PROGRAM OVERVIEW

As part of the Media Literacy in the Baltics Program, IREX will work with media organizations, civil society organizations, and NGOs with a youth focus in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania to increase media literacy outcomes among the general public in the Baltic countries by crafting tailored campaigns on social media channels popular among youth where disinformation is often prevalent. Selected organizations will also work with IREX to support blended learning rollout of the “Very Verified” online media literacy course in spaces such as youth clubs, schools, universities, libraries, co-working spaces, and workplaces.

PROGRAM DATES

Required documents due March 31, 2022. Program dates may fluctuate based upon the project’s timeline. The program reserves the right to alter an applicant’s timeline.

TECHNICAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

The program is open to legal entities (for-profit or nonprofit) in good financial standing based in Estonia, Latvia, or Lithuania. At least two project leads must be youth (ages 18-35) and have a background in media and/or communications (work or education experience is acceptable). Two organizations in each country will be selected for a grant based on an open competitive application process.

Candidates will be considered without respect to race, color, religion, national origin, or gender. Persons with disabilities are strongly encouraged to apply.  

Current IREX employees and consultants and their immediate family members (spouses, parents, children, and siblings) are not eligible to apply.

All reasonable, allocable, and allowable expenses, which are related to the subgrant program and are in accordance with applicable cost standards (2 CFR 200 Subpart E Cost Principles or the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 31 for-profit organizations), may be charged under the subgrant.  

For non-US organizations the Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions and 2 CFR 200 Subpart A through E apply.

Issuance of this Request For Applications does not constitute an award commitment on the part of Media Literacy in the Baltics Program/IREX nor does it commit Media Literacy in the Baltics Program/IREX to pay for costs incurred in the preparation and submission of an application. The application is submitted at the risk of the applicant. All preparation and submission costs are at the applicant's expense.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

The applicant / application must meet the following requirements:

• Be officially registered and working in compliance with all applicable civil and fiscal regulations, including, but not limited to pertinent local laws and status.
• Be officially registered as a legal entity and working in compliance with all applicable local laws. An applicant can show proof of effort to secure registration.
• Meet the projects objectives and principles
• Contain expected outcomes and results consistent with and linked to the projects objectives
• Applicant is not a debarred organization, 2 CFR§200.214 Suspension and debarment

PROGRAM OVERVIEW 

A recent RAND-led randomized control trial showed short videos and memes with media literacy messaging are effective in reducing engagement with disinformation among partisan audiences in the US. Media Literacy in the Baltics can extrapolate that those who engage with information on a very emotional level benefit from pre-bunking, and that a similar approach could work for audiences in the Baltics. IREX will work with youth-led media organizations to craft tailored campaigns including “manipulation awareness” videos and games and would promote them on social media channels popular among youth where disinformation is often prevalent.

Selected organizations will produce at least two media literacy campaigns. Campaigns should be tested (for example, gathering feedback from the target audience on a sample material) and then rolled out over approximately 3-6 weeks, reaching at least 2,000 people per campaign. Examples of eligible initiatives (other project ideas are also acceptable):  

• Articles, podcasts, or blogs  
• Videos
• Social media campaigns  
• Fact checking/verification tips and resources
• Digital media literacy games or quizzes
• Mini online courses
• Development of books or board games

In addition, grantees will support the rollout of “Very Verified,” IREX’s online course on media literacy, by organizing blended learning trainings for at least 50 students. The blended learning approach combines participants’ independent course engagement with trainer-facilitated sessions (in person if health conditions allow, otherwise online).  

IREX will provide a training structure and teaching materials for the blended learning sessions. Grantees will also attend a Training of Trainers (ToT) session led by IREX prior to the course launch. Grantees will be responsible for recruiting training participants, arranging in-person training spaces (or online adaptations, if needed), running full blended learning trainings (approximately 5-6 hours, spread over two days as needed), and administering pre- and post-training monitoring and evaluation surveys (provided by IREX). The Very Verified course, all blended learning training materials, and training surveys will be available to grantees in Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Russian, and English.

APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS

A. Project Description REQUIRED

Please go to Part 3 of this form to see the application questions.

