Egypt Annual Program Statement

The U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs, Office of Assistance Coordination, is accepting proposals under the Egypt Program Annual Program Statement, opportunity number DFOP0018819. The Annual Program Statement serves as an intake mechanism for foreign assistance proposals that advance U.S. policy priorities in Egypt. Total available funding is $100 million, pending availability of funds, with seven awards anticipated. Funding is provided through Economic Support Funds under the Foreign Assistance Act, and awards may be made as grants, fixed amount awards, or cooperative agreements. Proposed projects should have a performance period of 12 to 36 months, with an anticipated project start date of October 1, 2026, subject to availability of funds. The Department may make multiple awards, one award, or no awards depending on funding availability and proposal viability. The program seeks innovative foreign assistance projects benefiting Egypt while advancing U.S. commercial diplomacy and U.S. economic, security, and diplomatic objectives. Programming should promote trade and market-based development by championing American enterprise and infrastructure, catalyzing private capital, expanding opportunities for U.S. exports and businesses, and encouraging burden-sharing. Priority areas include digital and communications infrastructure, U.S. technology for education and advanced computing, water security, agriculture development and food security, and related economic and technological priorities. Six specifically described program areas have estimated award ceilings ranging from $10 million to $25 million: AI Tools for Water Usage Optimization, Water Innovation Partnership, Resource Management for Agriculture, Building an AI Workforce and Introducing EdTech in K-12 Schools, U.S.-Egypt High-Performance Computing Partnership for AI and Advanced Analytics, and Accelerate Egyptian Tech Startups Using U.S. Platforms. Projects should deliver measurable benefits to Egypt while strengthening U.S. commercial and strategic interests. Activities may include AI-enabled water decision tools, water research and institutional partnerships, agricultural technology and resource management, education technology, AI and advanced computing workforce development, high-performance computing infrastructure, and technology startup acceleration. Activities generally not funded include public diplomacy or U.S. government public messaging projects, support for political parties or electoral campaigns, diaspora initiatives, projects predominantly focused on academic or basic research, purely service-delivery or humanitarian projects, costs incurred for activities begun with other funds, medical or psychological research or clinical studies involving human subjects, cultural presentations or festivals, and entertainment costs. Cost sharing or matching is not required, although voluntarily proposed cost sharing or matching is favorably considered in the merit review. Any proposed cost share must comply with applicable federal cost principles and be properly documented. Eligible applicants must be able to operate legally in Egypt. Eligible entities include not-for-profit organizations such as think tanks and civil society or nongovernmental organizations, public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations such as corporations and commercial firms, public international organizations, and governmental institutions. Higher education proposals must be affiliated with accredited institutions recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Organizations generally must have a Unique Entity Identifier and an active SAM.gov registration before submitting, although a temporary waiver may be available on a case-by-case basis. Applicants on the SAM.gov excluded parties list or with a current debt to the U.S. government are ineligible. All application documents must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, and applicants must comply with the formatting and application requirements stated in the Annual Program Statement. Applications must be submitted electronically through the Department of State MyGrants system. Required application materials include the applicable SF-424 forms, a proposal of no more than 10 pages containing the proposal summary, organizational introduction, problem statement, goals and objectives, project activities, methods and design, schedule and timeline, key personnel, project partners, monitoring and evaluation plan, and sustainability information. Applicants must also submit a detailed Excel budget, a separate budget narrative, applicable NICRA documentation, a separate Results Monitoring Plan, a logic model of no more than two pages, a security plan of no more than three pages, one-page CVs or resumes for key personnel, and official permission letters when required. A summary page is optional. Applications involving digital tools or software must address digital security requirements and, where applicable, budget for an independent IT security audit. Applications are first screened through a Technical Eligibility Review for compliance with eligibility and required-document requirements. Eligible applications advancing to merit review are scored on a 100-point scale. Quality and feasibility of the program idea accounts for 30 points, organizational capacity and previous grant performance for 20 points, program planning and ability to achieve objectives for 15 points, monitoring and evaluation for 15 points, budget for 10 points, and sustainability for 10 points. Equivalent scores may be broken in favor of the applicant with the lower indirect cost rate. Final decisions also consider alignment with NEA/AC program goals, Department foreign policy priorities, and geographic distribution. Prior to an award, the Department also considers financial stability, management systems, performance history, audit findings, and ability to implement award requirements. Applications submitted by August 31, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time were eligible for consideration by the initial panel. Applications submitted after August 31, 2026, are reviewed on a rolling basis subject to funding availability, and awards are also made on a rolling basis. Unsuccessful initial applicants are expected to be notified through MyGrants by October 15, 2026. Questions concerning the grant application process may be submitted to nea-grants@state.gov with the APS opportunity number in the email subject line. MyGrants customer support is available 24 hours a day at +1 888 313 4567 for account-access issues. Recipients will be subject to recurring financial and program reporting requirements specified in their award documents, and continuation funding beyond the initial budget period may be considered noncompetitively based on funding availability, satisfactory progress, and the interests of the U.S. Government.

Directly address a pressing problem and explain how activities will be implemented with a reasonable timeline. Demonstrate organizational expertise, federal financial management capacity, and subaward management experience where applicable. State measurable goals and objectives and provide strong output and outcome indicators with milestones. Provide a detailed and realistic budget tied to activities and anticipated results. Demonstrate sustainability beyond the award period. Clearly show how the project benefits Egypt while expanding U.S. exports, U.S. business opportunities, U.S.-origin technologies, standards, and commercial engagement. Ensure every required document is included because incomplete or ineligible applications will not advance beyond Technical Eligibility Review. Voluntary leveraged resources or cost sharing may strengthen merit review even though matching is not required.