal.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply via given website.
For more information, please visit http://balkansmedia.org/grant/2nd-call-usaids-bmap-engaging-content-grants