On March 1, 2023, the USAID Strengthening Civil Society and Media (Sawt) Activity – implemented by Internews and partners – hosted a co-creation session for successful applicants to its Request for Expressions of Interest for core grants to Jordanian civil society organizations (CSOs) and digital media outlets.

Outcomes from the co-creation session included improved collaboration and communication between attending organizations and the Sawt team, as well as an enhanced understanding of the RFA (Request for Applications) process.

Sawt Core Grants provide core funding support to organizations working in Jordan to enhance their institutional strengths and technical and operational capacities. Core funding will be provided for organizations that work in one or both of the following areas: good, trusted Information and civil society participation and advocacy. Core grants will range from between $50,000 and $200,000 USD.

The core grants application process is conducted in two phases, the expression of interest phase, to which 108 organizations applied, of which 93 were eligible and evaluated by GEC members. 32 applications were shortlisted to apply under the Core Grants Full RFA. Those 32 organizations were invited to the co-creation session.

The purpose of the co-creation session was to introduce applicants to the Sawt team in person, clarify the Core Grants RFA (the final phase of the core grants application process), and answer any questions that the shortlisted attendees had regarding the application process.

Of the 32 shortlisted organizations, 32 representatives from 25 of them attended the session, which was held at the Sawt office in Amman, Jordan.

Following a brief introduction from Sawt Chief of Party Dima Jweihan, Director of Operations Mohammad Al Hourani led the session with a brief presentation explaining the RFA and took questions from attendees.

Attendees actively participated and engaged with Sawt team during the two-hour session, where over 32 substantive questions were answered, providing attendees with a better understanding of the Core Grants RFA and the Sawt Activity’s mission.

“It was a wonderful co-creation session,” Al Hourani said. “The Sawt team was blown away by the breadth and depth of questions raised by the attendees. I’m very excited to begin reviewing the final round of applications – it’s going to be an incredibly difficult selection process.”

The final round of applications is due from shortlisted organizations in early March. The Sawt team looks forward to reviewing applications and offering vital support to organizations that support civic engagement, ensure government transparency, and safeguard access to trustworthy information in Jordan.