MEPI Local Grants Annual Program Statement

The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) seeks single-country proposals for its Local Grants program. The Local Grants program serves as MEPI’s most direct means of supporting organizations and individuals in the Middle East and North Africa. These grants are designed to: • Promote positive change, advocacy, and civic activism; • Strengthen civil society; • Support citizen’s efforts to achieve economic, social, and political empowerment; • Expand opportunities for women and youth; • Strengthen the rule of law; • Develop independent media; and • Help communities work alongside governments in shaping their own futures. MEPI’s regional offices, located in the Middle East and North Africa, manage the program. For more information about MEPI’s regional offices, or to contact them, visit: www.medregion.mepi.state.gov or www.arabianpeninsula.mepi.state.gov. A MEPI Committee at the U.S. Embassy or Consulate within each country of origin reviews all Local Grant proposals, and forwards only the most competitive proposals to one of MEPI’s two regional offices to negotiate the awards. MEPI accepts proposals to this program on a rolling basis, but each U.S. Embassy or Consulate has a unique selection process for submissions. Applicants should ask the respective U.S. Embassies or Consulates about their selection processes before preparing their submissions.