OpenCapacity Building

Voices for the Future

Funded by:

U.S. Mission to Indonesia

Grant Amount

USD: 150,000Program Funding

Deadline

Aug 7, 2026

0 days remaining

Est. Awards

1 Grants

Funding Purpose

Community Projects

Subjects

Social SciencesArts and Humanities

Description

The Voices for the Future programme, administered by the U.S. Mission to Indonesia, supports the establishment of a debate team network and national championship for Indonesian high school students. Through structured debate training, the initiative aims to strengthen critical thinking, civic literacy, and English-language proficiency among young leaders across Indonesia.

Overview

Voices for the Future is designed to build and sustain a debate programme in at least 20 high schools across Jakarta, Padang, Samarinda, and Makassar. The programme will equip students with argumentation and public speaking skills, foster people-to-people ties with the United States, and help participants navigate complex information environments. A national championship in Jakarta will bring together top qualifying teams from all participating regions.

Funding and Benefits

Total Funding: $150,000
Expected Number of Awards: 1
Award Range: $50,000 minimum to $150,000 maximum
Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative agreement
Cost Sharing or Matching Requirement: No

Eligibility

Eligible Applicants:

Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society or non-governmental organizations
Public and private educational institutions
Public International Organizations and governmental institutions

For-profit entities, even those that may fall into the categories listed above, are not eligible to apply.

Programme Activities

Programme design and partnership development: Partner with at least 20 schools and local debate communities; develop coaching curricula, debate topic frameworks, and a programme operations manual in coordination with the U.S. Embassy.
Debate bootcamp and Coach Training (ToT): U.S. experts will deliver Training of Trainers workshops in Padang, Samarinda, and Makassar for a minimum of 24 teachers and coaches. Each bootcamp will include demonstration debate sessions. EducationUSA will hold information sessions on U.S. study pathways, engaging at least 120 students across all three cities.
National Debate Championship in Jakarta: A championship open to top-qualifying teams from bootcamp cities and Jakarta-based high school teams. Teams will compete in elimination rounds judged by U.S. experts, Indonesian academic and civil society judges, and U.S. Embassy representatives. An awards ceremony and closing mentorship session will connect debate skills to democratic citizenship. A media strategy will generate at least 10 placements across social media, press, and digital channels.