The U.S. Department of State is offering this grant to promote open internet governance and digital economic growth in Tanzania.

Applicants are only allowed to submit one proposal per ortanization. If more than one proposal is submitted from an organization, all proposals from that institution will be considered ineligible for funding.

Context:

The surge in online media usage has surged within recent years, especially within Africa where a growing portion of the population happens to be young adults who have come to find digital technology at the forefront of their everyday lives. Because of its substantial importance in day-to-day life, there’s now a major interest in ensuring security, safety, and responsible use within online mediums of communication.

A. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. Embassy Dar es Salaam / Bureau of African Affairs of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for organizations to submit applications to carry out a program to create targeted exchange programs and a conference aimed at relevant Tanzanian policymakers, civil servants, and civil society to explore internet governance structures and strategies that promote a free and open internet governance policy in Tanzania to catalyze the expansion of the local digital economy and lead to economic growth. Please follow all instructions below.

Program Objectives:

This opportunity seeks to directly engage a Tanzanian civil society organization to identify a cohort of colleagues across a range of sectors, engage the cohort through multiple education and information sessions, and organize a major international conference on the theme of building resilient, open, and democratic digital systems. The conference should include U.S. experts who can advise on regulatory firewalls, policy creation and coordination, and balancing the protection of individual rights, general online safety and security with freedom of expression principles. The selected organization should have demonstrated familiarity with Tanzania’s civic space and policy processes.

This opportunity also seeks to provide international exchange opportunities where Tanzanian thought leaders can engage with counterparts in international fora such as the UN Internet Governance Forum and/or with American counterparts. Through these engagements, the program will help to build an ecosystem of Tanzanian innovators and champions of democracy who can effectively advocate as citizens and government civil servants to contribute to an economic growth friendly digital infrastructure.

Challenges that should be addressed by proposals:

• Boosting civic participation and engagement
• Addressing the limited access to accurate and verified information in rural and underserved communities and offered in local languages. 
• Tackling the lack of media literacy to help individuals discern credible sources of information and leveraging digital tools and platforms to build resiliency.  
• Examine the government’s efforts to manage cybersecurity risk and assess threats to critical infrastructure.
• Reducing and overcoming cultural divides by promoting accessible digital literacy resources and training programs to Tanzanian communities.  

·        Providing opportunities for open discussions and exchanges for tech leaders and policy makers in a variety of fields to prepare Tanzania to be an international partner in tech innovation.

·        Discuss efforts to secure an open interoperable secure and reliable cyberspace in accordance with U.S. security standards.

·        Discuss strategies to collaborate and counter cyber threats.

Participants and Audiences:

Tech industry stakeholders, STEM students, policymakers, social media influencers/reporters, and academic experts.

B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Length of performance period: 6 to 24 months

Number of awards anticipated: 2 awards (dependent on amounts)

Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $75,000 to a maximum of $425,000 Total available funding: $495,000

Type of Funding: FY23 Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act

Anticipated program start date: 10/01/2024

This notice is subject to availability of funding.