North India Workshops on Media Challenges in the Digital Age | ND NOFO 19 101

Opportunity Information: Apply for ND NOFO 19 101

The grant opportunity "North India Workshops on Media Challenges in the Digital Age" is a U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to India) funding announcement administered through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy's North India Office. It supports a training and mentorship project designed to help young media practitioners and community leaders better recognize and respond to disinformation. The overall aim is to strengthen the ability of participants to validate news sources, identify false narratives, and develop practical strategies to counter misinformation in their professional and community networks.

The proposed project is structured around three in-person workshops held in North India, specifically in New Delhi, Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh), and Jaipur (Rajasthan). Each workshop must run for two full days and include at least three sessions per day. The program is expected to reach a minimum of 75 participants total, with at least 25 participants per workshop cohort. A key design requirement is that each cohort be gender-balanced and evenly split between two groups: (1) students ages 20 to 35 who are pursuing a postgraduate diploma or degree in journalism or mass communication, and (2) civil society representatives ages 20 to 35. The civil society participants are expected to be existing influencers with the ability to create a multiplier effect, meaning they can carry the training back to their communities and networks to expand impact beyond the workshop room.

Content-wise, the workshops are expected to focus on several core themes: identifying disinformation and false narratives, learning and practicing tools to validate news sources, applying best practices for countering disinformation, and strengthening community ties while building mentorship relationships among participants. The grant encourages a practical, skills-based approach rather than purely theoretical discussion, with an emphasis on tools and methods participants can use immediately in their work and outreach.

A notable feature of the program design is the required integration of expertise from both the United States and India. Each workshop must include at least one U.S. expert and one local expert serving as in-person trainers. In addition, the program may recruit participants who are alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs or alumni from other U.S. government-funded grants and initiatives, helping connect the workshops to an existing ecosystem of U.S.-India public diplomacy and professional networks.

To ensure the effort continues after the in-person training ends, the project must include a virtual mentorship phase that follows the three workshops. This continuation component includes a post-workshop assignment and one follow-up virtual group session for each workshop cohort. The U.S. expert or experts are expected to play a mentorship role during this phase, reinforcing skills, supporting application of workshop lessons, and helping sustain the networks built during the in-person sessions.

In terms of funding and administrative details, this is a discretionary grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: ND NOFO 19 101; CFDA: 19.040; activity category: Education) with an award ceiling of $30,000 and an expected number of awards listed as one. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education). The announcement was created on December 20, 2018, with an original closing date of February 20, 2019. The selected grantee is also allowed to partner with a local organization or academic institution to implement the workshops, which can be important for participant recruitment, venue logistics, and local coordination in each city.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to India in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "North India Workshops on Media Challenges in the Digital Age" 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 Dec 20, 2018.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 20, 2019. (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 $30,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: 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.

Apply for ND NOFO 19 101

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