Egypt Annual Program Statement

The Department of State Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs seeks applicants for cooperative agreements to fund projects in Egypt that advance U.S. commercial diplomacy, with applications accepted on a rolling basis through January 1, 2099 (though the initial application window closed August 31, 2026).

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and civil society/NGOs), public and private educational institutions, for-profit organizations, and public international organizations capable of operating legally in Egypt. Applicants must obtain a Unique Entity Identifier and complete SAM.gov registration; temporary exceptions may be considered on a case-by-case basis if circumstances prevent completion before submission.

The program offers approximately $100 million in Economic Support Funds (CFDA 19.600) with approximately seven awards anticipated, ranging from $10 million to $25 million per project. Project performance periods span 12 to 36 months with anticipated start date October 1, 2026. Award mechanisms (grants, fixed amount awards, or cooperative agreements) are determined by the Grants Officer post-selection. NEA/AC may award multiple grants, one grant, or no grants subject to funding availability and proposal viability. Cost sharing is voluntary and not required.

Priority sectors include AI tools for water usage optimization (up to $18 million), water innovation partnerships (up to $15 million), resource management for agriculture (up to $12 million), building AI workforce and EdTech in K–12 schools (up to $25 million), U.S.–Egypt high-performance computing partnerships for AI (up to $20 million), and accelerating Egyptian tech startups using U.S. platforms (up to $10 million). Projects must leverage assistance as a tool of statecraft, promote trade over aid through market principles, orient implementing partners toward the American business community, and demonstrate how they will help U.S. businesses secure foreign contracts.

Proposals evaluated on quality and feasibility (30 points), organizational capacity (20 points), program planning (15 points), budget (10 points), monitoring and evaluation (15 points), and sustainability (10 points). Submission requires a 10-page maximum proposal, detailed multi-year budget, Results Monitoring Plan, logic model, security plan, and organizational capacity documentation through MyGrants.