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...