Media Education Program (MEP) | DOS GEO 19 CA 001 040119

Opportunity Information: Apply for DOS GEO 19 CA 001 040119

The Media Education Program (MEP) is a U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Georgia funding opportunity run through the Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tbilisi. It is set up as an open competition for a single organization to manage a year-long professional development project aimed at newly graduated Georgian journalists who are early in their careers, new to digital journalism, and currently working in multiplatform media environments such as broadcasters, newspapers, or news agencies. The overall intent is to strengthen the skills, practices, and career trajectories of these young journalists by giving them structured exposure to U.S. standards and hands-on learning environments connected to modern digital media.

The award is issued as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which generally means the U.S. government expects active involvement during implementation rather than a purely hands-off grant. In practical terms, the selected grantee is expected to work closely with PAS throughout the grant period, particularly on identifying and selecting qualified Georgian participants and shaping program elements so they align with the Embassy's objectives. The program emphasis is not simply classroom training; it is designed to be immersive and practice-oriented, combining professional study tours at U.S. training centers and studios with site visits and short internships at relevant U.S. digital media outlets. The core deliverable highlighted in the announcement is a three-week intensive U.S. study tour component for up to 25 participants, structured to expose them to real-world workflows, editorial decision-making, digital production processes, and professional norms in U.S. media settings.

Funding for the opportunity has an award ceiling of $250,000, and the Embassy anticipated making one award. The funds are intended to defray the costs associated with running the key program activities, especially the three-week intensive study tour, which typically involves travel logistics, training costs, program coordination, and related participant support. A notable requirement is that proposals must include concrete provisions for participants who are not English-speaking, signaling that the program must be accessible to a wider pool of promising journalists and may require interpretation, translated materials, bilingual instruction, or other language-support mechanisms built into the training and internship experience.

Eligible applicants include U.S. media organizations and U.S. nonprofit/non-governmental organizations, including both nonprofits with 501(c)(3) IRS status and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (excluding institutions of higher education in the listed categories), as well as additional eligible entities as referenced by the notice. The opportunity is categorized under the Education activity area and is associated with CFDA number 19.900. The funding opportunity is identified as "Media Education Program (MEP)" with opportunity number DOS GEO 19 CA 001 040119, and it was created on April 30, 2019.

Applications were required to be submitted by May 30, 2019, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with late submissions deemed ineligible. The notice also set practical submission and formatting rules: no telegraphic or fax submissions, confirmation of receipt should be obtained (with follow-up via TbilisiGrants@state.gov if not confirmed within two days), attachments limited to a total of 3 MB, pages numbered, and a table of contents included. Attachments needed to be in Word, Excel, or PDF, printable on U.S. letter-size paper, with large graphics discouraged and .rar files explicitly prohibited. These administrative details underline that the Embassy expected a clearly organized, compliance-focused proposal that is easy to review and print, with manageable file sizes and standard formats.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Georgia in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Media Education Program (MEP)" 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 30, 2019.
• Applicants must submit their applications by May 30, 2019 All applications must be submitted on or before May 30, 2019, 1159 p.m. eastern time. Applications submitted after 1159 p.m. will not be eligible for consideration. If receipt of application in not confirmed within two days, please contact TbilisiGrants@state.gov.Telegraphic or fax applications are not authorized for this NOFO and will not be accepted. The total size of each attachment should not exceed 3 MB. Each page of the proposal must be numbered. The application must have a table of contents. Large graphic files are discouraged. The format of any attachments must be in Microsoft Word, Excel, or PDF. Attached files should be printable on U.S. letter size paper (8#189 x11#8221). Do NOT send .rar files.. (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: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for DOS GEO 19 CA 001 040119

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