Countering Negative and Poorly Informed Reporting about U.S. Agricultural Practices and Consumer Choice – Creating U.S. Jobs and Economic Opportunities in Agriculture | DOS LONDON PD 2019 CA 020

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS LONDON PD 2019 CA 020

This grant opportunity, offered by the U.S. Mission to the United Kingdom (U.S. Embassy London), focuses on addressing what it describes as widespread misconceptions in the UK about U.S. agricultural practices and food standards. The central concern is that negative and often simplified media narratives about American farming, particularly around topics like animal welfare, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and labeling, and the use of antibiotics in livestock, are shaping public opinion in ways that could reduce consumer openness to U.S. products. The opportunity frames this as economically important for the United States because improving understanding and confidence in U.S. agriculture could support American exports and jobs, and politically significant because public resistance to U.S. food products could complicate prospects for a post-Brexit U.S.-UK Free Trade Agreement.

The problem statement relies in part on consumer research commissioned by USDA in partnership with Gallup, which the notice uses to argue that unfavorable impressions are common and that baseline awareness of U.S. food safety oversight is low. The figures highlighted include that UK residents report hearing negative news about U.S.-produced food roughly twice as often as positive news (46 percent versus 24 percent), that nearly half of respondents (48 percent) are not aware of USDA or its food safety programs, and that British consumers show a very low stated preference for buying American meat over British. The grant description suggests these perceptions are reinforced by recurring stories about "industrial scale" U.S. agriculture, with "chlorinated chickens" singled out as a prominent example of messaging the U.S. Mission considers misleading or inaccurate.

To respond, the program aims to fund a short, structured exchange visit to the United States lasting five to seven days. The exchange is intended for influential UK journalists and food activists, with the goal of giving participants a more detailed, firsthand understanding of the U.S. food and agriculture system from farm to market. The planned itinerary is expected to cover multiple points in the supply chain and policy environment, including visits to small, medium, and large farms and operations, with exposure to different certification and production models such as organic, natural, and conventional systems. In addition to farm visits, the program is expected to include research institutions that support science-based agricultural practices, and government agencies involved in food safety and nutrition oversight. A key design requirement is that the selected locations should be geographically and culturally diverse, so participants see the range of U.S. agricultural production and the variety of consumer choices available in the U.S. marketplace, including how products are labeled and sold.

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the funder typically expects to have substantial involvement in shaping or overseeing the project during implementation. The opportunity is discretionary and falls under an education-related funding activity category (CFDA 19.451). The Embassy anticipates selecting a single implementer, subject to funding availability. The expected award amount is stated as between $60,000 and $75,000, with a ceiling of $75,000.

Eligibility is broad and includes nonprofit organizations (including think tanks and civil society/NGOs), public and private educational institutions, individuals, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. The funding opportunity number is DOS LONDON PD 2019 CA 020, and the original closing date listed is 2019-08-02, indicating this was a time-limited competition for a specific program cycle.

• The U.S. Mission to the United Kingdom in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Countering Negative and Poorly Informed Reporting about U.S. Agricultural Practices and Consumer Choice – Creating U.S. Jobs and Economic Opportunities in Agriculture" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.451.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2019-07-02.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2019-08-02. (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 $75,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for DOS LONDON PD 2019 CA 020

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