Georgia to tighten grants law, requiring government approval for expert assistance
Georgia tightens grants law
On 15 April 2025, the Georgian Dream-led parliament passed a law on grants, banning the receipt of foreign grants without government approval. A new amendment will now require government consent for receiving technical and expert assistance, as well as for knowledge exchange.
“Additional issues requiring clarification have arisen in practice… Therefore, the bill will further specify the grants law, with an amendment stating that, among other things, technical or expert assistance, knowledge exchange, and other similar contributions will also be classified as grants,” said Georgian Dream MP Tornike Cheishvili.
According to him, the law will allow the government to consider any financial resources provided by international organisations as grants.
“There are also technical clarifications regarding the purposes for which grant funds may be used. These include areas related to the humanitarian sector, defence, and security. The list of entities issuing grants has also been specified — it now clearly states that funds provided by any international organisation may be considered grants,” Cheishvili added.
He further explained that there are several programmes which “by their nature pose the least risk to state sovereignty,” and therefore may not require the Georgian Dream government’s approval for implementation.
In April 2024, Georgia’s parliament fast-tracked a law banning the issuance of foreign grants without government approval. This means that if a foundation or organisation — for instance, the EU or the UN — wishes to support a Georgian NGO, it must first obtain official permission from Irakli Kobakhidze’s government.
The changes directly affect organisations working in the fields of human rights, anti-corruption, service provision, and government accountability. For many, continuing their work will become virtually impossible.
Experts believe the changes to the grants law are not an isolated initiative but part of a coordinated trend, already reflected in the “foreign agents” law and other repressive measures adopted by Georgian Dream in 2024.
Read more about the law here.
