OpportunityTitle: Embassy Belgrade - Media Training &amp; Development (MT&amp;D) Small Grants Program
CategoryExplanation: Program Themes:  The Embassy is seeking applications that focus on the following themes:    a) JOURNALISM TRAINING &amp; EDUCATION:  Projects might aim to: increase the professional skills of professional journalists; strengthen the investigative journalism skills of media professionals; train journalists on new techniques and approaches to make the transition to digital journalism; strengthen university programs for journalism students; organize summer camps for aspiring young journalists; teach individuals how to become citizen journalists; and/or promote regional collaboration among professional journalists and journalism students.  b) MANAGING NEWS OUTLETS:  Projects might aim to: strengthen the ability of managers to operate their news outlets and deal with the challenges they face in the 21st century media space;  c) EXPANDING PUBLIC DEBATE:  Projects might aim to: increase and deepen reporting on community issues and public policy questions at the local, regional, or national levels; increase reporting, including production of content, on role of U.S. assistance to Serbia and importance of expanded economic, political, and cultural ties between Serbia and its neighbors; and/or support reporting projects that examine the evolution of bilateral ties between the U.S. and Serbia.  d) DIVERSITY OF VIEWS:  Projects might aim to: expose media consumers to a broad diversity of viewpoints, including pieces that give the perspective of women and/or members of disadvantaged groups in society, e.g., the disabled, the elderly, minorities, the LGBT community, etc;  e) COUNTERING DISINFORMATION:  Projects might aim to: educate students or other media consumers how to recognize, respond to, and combat disinformation, misinformation, and propaganda in the news and on the internet;  f) MEDIA FREEDOM / ROLE OF THE FREE PRESS IN A DEMOCRACY:  Projects might aim to: build up understanding within Serbia society of the importance of media freedom, a prerequisite for Serbia&#8217;s accession into the European Union (EU) and a key value shared by Serbia, the U.S., and the West.
AdditionalInformationOnEligibility: The following Serbian and American entities are eligible to apply:        &#8226; media outlets, journalist unions or associations, student groups, civil society organizations/non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and think tanks.  &#8226; public educational institutions.   &#8226; individuals if they have a demonstrated capacity to carry out the proposed activities in the application     Note:  To be eligible for consideration, every Serbia-based applicant must be registered in the territory of the Republic of Serbia (Agencija za privredne registre &#8211; APR).
Description: THIS GRANTS OPPORTUNITY IS SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS The U.S. Embassy Belgrade is pleased to announce an open competition for applicants to submit proposals to carry out grant projects as part of our Media Training &amp; Development (MT&amp;D) Small Grants Program. Please carefully follow all instructions outlined in this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO). Program Objectives: The purpose of the Media Training &amp; Development (MT&amp;D) Small Grants Program is to fund individual projects that support the strengthening of the Serbian press and ensure the free flow of accurate information to keep Serbia&#8217;s citizens informed. Grant projects take any number of forms, including workshops, courses, public debates, conferences, role-playing sessions, TED Talks, hackathons, online projects, summer camps, online projects, or other activities. In light of social distancing measures, and to limit the spread of COVID-19, we welcome creative proposals that utilize video conferencing, distance learning tools, etc. Activities should focus on audiences in Serbia, but we also suggest applicants consider putting together regionally-focused proposals that include participants or partners from neighboring nations. Project Participants/Audiences: The participants or audiences for the proposed activity should be citizens or legal residents of Serbia, though if the project has a regional focus, a number of participants might come from neighboring countries, too. Please be specific in your application about the target audience for your project. (See detailed instructions in the full text of the NOFO) As a general rule, participants or audiences should not be charged for taking part in a PAS-funded activity. If you envisage that your project activity will not be free, please contact PAS to discuss your concept. We might be able to support the project if you can demonstrate how the revenue generated will used to support the larger objectives. Cost Sharing or Matching Funds: Cost sharing is allowed but not required and will not impact funding decisions. While filling out the application, you will be required to tell us whether you are also receiving funding from other donors for your project. Number of Applications: Applicants, whether organizations or individuals, are only allowed to submit one proposal for this program. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from the applicant will be considered technically ineligible for funding. If an individual or organization currently has another grant from the U.S. Embassy and that project and this one would overlap, the review committee will examine whether the applicant has the capacity to handle both grants concurrently. Funding Restrictions: You CANNOT apply for a grant from the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Belgrade if: &#183; your project involves partisan political activity; &#183; your project involves charitable activities and/or the distribution of humanitarian aid; &#183; your project is a fundraising campaign; &#183; your project is commercial in nature, i.e., you are making money from this project. Submission Deadline: All application materials must be submitted by email to belgradepress@state.gov no later than June 30, 2020, at 23:59. If we do not receive a complete project proposal at the above address by the deadline, it will be considered technically ineligible and will not be considered for funding. As a backup, we strongly recommend that you also send a paper copy via post (postmarked before the deadline) to the following address: Media Training &amp; Development (MD&amp;T) Small Grants Program Public Affairs Section (PAS) U.S. Embassy Bulevar Kneza Aleksandra Karadjordjevica 92 11040 Belgrade FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY (U.S. EMBASSY) CONTACTS: If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: belgradepress@state.gov
GrantorContactEmailDescription: bakraclict@state.gov
GrantorContactText: Tatjana Bakraclic &lt;br/&gt;Grantor &lt;br/&gt;Phone 381117064263