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G-PAC News

East-West ManagementInstitute (EWMI) launchedits four-year USAID-funded

Policy, Advocacy and CivilSociety Development inGeorgia (G-PAC) projecton Dec. 2, 2010. More than100 representatives ofGeorgian civil society, aca-demia, political parties andgovernment attended.

G-PAC aims to strength-en civil societys role in ad-vocating for and influencingthe development and effec-

tive implementation of pub-lic policy reforms in Geor-gia. Toward achieving thisgoal, G-PAC involves twocomponents: (1) assistingNGOs with strengtheningtheir institutional and hu-man capacities on a de-mand-driven basis, and (2)

cooperating with highereducation institutions tohelp improve their public

policy courses.In his opening speech at

the G-PAC launching, HEMr. John Bass, Ambassadorof the United States ofAmerica, stressed the im-portance of civil society ineffecting change. He ex-pressed optimism thatUSAIDs premier civil so-ciety initiative G-PACwould contribute to the

maturation and deepeningof dialogue between civilsociety and government.

The G-PAC team thenpresented its goal to deliverover $7 million in grants toGeorgian think tanks, advo-cacy NGOs and universities.G-PAC will work closely

with Georgian civil societygroups to strengthen theirability to conduct effective

research, realize successfuladvocacy initiatives and bet-ter represent and engagecitizens. To this end, G-PAC will offer a combina-tion of grants, training andmentoring specifically tai-lored to the needs of Geor-gian civil society. It will alsohelp establish a world-classmasters program in PublicAdministration (MPA) at

Ilia State University withsupport from ColumbiaUniversity in New York. Inaddition, G-PAC will pro-vide technical and financialassistance to other universi-ties.

G-PAC Embarks on 4-Year Project

Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011

This newsletter is made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States

Agency for International Development (USAID). The contents do not necessarily reflect the views of

USAID or the United States Government.

G-PAC Grants 2

Designing tailored assistance 2

Assessing NGOs

Advocacy Capacity 2

NGO, University Grants 3

Upcoming events 3

eeking Public Involvement 3

G-PAC and the Peace Corps 4

nside this issue

Announcements

Universities can still apply

for Assistance Grants!

Georgian and Georgia-based

foreign specialists, university

lecturers, NGOs, media,

businesses and experts can

still express their interestin

consulting for Georgian ad-

vocacy NGOs.

Graduate students seeking

practical public policy experi-

ence: apply now to internwith leading Georgian

NGOs and think tanks.

Coming soon: Partnership

for Change and Think Tank

Grants

G-PAC training and mentor-

ing to advocacy NGOs and

think tanks will begin soon.
http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grantshttp://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grantshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://static.ewmi-gpac.org/en/news/138-part-time-consultants-for-georgian-ngoshttp://www.ewmi-gpac.org/en/grants/121-university-assistance-grants


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Assessments Identify Needs for Tailored Assistance

G-PAC, AYEG Assess Advocacy Capacity of NGOs

From Oct. to Dec. 2010, G-

PAC consulted with primary

stakeholders and potential

beneficiaries to disseminateinformation about its goals

and exchange opinions

about practical approaches

to realizing these goals. In

addition to these introduc-

tory meetings, G-PAC con-

ducted two assessments to

design more specific action

plans for its two program-

matic areas: university sup-

port and think tank support.

A third assessment is exam-

ining the advocacy capacity

of NGOs (see the next arti-

cle). Through these assess-

ments and ongoing, proac-

tive consultations, G-PAC

seeks to offer tailored,

needs-based support.

University Assessment,

Nov. 2010

The university assessment

was carried out by a Colum-

bia University assessment

team, represented by the

Picker Center, School of

International and Public

Affairs (SIPA) and the Har-

riman Institute. Towards

selecting a location for es-tablishing the MPA pro-

gram, the assessment team

met with rectors, deans,

faculty and graduate stu-

dents from three Georgian

universities: the Georgian

Institute of Public Affairs,

Ilia State University and

Tbilisi State University. The

team reviewed the universi-

ties academic backgrounds,

curricula, syllabi and facul-

tys CVs. Following this

assessment, G-PAC decided

to establish the MPA pro-

gram at Ilia State University.

Additional financial and

technical assistance will be

offered to other universities

and students through Uni-

versity Assistance Grantsand student internships.

Think Tank Assessment,Dec. 2010In order to develop an ef-

fective action plan for

strengthening Georgian

think tanks role in the pub-

lic policy process in Geor-

gia, G-PAC, in cooperationwith the Open Society Insti-

tute Think Tank Fund,

based in Budapest, orga-

nized a think tank assess-

ment mission. G-PAC met

with over 50 representatives

of Georgian think tanks,

advocacy NGOs, media

outlets, political parties, uni-

versities, donor organiza-

tions and the government.

Policy papers and reports

produced by think tanks

were also reviewed. Consid-

ering the assessment results,

G-PAC will support Geor-

gian think tanks not just in

terms of funding, but also

through mentoring and

partnerships with their Cen-

tral and Eastern Europeancounterparts. The think tank

support program will be

launched in Mar. 2011. In-

formation will be dissemi-

nated to all interested

groups.

NGOs organizational ca-

pacity to conduct successfuland effective advocacy initi-

atives. In-depth interviews

with NGOs will be accom-

panied by focus groups held

with di vers e citiz ens

throughout Georgia. The

latter will examine citizens

perceptions and awareness

of NGOs, as well as what

In Jan., researchers from the

Associat ion of YoungEconomists of Georgia

(AYEG) began interviewing

the first of 100 respondents

in a nation-wide NGO Ad-

vocacy Capacity Assess-

ment. Contracted and sup-

ported by G-PAC, AYEG is

using the USAID Advocacy

Index to assess Georgian

encourages or discourages

citizens from participatingin NGOs advocacy efforts.

