About

The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan’s Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) invites proposals for programs aimed at strengthening the capacity of Kazakh media organizations, led by U.S. experts, the initiative will deliver in-person workshops and virtual mentorships focusing on immersive journalism, advanced storytelling techniques (such as silent video and real-time reporting), content diversification, and data-driven decision-making to enhance audience engagement.

The program will introduce innovative tools and trends, including AI-driven analytics and newsroom automation, to improve reporting quality and audience outreach. It will also address digital gaps in radio newsrooms and foster partnerships between Kazakh and U.S. media professionals. By equipping participants with modern skills and strategies, this initiative seeks to enhance journalism quality, expand audience reach, and promote media sustainability in the digital era.

Project Goal

• To strengthen Kazakh newsrooms by equipping media professionals with skills, tools, and strategies through U.S. expert-led workshops, enhancing content quality, audience engagement, and sustainability.

Project Objectives

• Objective 1: Equip at least 50 journalists and media professionals with advanced storytelling techniques, including immersive journalism, silent video production, real-time reporting, and mobile journalism, to enhance content quality and meet the growing demand for high-quality digital journalism.  Success will be measured by 50 percent of participants demonstrating an improvement in content quality, as measured through content assessments comparing and pre and post training samples. 

• Objective 2: Increase online engagement rates with content produced by Kazakh newsrooms by adopting one to two newly learned content formats (visual storytelling, video content, photo essays, data-driven infographics, 360-Degree videos, VR, AR filters, gamified content, polls, quizzes, etc.).  Success will be measured by achieving at least 10,000 organic views per content piece, with an average view duration of least 30 seconds for Instagram/Tik Tok/Facebook, and at least 40% watch time percentage for YouTube, in addition to 30 percent increase in social media engagement in social media engagement (measured through likes, shares, comments, and followers)

• Objective 3: Increase the ability of at least five media outlets to adopt innovative and sustainable revenue models, such as digital subscriptions. Success will be measured by 50 percent of participating outlets implementing new models, such as digital subscriptions within six months of the training program, and 50 percent of participating outlets reporting at least a 10 percent increase in revenue from digital subscriptions or other adopted models within 12 months.

• Objective 4: Equip at least ten staff members across at least four radio newsrooms with digital archiving skills, tools, and techniques, enabling them to create and manage online archives as well as increase traffic to these archives by leveraging social media and accessibility strategies such as searchable transcripts and subtitles.  Success will be measured by the number of staff trained in digital archiving and an increase in traffic to each newsroom’s online archive by at least 30 percent within six months of project completion, and documented improvement in accessibility features of online archives, as assessed by an accessibility audit by the end of the performance period.

Funding Information

• Awards may range from a minimum of $50,000 to a maximum of $145,000.

Duration

• Length of performance period: 12 to 18 months

Ineligibility Criteria

• This opportunity will not support: 

  • Projects relating to partisan political activity;

  • Charitable or development activities; including direct social services such as medical, psychological, and/or humanitarian support;

  • Construction projects;

  • Projects that support specific religious activities;

  • Fund-raising campaigns;

  • Lobbying for specific legislation or programs;

  • Scientific research or surveys;

Eligibility

• The following organizations are eligible to apply:

  • Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations, from both the United States and Kazakhstan, with experience in media capacity building and journalism training.

  • Public and private educational institutions from the United States and Kazakhstan that specialize in journalism education, media studies, or professional development.

  • For-profit organizations engaged in supporting media development, professional journalism standards, and innovative media solutions from the United States and Kazakhstan.

Post Date: January 22, 2025