B. Budget (Please email kruklis@irex.org to request the budget template and narrative instructions) REQUIRED

All applications must include a completed budget outlining costs of the grant project. All budget information submitted with the application should be in dollars by line item. Applicants should verify that the total dollar amount will not exceed $5,000.  

IREX anticipates awarding a subaward of up to $5,000 USD equivalent in euros for up to 8 months of activities. In no event, will IREX disburse funds in excess of the US Dollar value of this Subgrant. IREX shall not be responsible for fluctuations in the relative values of other currencies, and all foreign exchange and similar risks shall be borne by the Subgrantee.

The budget form must include all projected expenses for the grant activities.

Allowable expenses under this grant include:  

• VAT (for applicants who are subject to VAT)
• Personnel: organizational staff time (up to 60% of grant funds)
• Travel: travel costs for training initiatives
• Supplies: costs related to supplies/materials for activity initiatives, such as publications, communication materials, educational products, personal protective equipment (masks, sanitizers, etc.), training refreshments
• Contractual: Fees for outside experts (translations, graphic design, etc.) or other external services (e.g., training space)
• Other Direct Costs: will be considered based on the scope of the project activities

Non-allowable expenses under this grant include:

• Rent of office space  
• Equipment with the unit cost of $5,000 and higher
• Alcohol (other food/drink catering for events is acceptable)
• Project activities unrelated to media literacy
• Supplies restricted by 2 CFR § 200.216 - Prohibition on certain telecommunications and video surveillance services or equipment
• Subgrant funds provided under the terms of this RFA shall not be used to procure goods or services from suppliers that may be identified on the USG consolidated list of debarred, suspended or ineligible subcontractors at http://www.sam.gov/  
• Any purchases or activities deemed unnecessary to successfully complete the activity, including any subgrantee expenses that are not directly linked to the implementation of the proposed project
• Previous obligations and/or bad debts
• Fines and /or penalties
• And any other costs that are considered unallowable under 2 CFR 200 Subpart E of Costs Principles: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-2/part-200/subpart-e

C. Resumes/CV REQUIRED

Resumes for the primary youth leads (ages 18-35), as indicated in the application, who will be working on the project should be attached.

D. Gantt Chart (Please email kruklis@irex.org to request a template) REQUIRED

A timeline of proposed activities will be required with the application.

E. Letter of Recommendation REQUIRED 

A letter of support endorsing your project from a professional or academic contact, partner, or client.

SELECTION CRITERIA 

Eligible applications will be reviewed competitively against the following Selection Criteria (scored up to 45 points): 

• Thoroughness and relevance of applicant’s answers to application questions (5 points) 
• Strength and feasibility of the project design and timeline (5 points) 
• Financial soundness, including a clearly described budget with real and necessary costs (5 points) 
• Organizational experience and qualifications of program leads (5 points)  
• Letter of recommendation endorsing the program (5 points) 
• Demonstrated investment in innovation around the proposed activities (5 points) 
• Responsiveness to an identified need (5 points) 
• Integration of media literacy (5 points) 
• Potential impact and reach, including a clearly defined target audience (5 points) 

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 

Programmatic Reports  

All grant recipients will be required to submit program reports on a quarterly basis. The program report will detail the progress and results of the project each quarter and through the end of the program as they relate to the established outcomes and activities as indicated in the project application. In addition to the reports, IREX reserves the right to conduct project site evaluations as deemed necessary. 

Financial Records 

Grantees are expected to keep detailed financial records for at least three years after the end of the project and make them available to IREX upon request. 

Taxes  

Some countries consider a grant from a non-commercial organization to be taxable income.  Grant recipients are responsible for all taxes or bank processing/wiring fees incurred from the receipt of a grant. Bank processing/wiring fees may be included in the project budget. 

Method of Grant Payment  

Recipients of the Project Grants will receive award funds via wire transfer from IREX/Latvia. Grantees will be required to provide full documentation including invoices, bank information, etc. along with the Terms and Conditions.   

IREX reserves the right to verify all of the information indicated in the application.  In the event that there is a discrepancy, or information is found to be false, the application will immediately be declared invalid and the applicant ineligible. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

If you have questions about the grant opportunity or application submission, please contact IREX staff directly at kruklis@irex.org.