Opportunity Information: Apply for K NOFO 21 103
The grant opportunity titled "The Future of Journalism: How Immersive Technology and Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the News and Impact Audience Opinion" is a U.S. Department of State (U.S. Mission to India) discretionary grant designed to strengthen journalism and public discourse in India, with a particular emphasis on East and Northeast India. The central idea is that the United States and India share a strategic interest in reducing fake news and disinformation, which can inflame social tensions, distort democratic decision-making, and undermine a secure Indo-Pacific region. The program frames disinformation not just as a technology problem, but as an ecosystem problem that requires better-trained journalists, a more digitally literate public, and modern newsrooms that can compete effectively in the attention economy without sacrificing accuracy or ethics.
At its core, the opportunity focuses on professionalizing and upgrading the technical capabilities of media practitioners by introducing immersive storytelling tools such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), while also acknowledging the broader role of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence in shaping audience opinion. The grant’s theory of change is straightforward: if journalists and media professionals gain hands-on skills in creating credible, compelling immersive content, they can reach audiences more effectively, provide richer context for complex issues, and reduce the space in which sensationalized or maliciously amplified narratives thrive. The program also emphasizes partnerships and networks as essential to countering disinformation, reflecting the view that collaborative, cross-sector relationships are necessary to respond quickly and credibly to coordinated influence efforts.
The stated project objectives are threefold. First, the program aims to train roughly 70 to 80 journalists, media professionals, and storytellers in AR and VR production over a 12 to 18 month period, with an emphasis on building practical capacity to develop immersive content from concept to distribution. Second, it seeks the actual creation and publication of immersive AR/VR media products focused on areas of shared U.S.-India interest, including environmental challenges, human trafficking, gender issues, religious freedom, press freedom, and cross-border security. Third, it targets the active countering of mis- and disinformation by producing accurate, engaging immersive journalism and by strengthening networks of professional digital journalists across the region who can reinforce credible narratives and best practices.
From an administrative and funding standpoint, the opportunity is identified by Funding Opportunity Number K NOFO 21 103 and falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category (CFDA 19.040). The award ceiling is $150,000, and the program anticipated up to 10 awards. Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that category). The notice was created on March 2, 2021, and the original closing date was April 30, 2021, indicating it was a time-bound competition aimed at launching projects that could quickly build capacity and produce tangible outputs.
Overall, this grant opportunity is structured around a practical, skills-to-products pipeline: train a cohort, produce immersive content on high-impact themes, and use that content and the resulting professional networks to weaken disinformation’s influence. The emphasis on East and Northeast India highlights a regional capacity-building goal, while the broader framing ties improved media professionalism and modern storytelling tools to shared U.S.-India priorities for stability, transparency, and resilient democratic discourse.Apply for K NOFO 21 103
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to India in the science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "The Future of Journalism: How Immersive Technology and Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the News and Impact Audience Opinion" 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 02, 2021.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 30, 2021. (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 $150,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 10 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.
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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the name of this grant opportunity?
The opportunity is titled "The Future of Journalism: How Immersive Technology and Artificial Intelligence Can Shape the News and Impact Audience Opinion."
Which U.S. government entity is offering this grant?
This is a U.S. Department of State discretionary grant offered through the U.S. Mission to India.
What is the main purpose of the program?
The program is designed to strengthen journalism and public discourse in India, with a focus on building the capacity of journalists and media professionals to counter fake news and disinformation using modern storytelling tools and stronger professional networks.
What problem is this grant trying to address?
The opportunity targets fake news, mis- and disinformation, and the broader ecosystem that allows false or distorted narratives to spread. The program frames disinformation as an ecosystem challenge that requires better-trained journalists, a more digitally literate public, and modern newsrooms that can compete for attention without compromising accuracy or ethics.
Why does the program emphasize U.S.-India shared interests?
The program is framed around a shared strategic interest between the United States and India in reducing disinformation that can inflame social tensions, distort democratic decision-making, and undermine a secure Indo-Pacific region.
