CFAs: Rolling Innovation Fund Grants

The Rolling Innovation Fund is an ongoing grant opportunity under USAID’s BMAP Forward, open to individuals, civil society organizations and media based in the five Western Balkan BMAP Forward countries to promote continuous idea generation and supports regional linkages throughout its project implementation.

The Fund will support projects and ideas based on advancing women and LGBTQAI+ rights using recent technological and digital solutions and trends relevant to the media community in the region.

They are looking for ideas that enhance media with technological innovation and localized tools, as well as solution-oriented projects that will help tackle challenges women and LGBTQAI+ face in digital environment across the Western Balkan Region.

Funding Information

• Grant amount for individual grants: up to $2,950.00
• Grant amount for registered entities: up to $7,000.00

Cost Covered

• These grants will cover costs of labor for the production and design of different software, tools and apps; subscriptions to tools, apps and software required for project implementation; and related small equipment upgrades.
• Examples of eligible costs under this grant call:
  • Time of staff members/consultants working on the proposed project
  • Applicable fringe benefits (income tax, health insurance)
  • Materials and supplies needed to complete the project
  • Services needed to complete the project
  • Local travel associated with project implementation.
  • Indirect costs (those necessary to for running the organization but which are not directly tied to the activities proposed in the project application) may be eligible for reimbursement. Applicants may dedicate 10% of their budget to covering indirect costs.
  • USAID’s BMAP Forward staff will work with applicants whose proposals are selected for grants to determine exact eligible costs.
• These costs are not eligible under this grant call:
  • Capital expenditures
  • Scholarships and fellowships
  • Meal allowances for trainers, trainees, consultants, contactors, experts, etc. They are only available to direct employees of the applicant
  • Registration fees paid to or on behalf of participants or trainees (but not employees) in connection with conferences or training programs
  • International travel
  • Construction

Fund Activities

• The Fund welcomes fresh ideas which could include, but are not limited to, activities such as:
  • Development and/or localization of open source tools
  • Social media applications to engage women and LGBTQAI+
  • Training AI models to detect hate speech and biases in local languages
  • Localization of bot-detecting tools
  • Detection of gendered surveillance and data exploitation
  • Investigating dis/misinformation and attacks on diversity during Pride month
  • New formats of human rights reporting and content production
  • Mapping gender data gaps in the Western Balkans
  • Training LLMs to reduce gendered disinformation
  • Exploring the intersectionality between women, the LGBTQAI+ community and environmental justice

Who is eligible?

• The Rolling Innovation Fund is open to teams and individuals based in the five Western Balkan BMAP Forward countries (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia), including BMAP Forward Key Media Partners, other independent media organizations, teams of individuals, freelancers, and professionals working with media such as journalists, editors, civil society/NGO representatives, IT developers, designers, and artists eager to come up with innovative ideas.
• The Fund is available to individual applicants (up to $2,950.00 each) and to registered entities (up to $7,000.00 each).

For more information, visit Balkan Media.