Ukraine: Crowdsourcing the Story of Ukrainian Democracy: Participatory History through Digital Storytelling | PAS UKRAINE 2020 014

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS UKRAINE 2020 014

The U.S. Embassy in Kyiv is seeking grant proposals for a project that blends public history and digital media to capture and share personal, first-hand stories about Ukraine's recent democratic development. The core idea is to "crowdsource" history by collecting interviews and narratives from everyday Ukrainians and turning them into a professional digital storytelling product that helps audiences understand a specific historical moment through real lived experiences, rather than only through formal political or academic accounts.

A key requirement is meaningful public participation in the content-production process. Applicants are expected to build in a participatory component that teaches or empowers non-professionals to preserve stories, gather oral histories, or contribute to the documentation process. This could take the form of workshops, masterclasses, training sessions, community interview events, or other hands-on formats that help members of the public learn how to record, curate, and responsibly share their own stories or those of others. In other words, the program is not just funding a finished media series; it is also supporting the process of engaging communities in preserving democratic memory.

The expected end result is a professional-quality digital media deliverable based on collected interviews. The opportunity is intentionally flexible about format, as long as the output is a polished media product suitable for broad public consumption. Examples listed include a podcast, a series of online videos, a series of TV or radio segments, or an equivalent digital media package. Whatever the format, the content should be grounded in interviews and highlight the experiences of ordinary people as they lived through a meaningful episode or period in Ukraine's democratic evolution.

Distribution is built into the program design through a partnership with the National Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine (UAPBC). If the final product meets production and editorial standards that are agreed upon in advance, UAPBC will serve as an in-country distribution channel. At the same time, the Embassy makes clear that it will not exercise editorial control over the final product, which signals an emphasis on independent storytelling within the agreed standards. Applicants are also encouraged to propose additional distribution pathways beyond UAPBC, but any channels used must be widely accessible to the public and free of charge, reinforcing the public-service and broad-reach purpose of the project.

Administratively, this is a discretionary funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Ukraine, using a Cooperative Agreement mechanism, which typically implies more coordination with the funder than a standard grant while still leaving implementation to the awardee. The funding opportunity number is PAS UKRAINE 2020 014, and it falls under education and humanities-related programming (with cultural affairs relevance). The maximum award amount is $150,000, and the Embassy anticipated making up to two awards under this call.

Eligibility is relatively broad and includes public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private higher education institutions, nonprofit organizations (both with and without U.S. 501(c)(3) status), individuals, and other applicants as further clarified in the full notice. The opportunity was posted June 18, 2020, with an original application deadline of July 17, 2020. For full program rules, application requirements, and detailed standards, the Embassy provided official notices in both English and Ukrainian on its website.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Ukraine in the education, humanities (see cultural affairs in cfda), other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Ukraine: Crowdsourcing the Story of Ukrainian Democracy: Participatory History through Digital Storytelling" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 18, 2020.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 17, 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 $150,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 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, 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 UKRAINE 2020 014

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: