Funding Wizard

The U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce that funding is available through its Public Diplomacy Small Grants Program. This is an Annual Program Statement, outlining our funding priorities, the strategic themes we focus on, and the procedures for submitting requests for funding. PAS Kuala Lumpur invites proposals for programs that further U.S. government objectives and promote bilateral cooperation and mutual understanding between the U.S. and Malaysia. All programs must include a substantive American element, such as connections with American expert/s, organization/s, or institution/s in a specific field that will result in increased understanding of U.S. policies and perspectives. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis as funding becomes available.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to plan, develop, design, and implement an interactive traveling exhibit on disinformation, media literacy, and deepfake technologies aimed at youth audiences with a supplemental programming plan (workshops, lectures, activities, etc.), and a companion online experience.The proposed traveling exhibition will support U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur’s messaging on media literacy, misinformation, and disinformation, demonstrate the capability of image and video manipulation, discuss the virality of disinformation on social media and messaging apps, and provide audiences with the knowledge and tools to verify the authenticity of the information they are consuming.The exhibit should also highlight initiatives and policies by U.S.-based entities that are designed to enhance media literacy and counter disinformation. The campaign will be executed under American Corners branding and its intended audiences include middle school, high school, and university students, as well as the general public.The proposed traveling exhibit is to be hosted in (at minimum) six locations across Malaysia, including at the five American Corners in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Kuala Lumpur and Sarawak, as well as at a third-party venue in Sabah.

The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur of the U.S. Department of State announces an open competition for a cooperative agreement to develop and implement a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Regional Workshop on Designing Games that Drive Social Change, to be held in Malaysia (Penang or Kuala Lumpur) pending the availability of funding. Please carefully follow all instructions below. The proposed workshop will focus on introducing existing and aspiring young game developers to the concept of designing games for social change and equipping them with the technical and narrative skill sets to design compelling interactive experiences. The program should also provide participants with nuanced background knowledge on critical social issues facing their communities that could be highlighted through a gaming medium. Proposals should seek to convene 60-70 skilled gaming industry professionals and game design students for a four-day program comprised of a two-day workshop led by American and local experts on designing games with social messages, followed by a two-day game jam during which participants form teams and conceptualize games that could address pressing issues facing the ASEAN region. Some examples of topics that games could raise awareness of include (but are not limited to) climate change, trafficking-in-persons, disinformation, civic engagement, and diversity and inclusion. Program proposals should also integrate a final pitching competition and budget funding that allows selected games to be developed to completion. The ASEAN region is home to a massively burgeoning gaming industry, one staffed predominantly by a youth demographic willing to utilize their technical and narrative skills to impact their communities and region. At the same time, reports estimate the region is home to 126 million gamers who can all be reached through this medium which offers unparalleled interactivity and player agency that can facilitate the delivery of messages on topics including climate change, human trafficking, and civic engagement, among many others. In the same way that programs in the past have sought to build capacity among filmmakers, media, musicians, and documentarians, this program would enhance the capacity and ability of game makers, storytellers, and digital artists to employ their unique skills to achieve social change. In addition to sessions with expert game designers and narrative specialists, program proposals should also integrate sessions with local experts on the challenges facing communities in Southeast Asia who can offer thoughts on how gamification could help them to better advocate for their causes and tell their story.