United States Department of State: Understanding China’s Information Campaigns and Public Diplomacy in the Asian and Pacific Regions

Ritu Saini, fundsforngos.org

Deadline: 18 August 2017

The Department of State (the Department) has announced through this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) an open competition for a grant award. The Department is currently inviting U.S. nonprofit/non-governmental organizations to submit proposals to conduct, compile, analyze, submit, and present in two or more public forums research on the scope and resource commitments of China’s public diplomacy in Asia.

The United States government, academic institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the public sector would benefit from a comprehensive understanding of China’s state-sponsored public outreach and information campaigns in Asia. This project seeks to capture all of China’s state-sponsored activities in a single report.

Project Goals

• The scope of Chinese state-supported public diplomacy in East Asia and the Pacific will be succinctly and comprehensively expressed.
• China’s public diplomacy resource allocation will be quantified within a reasonable approximation in both U.S. dollar and Chinese yuan terms.

Project Outputs

• The grantee will produce a comprehensive report of its findings and print at least 2,000 copies for no-cost public distribution. This report should be no more than 40 pages, exclusive of appendices.
• The complete report will be available in digital format publicly accessible via the Internet.
• The grantee will include in its report at least three case studies of Chinese public diplomacy in representative Asia-Pacific countries.
• At least two public forums presenting the grantee’s research will take place, one in Asia (location to be determined), and the other in Washington, DC.

Funding Priorities

• Presentation: Proposals should include a plan for public presentations of the report requested in this NOFO, at least one in Asia and one in Washington, DC.
• Participation: Proposals should include criteria for determining presenters and participants that are consistent with the goal of encouraging think tanks, specialists, strategic thinkers, and academics to examine China’s public diplomacy in Asia.
• Travel: Proposals should include in their research plans travel costs associated with both field work and the required case studies.

Funding Information

• Applications should request no more than $650,000.
• Applicants should include an anticipated award start date on or about October 1, 2017 and the period of performance should not exceed eight (8) months.

Eligibility Criteria

• The U.S. Department of State welcomes applications from U.S.-based non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and private, public, or state institutions of higher education.
• Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, for-profit, and foreign entities are not eligible to apply.

How to Apply

Applicants can find application forms, kits, or other materials needed to apply via given website.

Eligible Country: United States

For more information, please visit Grants.gov.