CFPs: Strengthening Independent Media in Central America to Uncover Crime and Corruption

This project will assist in conducting better investigations and provide fact-based reporting on crime and corruption through an evolving media landscape to inform populations and hold power-holders accountable, improving transparency and accountability in Central America.

Crime and corruption affect the daily lives of most Central Americans and impact the ability of governments to be responsive to their citizens. Recognizing corruption’s ability to corrode democracy, President Biden established the first-ever United States Strategy on Countering Corruption. This comprehensive strategy is intended to improve the U.S. Government’s ability to prevent corruption, combat illicit finance, hold corrupt actors accountable, strengthen the capacity of activists, investigative journalists, and others on the front lines of exposing corrupt acts. The strategy prioritizes enhancing partner governments’ capacities to fight corruption in cooperation with U.S. law enforcement authorities, bolstering prevention and oversight capacities, leveraging innovation to fight corruption, promote transparency, and detect fraud and illicit finance. The Biden-Harris Administration’s Strategy to Address the Root Causes of Migration in Central America (Root Causes Strategy) guides the Department’s engagement in Central America. This includes priorities on combating corruption, strengthening democratic governance, and advancing the rule of law (Pillar II); promoting respect for human rights including free press (Pillar III); countering and preventing violence, extortion, and other crimes perpetrated by criminal gangs, trafficking networks, and other organized criminal organizations (Pillar IV); and combating sexual, gender-based, and domestic violence (Pillar V).

Project Vision

• A diverse group of independent media from Central America is resilient in the face of threats and further develops its capacity to investigate and report on corruption and crime in their respective countries, thus strengthening their ability to promote transparent, responsive, and accountable government institutions that foster respect for rule of law and support democracy.

Goals and Objectives

• The goal of this project is to optimize INL’s resources by filling gaps in the assistance landscape to effectively support a diverse range of independent media actors who play an active role in combatting crime and corruption within their countries, so they may continue to strengthen their important role in the anticorruption ecosystem of actors.
• Project General Objectives:
  • INL seeks proposals from organizations for a project that can strengthen the ability of a diverse group of independent media from Central American countries to uncover and provide timely and accurate reporting on crime and corruption in each respective country. Proposals may include all or some of the following objectives or additional objectives may be proposed based on needs identified by potential partners and/or intended participants:
    • Assess the capacity of independent journalists, independent media actors and independent media outlets in Central America, based on the unique needs of these actors in and/or from each country, including exiled journalists. Priority will be given to proposals that target nontraditional media and women-led and indigenous-led outlets;
    • Strengthen the capacity of independent journalists, independent media actors, and independent media outlets (including non-traditional media and with emphasis on womenled and indigenous-led outlets) to uncover crime and corruption and to publish and disseminate their investigative reports, including through but not limited to training and/or workshop-like opportunities that address the most pressing needs of participants to carry out their work;
    • Train independent journalists and media outlets with a direct role in investigating and reporting on crime and corruption to increase agility of informing average citizens in a relatable way via a variety of channels in a changing digital media landscape;
    • Build capacity of journalists to combat disinformation;
    • Develop corruption and crime and violence research and investigative journalism skills for the next generation of Central American journalists;
    • Develop contingency plans and mechanisms to support the resiliency of independent journalists and media outlets, including exiled journalists, reporting on crime and corruption in order to maintain their ability to work in the face of threats, including but not limited to planning for small grants that can cover unforeseen or emergency needs to support at risk media outlets and journalists;
    • Strengthen access to professional opportunities that can build the capacity of journalists to grow professionally;
    • Create stronger lines of communication between investigative journalists and trusted institutions, as appropriate and applicable.

Funding Information

• Total available funding: $4, 724,000
• Award amounts: awards may range from a minimum of $2,000,000 to a maximum of $4,724,000
• Length of performance period: 36 months

Project Activities and Deliverables

• Successful proposals will identify project activities and deliverables according to INL’s project goals and objectives listed above. INL encourages creativity in terms of project proposals as well as specific activities (three or more activities per objective and reasonable to the budget of this grant) with indicators and targets to properly monitor the project. Activities proposed will be evaluated on their merit and not because an applicant provided more activities.
• Applicants should budget appropriately for program costs, including travel, required to carry out all activities and may wish to include emergency funding for unforeseen needs of participants involved. The budget should be tailored to activities with journalists from the Central American countries the applicant deems require the most need, appropriately justified and taking into account other U.S. and other donor-funded initiatives and programs, though all countries in Central America are eligible to benefit from this project. Mexico is not a beneficiary country of this project.

Participants and Audiences

• Beneficiaries should be independent media professionals from Central America with specialized experience and/or potential to better combat crime and corruption in Central America through strengthened capacity to investigate and inform the public about these crimes. Independent journalists or independent media can be considered any news media that is free from influence by the government or other powerful external actors in their reporting and can include television, newspapers, radio, online journalists, and other non-traditional outlets. Implementing partner(s) should be organizations with expertise in working with independent media and familiarity with the Central American and/or Western Hemisphere Regional media landscape and crime and corruption issues.
• Implementing partners should have demonstrated experience carrying out similar programs and the existing relationships and networks to ensure the mentoring component of the program can be successful and experience implementing multiple, diverse USG assistance funding streams concurrently. Experience managing more than one distinct USG funding stream per project should be included in the bid narrative.
• The project should prioritize the inclusion of vulnerable and marginalized groups such as women, LGBTQI+, or indigenous peoples, who work in this space, including journalists and media outlets run by, tailored to, or supporting vulnerable and marginalized groups.

Eligibility Criteria

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:
  • U.S.-based non-profit/non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  • U.S.-based educational institutions subject to section 501(c)(3) of the U.S. tax code or section 26 US 115 of the US 115 of the U.S. tax code.
  • Foreign-based non-profits/non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
  • Foreign-based educational institutions.
• Cost Sharing or Matching
• Cost share is the portion of project costs not borne by the U.S. government. Cost share is recommended but not required for this project. Applicants must be able to ensure cost share is accounted for/tracked through accounting systems and/or supporting documentation (such as Personnel Activity Records, proof of voluntary hours, proof of any purchases for materials being included as cost share, etc.)
• Any cost share proposed must be appropriately captured within the SF-424A, budget, and budget narrative.

For more information, visit Grants.gov.