Funding Opportunity: Department of State Global Engagement Center Identify and Expose Kremlin Disinformation Networks Opportunity
The U.S. Department of State’s Global Engagement Center (GEC), which coordinates the U.S. interagency response to foreign adversaries’ attempts to use disinformation and propaganda to undermine U.S. interests, has released a new, $1 million notice of funding opportunity (NOFO) to Identify and Expose Kremlin Disinformation Networks (attached). In response to the NOFO, GEC will fund a single research proposal to counter Russian disinformation and propaganda in three priority countries: Ukraine, Belarus, and Eurasia. Accordingly, proposals are expected to address the two objectives by outlining anticipated outcomes, outputs, and activities for each:
- Increase the primary target audiences’ ability to effectively identify Russia’s narratives, tactics, techniques, actors, and tools for spreading disinformation related to Russia’s war against Ukraine in vulnerable information environments; and
- Increase the primary target audiences’ awareness of effective ways (e.g., narratives, tactics, tools, technologies, and strategies) for countering Russia’s disinformation in Ukraine, Belarus, and Eurasia and increasing the resilience of audiences targeted by Russia.
The NOFO states that the objective of the program is “to equip research communities, government actors, and civil society with a shared understanding of ways to increase Russia’s target audiences’ resilience and reduce vulnerability to Russian disinformation.” Accordingly, through this program, GEC expects the grantee will publish frequently on their results so that their work can be utilized as soon as possible to counter Russian influence in priority regions. Thus, the grantee can expect this award to elevate their global profile and put their research into action in regions with an immediate, pressing need.
Non-profit organizations, commercial entities, and higher education institutions are eligible to apply for this opportunity and there are no co-financing requirements. The submission deadline is July 31, 2023. More information about this opportunity is available here, though full details including the NOFO document can only be accessed through SAMS Domestic here, which requires a login.