Egypt Annual Program Statement

The Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs seeks applicants for cooperative agreements and grants supporting projects in Egypt that advance U.S. commercial diplomacy and economic objectives, with applications due August 31, 2026.

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations, educational institutions, for-profit organizations, and public international organizations that can operate legally in Egypt. All applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and maintain active registration in SAM.gov. The Bureau reserves discretion to award grants, fixed amount awards, or cooperative agreements post-selection; applicants may not propose a specific mechanism.

The Department anticipates awarding up to 7 grants from $100 million in total available funding, subject to funding availability. Project performance periods run 12 to 36 months with an anticipated start date of October 1, 2026. Specific funding ceilings apply by concept area: AI tools for water usage optimization ($18 million), water innovation partnerships ($15 million), resource management for agriculture ($12 million), building an AI workforce and introducing educational technology in K-12 schools ($25 million), U.S.-Egypt high-performance computing partnership for AI ($20 million), and accelerating Egyptian tech startups using U.S. platforms ($10 million).

Cost share is voluntary but favorably considered in merit review. Proposals must advance U.S. economic, security, and diplomatic objectives through commercial diplomacy and demonstrate how assistance leverages trade principles and catalyzes private capital. Key sectors include energy development and exports, trade facilitation, emerging technologies (particularly AI and telecommunications), critical infrastructure, critical minerals, regional economic integration, advanced manufacturing, and workforce training aligned with U.S. business needs.

Evaluation criteria include program quality and feasibility (30 points), organizational capacity (20 points), planning and ability to achieve objectives (15 points), budget (10 points), monitoring and evaluation plan (15 points), and sustainability (10 points). Preference is given to applicants with lower indirect cost rates in case of tied scores. Applications must be submitted electronically through MyGrants and include mandatory federal forms, a 10-page maximum proposal, detailed budget with narrative justification, results monitoring plan, logic model, and security plan.

The assistance listing is CFDA 19.600 (Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs).