The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (DRL) announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting applications for a project that supports media literacy in Bulgaria.
Manipulated information and propaganda inundate the Bulgarian population with messages designed to erode democratic institutions, undermine the country’s Euro-Atlantic orientation, and exacerbate social divisions. Due to a limited focus on media and information literacy in the school system and in public discourse more broadly, many Bulgarians lack the tools or training to critically assess the veracity of news and are unaware of the extent to which false narratives present a threat to Bulgaria’s security as well as political, social, and economic stability. Bulgarian media literacy, as measured in recent national and international surveys, remains low in the face of an ever-increasing volume of dis- and misinformation. Those in civil society and government who understand the need for more media literacy inside and outside of schools often lack the resources, training, and institutional support to launch an effective, whole-ofsociety media literacy program or struggle to sustain existing efforts in the face of capacity constraints, corruption, malign influence, and a lack of concerted political action to address systemic challenges.
Primary organizations can submit 1 application in response to the NOFO. Interested applicants from within Duke should contact fundopps@duke.edu as early as possible.
Deadline: June 19, 2023
DRL welcomes applications from U.S.-based and foreign-based non-profit organizations/nongovernmental organizations (NGO) and public international organizations; private, public, or state institutions of higher education; and for-profit organizations or businesses. DRL’s preference is to work with non-profit entities; however, there may be some occasions when a for-profit entity is best suited.