Grants / Department of State / Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs

SFOP0009618: FY 2023 Digital Connections Program

Closed Closed May 30, 2023 Opportunity SFOP0009618 ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Annual Program Statement for U.S. Presentation at International Architecture Biennales (DFOP0017180). Status: Closes January 1, 2099 (26353 days left). It is in our archive of Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs notices from 2023.

• Award ceiling$2.6 million
• Expected awards1
• Cost sharingNot required
• Funding typeCooperative Agreement

Key dates

Who can apply

This opportunity was open to nonprofits and colleges and universities.

• Public and State controlled institutions of higher education
• Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Private institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

Please see full announcement.

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Professional and Cultural Exchange Programs - Citizen Exchanges awards averaged $2.0 million; this notice allows up to $2.6 million per award.
• Most of the program's money (95% over five years) went to nonprofits.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) invites proposals for the FY 2023 Digital Connections Program (Digital Connections) in Africa, East Asia and the Pacific, Europe and Eurasia, the Middle East and North Africa, South and Central Asia, and the Western Hemisphere. U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) may submit proposals to conduct this unique exchange program designed to counter new and emerging digital threats from authoritarianism, the weaponization of information, and the undermining of democratic values by malign actors. Digital Connections provides a framework for developing, fostering, and connecting human networks of likeminded digital activists, entrepreneurs, educators, media professionals, and influencers. It is anticipated that this cooperative agreement will support four to six distinct “on-demand” or rapid response projects, including at least one U.S.-based exchange, and provide direct support to the Digital Communication Network (DCN) to continue program activities in select regions. Virtual and in-person rapid response programming (including international exchanges, network creation/activation, and global activities, Digital Connections projects and initiatives) will support information integrity to counter emerging threats to economic, environmental, political, and social systems stemming from disinformation, malinformation, and misinformation. Digital Connections advances U.S. foreign policy goals by harnessing the power of networks, in partnership with U.S. embassies and consulates around the world and across the U.S. State Department, to leverage resources, share knowledge and expertise, and crowdsource solutions that foster societal resilience to disinformation, online hate, and harassment and promote healthy, inclusive information ecosystems. Digital Connections will act as the primary program through which ECA will engage and support the DCN, a network of communication professionals, educators, civil society leaders, content creators, designers, developers, journalists, gamers, opinion leaders, and technology specialists working across borders, to translate ideas into digital platforms, address the root causes of malign information, and shape the information landscape.

Category: Other.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, DFOP0017180, which is open now.

The notice on Grants.gov keeps its full text and attachments, which is useful for planning a resubmission.