The assessment findings will

provide the basis for devel-

oping G-PACs demand-

driven and tailored advocacy

capacity development pro-

gram. The assessment will

be completed in Mar. 2011.

MPP Grant: Establishe

MPP program to provid

a new generation of well

trained policy professionand to develop centers o

excellence that can prov

research and analysis.

University Assistance

Grants: Support the

institutional developmen

public policy, public

administration and politi

science courses of Geor

universities.

Internship Grants: Sup

graduate students intern

with leading Georgian C

and think tanks in order

provide hands on

experience in public poli

Think Tank Support

Grants: Support think t

to target sectors regardetop priorities by the

Georgian public, provid

depth and comprehensiv

analysis of the problems

these sectors and offer

concrete recommendatio

Citizens Advocacy Gra

Support issue-based

advocacy initiatives prim

at the local, municipal anregional levels to encour

citizen engagement for

improved local governm

programs.

Partnership for ChGrants: Support long-advocacy initiatives thatadvocacy NGOs and tanks.

Page 2G-PAC News Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011

G-PAC Grant


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NGOs, Universities Apply for G-PAC Grants

G-PAC Seeks Public Involvement, Input

In Nov. 2010 G-PAC an-nounced two grant competi-tions: 1) Citizens Advocacy

Grants sought to supportregional NGOs advocacyinitiatives; and 2) University

Assistance Grants aimed toassist higher education insti-tutions with enhancing theirinstitutional and academiccapacities.

Citizens Advocacy GrantsThe CAG program aimedto support innovative,

meaningful and realistic ad-vocacy initiatives at local,municipal and regional lev-els. Its primary emphasiswas on helping regionalNGOs to better mobilizetheir communities to engagewith local decision-makers.NGOs could request$10,000 to $15,000 for initi-atives lasting up to one year.G-PAC received 104 appli-

cations. Successful appli-cants will be selected by aGrants Review Committee

in Mar. 2011. Before issuinggrants to the selectedNGOs, G-PAC will holdpress conferences in Tbilisiand the respective regionsto present new grantees andtheir initiatives to local me-dia and the general public

University AssistanceThe UAG program is de-signed to support Georgian

universities creative grantproposals for carrying outsmall-scale activities aimedat improving their capacitiesin public policy, public ad-ministration and politicalscience. Potential activitiescould include: supportingspecialized trainings for fac-ulty and administrators, vis-iting professors, faculty re-treats, publications, transla-

tion and summer schools.Grants range from $5,000 to$10,000 and can last up to

six months. Interested uni-versities can apply on a roll-ing basis, year-round.

Beyond Grant-makingG-PACs approach to grant-making is not based on tak-ing simple yes and nodecisions on the submittedapplications. Instead, we arecommitted to workingclosely with Georgian

NGOs and universities tohelp them develop success-ful advocacy and capacitybuilding initiatives. In addi-tion to supporting NGOs indeveloping proposals foradvocacy initiatives, G-PACwill also assist granteesthroughout project imple-mentation through continu-ous mentoring and training.

WebsiteG-PAC launched its websitein Nov. 2010. Since then ithas become a platform forsharing and gathering infor-mation about G-PACs pro-grams and activities. Thewebsite provides infor-mation about G-PACs mis-sion, team, main programs

and grants, as well as past,ongoing and planned activi-ties. Interested parties can

subscribe to EW-MI G-PACs news-letter and newsupdates; register toleave commentsand suggestions;and complete grantapplications online.The website is bi-

EWMI G-PAC is commit-ted to transparency and pro-active public outreach.Therefore, we invite inter-ested parties to become in-volved actively in planningand evaluating projects. Tothis end, G-PAC haslaunched its interactive web-site: www.ewmi-gpac.org.

Beyond disseminating infor-mation, the website servesas a discussion forum.

lingual (in Georgian andEnglish). Visit regularly forinformation about G-PACgrants, upcoming events andto share your views andconcerns.

Public OutreachPublic outreach is an over-arching priority for the G-

PAC program. From Oct. toDec. 2010, the G-PAC teammet with more than 100NGOs throughout Georgiato inform them about G-PACs goals and grant pro-grams. G-PAC will continueinteracting actively with itspartners, grantees and otherstakeholders to ensure thatits work is widely publicizedand externally evaluated.

Page 3G-PAC News Volume 1, Issue 1 Sep. 2010 - Jan. 2011

Feb. 8: Ilia State

University will host th

signing of a MoU

between Ilia State

University, Columbia

University of New Yo

City and EWMI.

Together, they will cre

a Masters Degree

program in Public

Administration (MPA)

Georgia, sponsored by

USAID. The MOU w

set out the terms of

cooperation between t

respective universities

EWMIs G-PAC

program.

Feb. 9: Dr. Arvid

Lukauskas will lecture

Ilia State University on

Currency Wars and

how they affect theeconomies of develop

and developed

economies. The lectur

will be held in Room

at 32 Chavchavadze A

Feb. 10: Dr. William B

Eimicke, professor at

Columbia University, w

present on Public

Private Partnerships

including how they can

fund and deliver vital

infrastructure

projects. This invitatio

only event will be held

the National Library.

Page 3

Upcoming Even
http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/http://www.ewmi-gpac.org/


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