Call for Projects: Communication Rights in a Digital Age Program

Deadline Date: May 31, 2024

Donor Name: World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) 

Grant Size: $10,000 to $100,000

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) has launched a call for the Communication Rights in a Digital Age Program to strengthen public voices and participation of poor, marginalized, excluded and dispossessed people and communities, in digital communication.

WACC is committed to gender equality and expects projects to demonstrate a gender perspective. WACC encourages project applicants to consider the needs of young people and people with disabilities. 

Projects supported under this theme will align with SDG 9- Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure; SDG 16- Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions; and SDG 17- Partnership for the Goals. Elements related to media literacy align with SDG 4- Quality Education.

WACC applauds the focus on access to ICTs and Internet services in Agenda 2030. Nevertheless, WACC and its partners believe that at a time when digital communication is becoming increasingly prevalent and policymakers in many countries are developing the digital infrastructure and governance models of the future, it is critical to move beyond the mere celebration of access in order to address more structural issues. 

WACC is seeking civil society partners in DAC-list countries in Africa and the Middle East interested in implementing year-long projects that: 

• Support digital media literacy among marginalized and excluded communities, especially in order to counter the phenomenon of online disinformation and misinformation; 
• Support community-initiated efforts to develop and/or manage telecommunications infrastructure; and 
• Create opportunities for civil society to participate in digital policy making processes.

Funding Information

• WACC will contribute up to EUR 10,000 to your organization’s project budget.
• WACC will support only up to two (2) projects under this call.

Benefits

• In addition to the grant for a year-long project, partners may be eligible to receive the following forms of support as part of their partnership with WACC: 
  • Opportunity to attend a knowledge sharing event organized by WACC on the theme of sustainable development and media/communication (pending travel restrictions); 
  • Opportunity to receive a 600 EUR grant to raise public awareness about the organization’s work; 
  • Opportunity to work with other WACC partners on a joint initiative to identify and present best practices by attending a national, regional or international conference (pending travel restrictions); and/or 
  • Opportunity to access resource materials on communication rights and on the link between communication and sustainable development via WACC’s virtual forum for its project partners.

Who can apply? 

• Civil society organizations legally registered in DAC-list countries in Africa and the Middle East are eligible to seek support. WACC will check the standing and credibility of applicants. WACC will consider only one application at a time from each organization. WACC does not accept project applications from individuals or government institutions. WACC supports organizations of all faiths and none.

What does WACC not support?

• Projects whose main purpose is income generation.
• Emergency appeals to replace destroyed equipment.
• Programmes that are purely denominational in content and outreach.
• Purchases and/or maintenance of land, buildings, offices, and vehicles, and recurring expenditures such as rent and utilities.
• Institutional operational costs such as regular staff salaries, endowment fund or revolving fund.
• Equipment for purely office administration purposes.
• Ongoing projects that started before a request for support.
• Ongoing or new periodical publications.
• Cost of air-time.
• Per diems (although direct cost of food and lodging for project activities is supported).
• Debt repayment, contingency and depreciation. 
• Proposals from individuals not representing an eligible organization.
• Proposals from government entities.
• Applications from previous project holders with a poor reporting track record.
• Applications previously declined by WACC.
• A total budget of more than 30,000 Euros.

For more information, visit WACC.