Preventing Terrorist Recruitment of Youth Online

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Counterterrorism (CT) has announced a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) titled “Preventing Terrorist Recruitment of Youth Online.” This opportunity is intended to address the growing use of online platforms, especially social media and gaming environments, by terrorist organizations to radicalize and recruit youth. In response to the increasingly sophisticated tactics employed by terrorists—including the use of artificial intelligence (AI) and online gaming platforms—the Bureau seeks proposals that reduce the availability of terrorist content online and enhance community capabilities to identify and counter such threats. The program will be supported by FY24 Economic Support Funds (ESF), with a total anticipated funding amount of $1,726,689. Only one cooperative agreement is expected to be awarded, with the individual award ceiling set at $1,750,000. The period of performance is 24 months, and the anticipated start date for funded programs is September 30, 2025. The funding opportunity is global in scope and encourages the inclusion of technology companies, educational institutions, community organizations, and government entities as participants. Applicants are expected to develop strategies that either directly identify high-risk implementation countries or propose assessment plans to determine them. The two intended outcomes of the program are: (1) reduction in the availability of terrorist content online, particularly on gaming and gaming-adjacent platforms, and (2) empowerment of vulnerable communities with tools and training to recognize and resist terrorist threats online. Proposed projects should include the design and delivery of such tools and may utilize OSINT and AI for enhanced effectiveness. The cooperative agreement format implies substantial involvement from the U.S. government throughout the project, including approval of work plans, training activities, beneficiary selection, and any major programmatic decisions. Eligible applicants include non-profit organizations, public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, governmental institutions, and Public International Organizations (PIOs). Cost sharing or matching funds are not required and will not influence application scoring. All applicants must have a valid Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and active SAM.gov registration at the time of submission. The application deadline is August 7, 2025, at 5:00 PM EST. Questions related to the opportunity must be submitted by July 7, 2025. Required application materials include the SF-424 series forms, a 12-page proposal addressing program goals, a budget narrative, recent audits, resumes of key personnel, and supporting documents such as letters of support and NICRA (if applicable). Evaluation criteria include program idea feasibility, alignment with CT outcomes, applicant’s institutional capacity, cost-effectiveness, monitoring plans, and sustainability. The Department anticipates notifying the successful applicant after the conclusion of the technical review panel. Post-award requirements include quarterly financial and programmatic reporting, including the use of a Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) and a Performance Indicator Tracking Table (PITT). Recipients must also comply with the Department of State’s standard terms and conditions and are subject to potential site visits during the life of the grant. The CT Bureau reserves the right to reject any or all proposals, and selection does not guarantee future funding beyond the initial award.

Proposals must directly respond to CT outcomes, align with the Functional Bureau Strategy, and use the CT PMP and PITT templates for performance measurement.