Grants to improve Public Spaces in Pennsylvania

The GEC grant program overview centers on addressing the critical issue of foreign propaganda and disinformation operations occurring within the ecosystem of games and game-adjacent platforms, specifically focusing on Eastern Europe. The program's core mission, inferred from its activities, aligns with countering malign foreign influence by generating concrete evidence and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration. The initial phase is dedicated to rigorous, quantified and qualified research to establish the precise scope and scale of this threat. The target beneficiaries of this program include governments, industry stakeholders (likely gaming companies and platforms), and civil society organizations who are concerned with and capable of addressing foreign influence. The ultimate impact goal is to empower these groups with actionable data and a shared understanding of the problem. This shared foundation is crucial for developing and implementing effective countermeasures against disinformation tactics that exploit gaming environments. The grant prioritizes research that is both quantified and qualified, ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the problem's magnitude and methods. The focus is specifically on Eastern Europe, acknowledging the region's heightened vulnerability to such activities. Following the research, a key priority is organizing a convening. This event is intended to serve as a platform for sharing the research report, discussing findings, and integrating this data with other related research efforts. Expected outcomes include the production of a detailed report that accurately maps the landscape of foreign propaganda and disinformation in games within Eastern Europe. The measurable result of the subsequent convening will be the successful gathering of key representatives from government, industry, and civil society, facilitating dialogue and collaboration. This approach suggests a theory of change where evidence-based understanding (the research) directly leads to informed action and coordinated defense (the convening and resulting strategy development) against foreign influence operations.