Grants / Department of State / U.S. Mission to Malaysia

SMY300-FY2022-YSEALIGAMES: YSEALI Regional Workshop on Designing Games That Drive Social Change

Closed Closed July 25, 2022 Opportunity SMY300-FY2022-YSEALIGAMES ☆ Save

This grant is closed. A newer notice from the same program is open now: Austrian-American Partnership Fund (AAPF) (OFOP0002825). Status: Closes January 1, 2099 (26353 days left). It is in our archive of U.S. Mission to Malaysia notices from 2022.

• Award ceiling$200,000
• Award floor$150,000
• Total funding$200,000
• 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
• Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education
• Others (see text field entitled "Additional Information on Eligibility" for clarification)

- U.S. not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks- Foreign public and private educational institutions- Foreign not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks

More grants for nonprofits, colleges and universities.

Is this a realistic fit?

• Past Public Diplomacy Programs awards averaged $26,570; this notice allows up to $200,000 per award.
• No cost sharing or match is required.

What the grant funds

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Regional Workshop on Designing Games that Drive Social Change, to be held in Malaysia (Penang or Kuala Lumpur) pending the availability of funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. The proposed workshop will focus on introducing existing and aspiring young game developers to the concept of designing games for social change and equipping them with the technical and narrative skill sets to design compelling interactive experiences. The program should also provide participants with nuanced background knowledge on critical social issues facing their communities that could be highlighted through a gaming medium. Proposals should seek to convene 60-70 skilled gaming industry professionals and game design students for a four-day program comprised of a two-day workshop led by American and local experts on designing games with social messages, followed by a two-day game jam during which participants form teams and conceptualize games that could address pressing issues facing the ASEAN region. Some examples of topics that games could raise awareness of include (but are not limited to) climate change, trafficking-in-persons, disinformation, civic engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Program proposals should also integrate a final pitching competition and budget funding that allows selected games to be developed to completion. The ASEAN region is home to a massively burgeoning gaming industry, one staffed predominantly by a youth demographic willing to utilize their technical and narrative skills to impact their communities and region. At the same time, reports estimate the region is home to 126 million gamers who can all be reached through this medium which offers unparalleled interactivity and player agency that can facilitate the delivery of messages on topics including climate change, human trafficking, and civic engagement, among many others. In the same way that programs in the past have sought to build capacity among filmmakers, media, musicians, and documentarians, this program would enhance the capacity and ability of game makers, storytellers, and digital artists to employ their unique skills to achieve social change.

Category: Community Development, Education.

Applying now

This notice no longer takes applications. Apply under the newer notice, OFOP0002825, which is open now.

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