Media Literacy Training for Educators | PAS PAN FY20 07

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS PAN FY20 07

The U.S. Department of State, through the Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Panama, offered a discretionary funding opportunity titled "Media Literacy Training for Educators" (Funding Opportunity Number PAS PAN FY20 07). The grant was designed to support a single project that trains Panamanian teachers and university professors to integrate media literacy and critical thinking into courses they already teach, with an emphasis on strengthening long-term resilience to misinformation. The program aligns with U.S. public diplomacy goals by promoting more transparent, democratic, and accountable institutions in Panama, based on the idea that citizens who can better evaluate information are more likely to question unreliable narratives and hold both media and other information sources to higher standards.

The core activity funded under this opportunity is a series of in-person, interactive trainings for educators across multiple education levels, such as primary, secondary, and university. While the project can serve educators broadly, it is meant to focus primarily on teachers involved in the Panama Bilingue program, especially those teaching English, and also educators in English and the social sciences. The trainings are expected to go beyond lecture-style instruction and instead use practical exercises that help educators understand media literacy concepts and, just as importantly, learn how to teach those concepts effectively to students. The Embassy indicates that the overall approach and instructional design should be modeled on Ithaca College's Project Look Sharp or an equivalent media literacy program, suggesting an emphasis on structured lessons, inquiry-based analysis, and repeatable classroom methods.

A strong proposal under this opportunity would combine ready-to-use lesson plans and toolkits with additional content tailored specifically to the Panamanian context. In practice, this means applicants could draw from existing media literacy curricula, but should also adapt examples, case studies, and classroom materials so they reflect Panama's media environment, information ecosystem, and local realities. The Embassy also expects applicants to build in follow-up evaluation and qualitative measurement, not only to assess whether educators gained skills during the training, but also whether those educators successfully transfer the skills to students over time. This implies the project should include a plan for tracking outcomes after the training sessions, such as post-training reflections, classroom implementation check-ins, interviews, focus groups, or other qualitative indicators that demonstrate changes in teaching practice and student learning.

The funding can be used to cover the full range of program costs needed to run the trainings. Allowable expenses explicitly include personnel, training and course materials, venue costs, and participant transportation, which signals that the Embassy anticipated logistical barriers and wanted applicants to budget for making participation feasible. The ideal implementing organization is described as one with demonstrated familiarity with Panama's education sector and credible experience in countering misinformation or strengthening information integrity, with added value given to those who understand Panama's political, media, and business landscape. In other words, the implementer is expected to have both training capacity and local insight so the content is relevant and immediately usable in Panamanian classrooms.

Eligibility for the competition included registered nonprofit organizations (including civil society groups and think tanks), universities and other educational institutions, governmental institutions, and individuals. For-profit or commercial entities were not eligible. Organizational applicants were required to have a DUNS number, an NCAGE or CAGE code, and an active SAM.gov registration, while individual applicants did not need DUNS or SAM registration. The award ceiling listed for this opportunity was up to USD 50,000, and the Embassy anticipated making one award under the announcement, using a grant or cooperative agreement instrument.

Applications were accepted up to the closing date of January 31, 2020, with the note that project activities should not be scheduled before April 1, 2020 to allow time for award processing. All application materials had to be submitted in English by email to PanCultural@state.gov. The required application package included a proposal with a budget narrative, a budget worksheet, and federal forms SF-424 and SF-424A. Applicants were directed to obtain required templates and further instructions from the Embassy's grants web pages and to consult the full Notice of Funding Opportunity for complete requirements and compliance details.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Panama in the community development, education, employment, labor and training, information and statistics, other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification), science and technology and other research and development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Media Literacy Training for Educators" 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 Dec 05, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jan 31, 2020. (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 $50,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: City or township governments, Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Individuals, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for PAS PAN FY20 07

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