Government of Georgia Strategic Communications Program | DOS GEO 17 GR 003 GEO 041017

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS GEO 17 GR 003 GEO 041017

The Government of Georgia Strategic Communications Program is a U.S. Department of State funding opportunity run through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) at the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi. It was issued as a discretionary Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) for a cooperative agreement, meaning the awardee would be expected to work in close coordination with the U.S. Government during implementation rather than operating entirely independently. The program is designed as an 18 to 24 month project focused on strengthening the Georgian Government's ability to plan, coordinate, and deliver strategic communications, with a particular emphasis on improving official public messaging that supports Georgia's Euro-Atlantic integration.

At the core of the opportunity is a capacity-building agenda across both national and municipal levels of government. The embassy is seeking proposals that do more than one-off training events; the intent is to build durable systems, habits, and coordination mechanisms that help government communicators operate with consistent goals, shared messaging frameworks, and proactive planning. A central outcome is improved communication effectiveness with the Georgian public on issues related to Euro-Atlantic integration, which implies the project should help officials communicate clearly, credibly, and consistently in a complex information environment.

The program has two major lines of effort. First, it aims to strengthen and further develop strategic communications units in key central government institutions, specifically the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the State Ministry of Euro-Atlantic Integration, and the Office of the Prime Minister. This component emphasizes an integrated approach, suggesting the project should help these institutions align processes and messages across agencies, reduce fragmentation, and coordinate on shared priorities. Practical work under this track could include improving internal coordination routines, developing shared communication strategies, supporting interagency planning, and enhancing the professional capabilities and tools available to those units.

Second, the program focuses on building the skills of Georgian Government public affairs practitioners more broadly. This includes developing officials' ability to counter disinformation and misinformation in the media space, which points to training and systems for monitoring narratives, responding effectively, and communicating in ways that build public resilience rather than escalating confusion. The NOFO also calls for building an efficient communication network connecting local and national government officials, implying that municipal communicators should not be isolated from central government messages and guidance, and that there should be a functional structure for two-way coordination, shared situational awareness, and rapid dissemination of accurate information.

A further intended result is the creation of a government communication environment that is consistent, coordinated, and proactive. The description specifically highlights analyzing issues proactively through a communications and advanced planning lens, which signals the project should help government actors anticipate emerging issues, prepare messaging and outreach plans in advance, and integrate communications considerations into policy rollouts rather than treating communications as an afterthought. In practice, this could involve establishing planning templates, crisis communication playbooks, content approval workflows, spokesperson preparation, message discipline practices, and mechanisms to evaluate communication effectiveness over time.

Administratively, the opportunity was posted under Funding Opportunity Number DOS GEO 17 GR 003 GEO 041017 by the Department of State, U.S. Mission to Georgia, with a CFDA number of 19.900. The award ceiling is $250,000, with one expected award. The opportunity was created on April 10, 2017, and the original application closing date was May 19, 2017. Eligibility is listed as "Others" with additional details referenced in the original eligibility section, indicating that applicants would need to consult the full NOFO text for precise eligibility rules and any restrictions or preferences.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Georgia in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Government of Georgia Strategic Communications Program" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on Apr 10, 2017.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 19, 2017. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS GEO 17 GR 003 GEO 041017

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: