Deadline: 15-Apr-22
U.S. Embassy Tokyo of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to think tank organizations raise awareness of and combat disinformation.
Program Objectives
- The rapid spread of “fake news” and large-scale disinformation campaigns have become major challenges for many countries. For instance, many countries have had to deal with disinformation related to COVID-19, and some countries have even faced foreign disinformation campaigns targeting their elections or in times of crisis. Such disinformation comes with profound implications for public policy discourse and has the potential to impact the U.S.-Japan relationship. As a result, countering disinformation must be a multi-party effort.
- According to research institutions, Japan lags behind internationally in fact-checking efforts, which play an important role in dealing with disinformation during elections. According to the database of fact-checking websites compiled by the Duke Reporters' Lab at Duke University in the US, the three organizations accredited and registered as active fact-checking institutions in Japan account for only 0.98% of the 306 such institutions worldwide as of April 2021. Foreign policy, defense, public health, and other aspects of Japan's security could be adversely affected by influence operations and disinformation campaigns conducted by foreign actors. Therefore, prompt consideration must be given to this serious issue.
- The Embassy welcomes an appropriate partner institution to research the type and extent of disinformation in Japan and to make recommendations for future engagement to both analyze the size and scope of disinformation in Japan as well as raise awareness of and combat disinformation. In addition, the partner organization will implement a public forum to share the findings of the discussion with targeted policy influencers and established opinion leaders and produce a report.
Funding Information
- Length of performance period: Up to 24 months
- Number of awards anticipated: 1-3 awards (dependent on amounts)
- Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $5,000 to a maximum of $70,000
- Total available funding: $70,000
Participants and Audiences
The Embassy will only consider proposals that include participants from the U.S. and Japan. Potential participants are think tank institutions in the U.S. and Japan, ideally have already established partnership between the U.S. and Japanese think tanks.
Priority Region: United States and Japan
Eligibility Criteria
The following organizations are eligible to apply:
- Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/nongovernmental organizations
- Public and private educational institutions
- Public international organizations and governmental institutions
- Individuals
For more information, visit Grants.gov.
For more information, visit https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/view-opportunity.html?oppId=338148