Call for Expressions of Interest: Technical Support and Small Grant for Fact-Checking Platforms in Nigeria

Strengthening Technology, Innovation, and Information Integrity Ahead of the 2027 Elections

The Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP), in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica, is pleased to announce a Call for Expressions of Interest for fact-checking and verification platforms operating in Nigeria under the European Union (EU) Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project.

This initiative seeks to strengthen the technological capacity, operational resilience, and effectiveness of organisations working to counter misinformation, disinformation, hate speech, and information manipulation.

Through this call, one selected organisation will receive a combination of technical assistance, capacity strengthening, and financial support to improve, upgrade, deploy, or scale technologies that enhance fact-checking, verification, and information integrity efforts.

Local, grassroots, and emerging organisations operating digital platforms, websites, mobile applications, or technology-driven solutions for fact-checking, verification, and information integrity are strongly encouraged to apply.

Available Support

Important Notice: Due to limited project funding, only one (1) organisation will be selected under this call.

The selected organisation will receive:

• A comprehensive technical assessment and platform audit;
• Tailored technical assistance and capacity strengthening;
• Support for platform upgrades and technology deployment;
• Assistance in integrating AI-powered and automation tools for fact-checking and monitoring;
• User experience (UX/UI) and infrastructure improvements;
• A small grant of up to €4,094.65 to implement approved technology enhancement activities.

Support will be provided based on the outcomes of a technical needs assessment conducted by FactCheckAfrica.

Eligibility Criteria

Applications will only be considered from organisations meeting all of the following minimum criteria.

1. Organisational Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Be a legally registered entity in Nigeria (NGO, media house, CSO, or independent digital media organisation);
• Have a minimum of two (2) years of active operations in fact-checking, media verification, or disinformation monitoring;
• Operate a functional and publicly accessible digital platform (website, application, or online portal) dedicated to or substantially used for fact-checking or disinformation monitoring;
• Not be under any debarment, sanction, or prohibition from contracting by any national or international authority;
• Not appear on European Union sanctions lists related to anti-money laundering or terrorism financing.

2. Technical Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Have a dedicated technical staff member or an established relationship with a technical service provider responsible for managing their platform’s infrastructure;
• Operate a platform hosted on a server or cloud environment that can be modified for technical upgrades and improvements.

3. Thematic Eligibility

Applicants must:

• Demonstrate documented fact-checking or disinformation-monitoring activities related to elections, political content, hate speech, public health misinformation, or similar issues;
• Demonstrate geographic outreach or present a credible plan to cover at least three (3) of Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones;
• Show commitment to integrating gender and inclusion perspectives into platform content and outreach activities

Selection Criteria and Scoring

Eligible applications will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Criterion	Description	Max Score
Track Record in Fact-Checking and Verification	Demonstrated experience in fact-checking, verification, media monitoring, or disinformation response, including quality and relevance of published outputs.	30
Platform Functionality, Coverage and Reach	Strength and functionality of existing platform, including audience reach, usability, and geographic coverage.	20
Technical Needs and Readiness for Support	Clarity of technical challenges and alignment with proposed support areas such as AI tools, infrastructure, UX/UI, NLP, and automation.	20
Organisational Profile and Capacity	Organisational structure, years of operation, and demonstrated capacity to manage and sustain digital/media initiatives.	15
Geographic Reach and Inclusion	Extent of geographic coverage and commitment to inclusive practices, particularly in underserved regions.	10
Clarity of Use of Support and Impact Potential	Strength of justification for how the proposed support will improve effectiveness and public impact.	5
Total		100

A minimum score of 60 out of 100 is required for selection. Where applications receive equal scores, preference will be given to the organisation demonstrating stronger coverage of underserved geopolitical zones and greater potential for national impact.

Application Requirements

Applicants will be required to provide:

• Organisation name and contact information;
• Legal status and year of registration;
• Website and/or platform URL;
• Brief organisational profile (maximum 300 words);
• Summary of fact-checking, verification, or disinformation-monitoring activities (maximum 300 words);
• Description of the platform, including audience reach and geographic coverage (maximum 300 words);
• Summary of technical challenges and priority support needs (maximum 250 words);
• Links to published fact-checks, verification reports, or related outputs;
• Confirmation of willingness to participate in the technical assessment and platform improvement process.

Supporting documents, including registration certificates and other verification materials, may be requested from shortlisted applicants during the assessment process.

Application Process

• Application Form: https://tinyurl.com/ESPGCFE 
• Application Deadline: 10 July 2026 at 00:00 GMT+1 (Lagos Time)
• Late applications will not be considered.
• Language: All applications must be submitted in English.

Technical Assessment and Selection Process

All eligible applications will undergo an initial review.

Shortlisted organisations will participate in a technical needs assessment and platform audit conducted by FactCheckAfrica. The assessment will identify priority areas for intervention and determine the most appropriate support package. Following the assessment process, one (1) organisation will be selected to receive technical assistance and grant funding based on overall scoring, technical readiness, organisational capacity, sustainability, and potential impact. Only shortlisted applicants may be contacted to provide additional information or supporting documentation.

Enquiries

Questions regarding this call may be directed to:

• Email: factcheckelections@gmail.com 
• Subject Line: [ENQUIRY] Support for Fact-Checking Platforms in Nigeria

Rights and General Conditions

FactCheckAfrica reserves the right to:

• Request additional information or supporting documentation during the assessment process;
• Modify, suspend, or cancel the call if circumstances require.

Submission of an application does not constitute any contractual commitment. The selected organisation will be required to sign a formal Partnership Agreement with FactCheckAfrica prior to the commencement of activities.

The selected organisation must comply with:

• FIAP data protection requirements (GDPR-aligned);
• Project visibility and branding guidelines;
• Monitoring, reporting, and accountability requirements.

All deliverables produced under this activity shall remain the intellectual property of FIAP. The beneficiary organisation may not publish, distribute, or commercialise project deliverables without prior written approval from FIAP. Any false declaration or misrepresentation will result in immediate disqualification and possible exclusion from future opportunities.  The beneficiary organisation will be required to submit an impact report to FactCheckAfrica within six (6) months of receiving support. The beneficiary organisation is expected to utilise the supported platform and technologies to counter misinformation, disinformation, fake news, and hate speech, particularly in relation to elections, democratic processes, and public-interest information.

About the Project

This activity is implemented by the Fundación para la Internacionalización de las Administraciones Públicas (FIAP) in collaboration with FactCheckAfrica under the EU Support to ECOWAS in Peace, Security and Governance (EPSG) Project, co-financed by the European Union (EU), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Denmark (MOFA).

FactCheckAfrica and FIAP encourage qualified organisations from across Nigeria to apply and contribute to strengthening information integrity, democratic resilience, and public trust ahead of the 2027 elections.