U.S. Embassy Jakarta Media Small Grants Competition

1. Project Background, Goals, and Objectives

With over 270 million people and one of the world’s largest social media user bases, Indonesia’s citizens consume media content from a wide array of traditional and digital sources. Journalists and media professionals capable of reporting accurately and comprehensively on critical issues – including democratic governance, economic development, emerging technologies, and more – as well as those with an understanding of the critical role the free press plays in strengthening democratic governance and information integrity advances America’s foreign policy priorities of protecting freedom of speech, digital freedom, and strengthening regional security.

For purposes of this solicitation, activities that involve identifying false or misleading information should focus on objectively verifiable factual claims, coordinated information manipulation, or manipulated digital media (including deepfakes and coordinated inauthentic behavior). Applicant should not classify policy disagreements, political viewpoints, or criticism

of governments as misinformation or disinformation solely because they differ from official positions.

The U.S. Embassy Jakarta seeks to support capacity-building programs for Indonesians with a focus on journalism, with priority consideration for projects in Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, and Papua. Proposed projects should focus on one or more of the following themes:

• Press freedom

• Digital freedom

• Data-driven journalism

• Facts-based journalism / countering propaganda

• Investigative journalism (including promoting transparency and accountability in government)

• AI in journalism

Project Audience(s):

• Journalists in the priority regions of Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, and Papua;

• University students who are majoring in journalism, mass communications, political governance; or similar topics;

• Community organizations focused on press freedom, digital freedom, promoting transparency and accountability, and the role of emerging technology in these areas.

Project Goal: Advance America’s foreign policy priorities of protecting freedom of speech, digital freedom, and strengthening regional security in the Indo-Pacific region by:

• Further transmit skills and knowledge delivered to past and current participants of U.S. government-sponsored exchange focused on press freedom, digital freedom, data-driven and fact-based investigative journalism.

• Strengthen Indonesia’s national and subnational networks of Indonesian journalists, media organizations, student groups, and community organizations interested in advancing press freedom, digital freedom, data-driven and fact-based investigative journalism, and raising public awareness on these subjects.

Project Objectives: The project objectives are the specific and measurable results PDS aims to achieve through this project. They describe necessary and pre-requisite changes required to move closer to achieving the project goal.

• Objective 1 – Engage a minimum of 200 Indonesian journalists, student journalists, and community organization members across Indonesian provinces in at least one of the following areas: press freedom, digital freedom, data-driven journalism, investigative journalism, or AI in journalism through structured training or capacity-building activities. At least 70 percent of participants will demonstrate the ability to apply at least one new skill or methodology. Content will not characterize policy disagreement as misinformation or disinformation.

• Objective 2 – Production and dissemination at least 40 pieces of public-facing content from the participants, including their articles and social media contents on press freedom, digital freedom, or fact-based journalism, reaching a combined audience of at least 5 million individuals, as tracked through media and social media monitoring, including technical methods to detect inauthentic and deepfake content.

• Objective 3 – Strengthen the U.S. Embassy’s networks with Indonesian journalists, student groups, and community organizations focused on press freedom and information integrity by engaging at least 10 organizations or groups in Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, and/or Papua by the end of the project period.

Proposed projects must take place in Indonesia. Applicants are encouraged to propose projects taking place in the Sumatra, West Java, Kalimantan, and Papua areas. Priority may be given to projects organized in these regions.

Projects that are not typically funded include:

• Paying to complete activities that began with other funds

• Citizen exchange programs with foreign countries that do not have an U.S. angle

• Projects that include international travel

• Political party activities or projects inherently political in nature

• Projects that support specific religious activities

• Social welfare projects

2. Substantial Involvement

This award will be issued as a grant. No substantial involvement by the Embassy is anticipated; however, recipients will work closely with the U.S. Embassy throughout the project period and keep the Embassy informed of any changes to the scope, duration, or budget of the project.

The Recipient shall ensure that any fact-checking, verification, or information integrity activities supported under this award rely on objectively verifiable evidence and recognized investigative methodologies, including technical approaches for identifying manipulated or AI-generated content. The Recipient shall not characterize policy disagreement or differing political viewpoints as misinformation or disinformation solely because they differ from U.S. Government or other political positions.