The small grant competition was conducted over a period of about two months. A total of 346 applications were submitted and passed the formal review stage, said the Chairperson of the State Grant Management Agency, Tamar Zodelava.

She explained that the agency’s mandate is limited to checking whether grant applications comply with the competition’s requirements.

According to Zodelava, after the initial review, 248 applications were forwarded to the Council. As a result of the evaluation, 60 applications scored at least 70 points, and 17 of them were selected for state funding through a voting process.

“The large number of applications from public organizations is a very positive indicator. It shows a strong interest among citizens in assuming civic responsibility through the creation and development of public organizations. The criteria used by each Council member to evaluate applications were known to all applicants from the outset. These included: the relevance and importance of the project idea — specifically, how well the identified problem was substantiated. In many cases, the issue was presented in general terms without sufficient data to confirm its relevance.

The second criterion concerned the project’s goals and objectives. When the idea is not fully formulated, naturally, the goals raise additional questions. Other criteria included the methods and expected results of implementation, sustainability, and what outcomes the proposed project would deliver — essentially, whether it was suitable for state funding as a civic initiative.

Using these criteria, the Council thoroughly reviewed each application. As a result, 60 applications met the required 70-point threshold, and based on the highest scores, 17 were awarded state grants. Of the 346 applications, 248 were submitted to the Council thanks to the agency’s flexible approach. It truly was a competition of ideas. From this large pool, the Council was able to identify the 60 strongest submissions that met the established standards,” Zodelava said.

The Chairperson of the Agency also spoke about the priority areas supported through the state grant program.

“These include labor, health and social protection, environmental and natural resource protection, sports development, education, science and youth, regional development and local self-government, reconciliation and civil equality, democratic institutions and good governance, and human rights and freedoms. These were the priority fields from which the 17 state-funded grant applications were selected,” stated Tamar Zodelava.