Countering Region Four Propaganda and Disinformation | SFOP0005699

Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0005699

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, announced a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Countering Region Four Propaganda and Disinformation" (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0005699). The program is structured as a cooperative agreement, which generally means that while an awardee would carry out the project, the government would likely remain involved through substantial programmatic engagement, coordination, and oversight compared to a standard grant. The funding activity is categorized under "Information and Statistics" and is listed under CFDA 19.040, indicating it falls within the State Department's public diplomacy or related information-focused assistance authorities.

This opportunity was designed as a single-stage competitive process. Instead of an initial concept note followed by an invitation-only full proposal phase, applicants were expected to submit a complete, fully developed proposal at the outset that directly addresses the program objectives described in the full announcement. A key eligibility and responsiveness requirement is that proposals must focus specifically on propaganda and disinformation tied to "Region Four" threat actors. Applications that focus on threat actors outside Region Four are explicitly excluded from consideration, which signals that the program is narrowly targeted and that applicants would need to demonstrate clear relevance to the defined region and the specific actors of concern.

The competition was open in an unrestricted manner, meaning any type of applicant entity could apply (for example, nonprofits, educational institutions, private sector entities, or other organizations), as long as they met any additional eligibility clarifications contained in the full announcement. The notice anticipated making up to five awards, with an award ceiling of $750,000 per award, suggesting that selected projects were expected to be of moderate size and scope, potentially supporting multiple complementary efforts rather than one large, centralized program.

Administratively, the application process required the use of SAMS Domestic, and submissions were only accepted through that platform. The opportunity was created on March 29, 2019, and the original application deadline was May 14, 2019. Applicants would have needed to consult the full announcement within SAMS Domestic for the detailed program objectives, required proposal components, budget instructions, evaluation criteria, compliance requirements, and any mandatory registrations or representations needed for submission.

• The Department of State, Public Affairs in the information and statistics sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countering Region Four Propaganda and Disinformation" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 29, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 14, 2019. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $750,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Unrestricted (i.e., open to any type of entity above), subject to any clarification in text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility.

Apply for SFOP0005699

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