Media Smart: Spotting Truth in a Fake News World for Non-Journalists | DOS AF PDPA FY24 03

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS AF PDPA FY24 03

The U.S. Department of State, through Africa Regional Services in the Bureau of African Affairs Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA), is funding a media literacy training initiative called "Media Smart: Spotting Truth in a Fake News World for Non-Journalists." The opportunity is structured as a cooperative agreement and is meant to help African youth and other community-facing audiences build practical skills to recognize, analyze, and respond to misinformation and disinformation, including newer challenges tied to AI-generated content. The central idea is to strengthen informed citizenship and democratic resilience by giving non-journalists the tools to evaluate information responsibly and to share content ethically in their own networks and communities.

The program is designed around a six-month virtual training series delivered in both French and English, built on online presentations and interactive dialogues between American subject-matter experts and African participants. The workshops are expected to be hands-on and wide-ranging, covering core media literacy concepts such as identifying bias, evaluating credibility of sources, and distinguishing between information, news, and opinion. It also calls for clear instruction on different forms of information disorder, including misinformation, propaganda, and fake news, and asks applicants to address the real-world impacts disinformation can have on public opinion, social cohesion, and democratic processes. A major emphasis is placed on critical thinking skills, understanding media bias and objectivity, building trust, practicing digital citizenship, and learning concrete strategies to counter disinformation. The opportunity explicitly includes an AI component, asking applicants to teach participants how to understand AI's role in the information ecosystem and how to recognize AI-generated or AI-manipulated content.

While the project is primarily virtual, the notice leaves room, if funding allows, for an in-person colloquium that would bring together selected participants. Beyond the training itself, applicants are expected to propose a plan to keep participants connected after the program ends, encouraging peer-to-peer networking, continued content sharing, and ongoing collaboration. Another firm requirement is that all experts delivering the subject matter content must be American citizens, reinforcing the exchange component and the use of U.S.-based expertise.

The grant is motivated by a stated regional need: disinformation in Africa has been rising quickly with the spread of digital channels, and research cited in the notice connects this trend to social unrest and democratic backsliding. Because more than 60 percent of Africa's population is under 25, the program frames youth media literacy as both urgent and high-leverage, particularly as AI-driven content makes it harder to tell what is authentic. Proposals are expected to be tailored to African audiences and capable of operating at a continent-wide or multi-country scale, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, with priority given to West Africa. Countries specifically referenced as priorities or examples include Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Sierra Leone, Guinea (Conakry), Chad, Cameroon, Togo, Benin, and parts of Central Africa.

The target audiences include male and female youth (with an explicit requirement to ensure gender balance), as well as educators and NGO representatives, generally focused on ages 18 to 30. The program goal is to help young adults understand and navigate the intersection of AI, disinformation, and media literacy, and then to apply what they learn. The opportunity lays out two main objectives: first, to measurably improve participants' media literacy through engaging workshops focused on countering misinformation and disinformation; and second, to push participants beyond passive learning by having them create and share stories or content that demonstrate critical analysis and responsible communication, reinforcing digital citizenship and ethical participation in the online information space.

Funding is expected to be awarded to one recipient, with an award ceiling of $250,000. The notice also signals the level of management capacity expected: the successful applicant should have experience managing awards of $250,000 or more and must demonstrate the operational ability to manage a multi-country, continent-wide grant focused on countering disinformation. Proposals must include a monitoring and evaluation approach, with indicators and milestones that show how progress and outcomes will be tracked over time, and the evaluation plan is weighted significantly in the scoring.

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society organizations), public and private educational institutions, and individuals. For-profit or commercial entities are not eligible. Organizational applicants must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and an active SAM.gov registration, and the notice warns that SAM registration can take 4 to 8 weeks, so it needs to be started early. Individuals do not need a UEI or SAM registration. Only one proposal is allowed per organization; submitting more than one makes all submissions from that organization ineligible. There is also a limited exemption pathway for UEI/SAM requirements in special cases involving safety or exigent circumstances, but it must be requested in advance and approved by the Grants Officer.

Applications were due by June 15, 2024, and submissions are handled by email (ARSSpeaker@state.gov), even though the required federal forms are obtained through Grants.gov. The application package is fairly standard for U.S. government assistance awards and includes SF-424 (or SF-424-I for individuals), SF-424A, SF-424B, a summary cover sheet, and a proposal capped at 10 pages. The proposal must clearly explain the problem, goals and measurable objectives, activities, methods and program design (a logic model is encouraged), timeline, staffing, partners, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability beyond the grant period. Applicants must also submit a budget justification narrative and attachments such as short CVs for key personnel and letters of support from partners, plus a NICRA document if indirect costs are being claimed. Formatting requirements are strict: documents in English, budgets in U.S. dollars, numbered pages, 8.5 x 11 layout, and Word documents single-spaced in 12-point Calibri with 1-inch margins.

Proposals are scored on a points-based rubric emphasizing program quality and feasibility (25 points), organizational capacity and past grant performance (15), program content and linkage to U.S. expertise (15), budget quality and realism (15), monitoring and evaluation strength (15), and sustainability (10). In practical terms, the strongest applications will be the ones that present a clear and realistic six-month virtual training plan in French and English, show credible access to American experts, demonstrate deep familiarity with West African and broader sub-Saharan information environments, and include a concrete post-program strategy that keeps alumni sharing resources and working together after the workshops end.

• The Africa Regional Services in the oz sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Media Smart: Spotting Truth in a Fake News World for Non-Journalists" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-05-10.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-06-15. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DOS AF PDPA FY24 03

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