What types of technologies are central to the project?
The opportunity focuses on immersive storytelling tools such as augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), and it also acknowledges the broader role of advanced technologies like artificial intelligence in shaping audience opinion.
What is the program's theory of change (how it expects to create impact)?
The program assumes that if journalists and media professionals gain hands-on skills in producing credible, compelling immersive content, they can reach audiences more effectively, provide richer context for complex issues, and reduce the space for sensationalized or maliciously amplified narratives.
What are the stated project objectives?
The objectives are: (1) train roughly 70 to 80 journalists, media professionals, and storytellers in AR/VR production over 12 to 18 months; (2) create and publish immersive AR/VR media products on areas of shared U.S.-India interest; and (3) actively counter mis- and disinformation by producing accurate, engaging immersive journalism and strengthening networks of professional digital journalists.
How many participants are expected to be trained?
The program aims to train approximately 70 to 80 journalists, media professionals, and storytellers.
What is the expected project duration?
The training and capacity-building effort is described as taking place over a 12 to 18 month period.
What types of outputs are expected besides training?
In addition to training, the opportunity calls for the creation and publication of immersive AR/VR media products, and for building stronger networks of professional digital journalists across the region.
What topics should the immersive journalism content cover?
Immersive AR/VR media products are expected to focus on areas of shared U.S.-India interest, including environmental challenges, human trafficking, gender issues, religious freedom, press freedom, and cross-border security.
What geographic focus does the grant emphasize?
The opportunity emphasizes strengthening journalism and public discourse in India with a particular emphasis on East and Northeast India.
How does the program propose to counter mis- and disinformation?
It proposes countering mis- and disinformation by producing accurate and engaging immersive journalism (AR/VR) and by strengthening networks and partnerships among professional digital journalists who can reinforce credible narratives and best practices.
Why are partnerships and networks highlighted in this opportunity?
The program describes partnerships and networks as essential because coordinated disinformation often requires collaborative, cross-sector relationships to respond quickly and credibly to influence efforts.
What is the Funding Opportunity Number (FON)?
The Funding Opportunity Number is K NOFO 21 103.
What activity category and CFDA number are associated with this grant?
The opportunity falls under the Science and Technology and other Research and Development activity category and is associated with CFDA 19.040.
What is the maximum award amount (award ceiling)?
The award ceiling is $150,000.
How many awards does the agency anticipate making?
The opportunity anticipated up to 10 awards.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status (excluding higher education institutions in that 501(c)(3) category).
Are higher education institutions eligible?
Yes. Both public/state-controlled institutions of higher education and private institutions of higher education are listed as eligible applicants.
Are nonprofit organizations eligible?
Yes. Nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status are eligible, excluding higher education institutions that fall under that same nonprofit category.
Is this a discretionary grant?
Yes. The opportunity is explicitly described as a discretionary grant.
When was the notice created?
The notice was created on March 2, 2021.
What was the original closing date?
The original closing date was April 30, 2021.
What kind of program structure does the opportunity describe?
The opportunity is described as a practical, skills-to-products pipeline: train a cohort in immersive production, produce and publish immersive content on high-impact themes, and use the content and resulting professional networks to weaken disinformation's influence.
How does the opportunity connect immersive storytelling to audience impact?
It links immersive storytelling to audience impact by suggesting that credible, compelling AR/VR content can capture attention, provide deeper context, and shape audience opinion in ways that reduce the appeal and spread of misleading narratives.
Does the opportunity require the publication of created content?
Yes. The objectives specifically include the creation and publication of immersive AR/VR media products.
What kinds of participants does the training target?
The training is aimed at journalists, media professionals, and storytellers, with the goal of building practical AR/VR production capacity from concept through distribution.
What is the overarching regional and democratic rationale mentioned in the notice?
The opportunity ties improved media professionalism and modern storytelling tools to broader priorities around stability, transparency, and resilient democratic discourse, particularly in the context of Indo-Pacific security and the risks created by disinformation.
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