The Advancing CSO Capacities and Engaging Society for Sustainability (ACCESS) Project works to

strengthen civil society organizations (CSOs) throughout Georgia. The goal is to empower CSOs to
become respected community representatives capable of leading public debate and collaborating
with government to create more transparent and accountable governance.
ACCESS is a five-year $5.5 million USD project funded by USAID and implemented by East-West
Management Institute (EWMI) and its local partners, the Centre for Training and Consultancy (CTC)
and the Civil Development Agency (CiDA). Beginning in November 2014, ACCESS will build on the
successes of EWMIs USAID-funded Policy, Advocacy, and Civil Society Development in Georgia (G-PAC)
project, which bolstered the capabilities of CSOs and increased their local and national policy
influence.
ACCESS will strengthen civil society in Georgia by working toward four objectives: (1) Citizens
become more aware of and involved in CSO activities; (2) CSO leadership, organizational capacity,
and sustainability are improved among organizations throughout Georgia; (3) CSOs are able to
effectively monitor and influence key government policies and processes; and (4) the USAIDsupported Centers for Civic Engagement (CCEs) establish local ownership so that they continue to
operate as politically neutral gathering spaces for public discourse.
ACCESS will achieve these four objectives through comprehensive grants and technical assistance
programming. Grants to CSOs will support policy research and citizen engagement, enabling
government to make informed decisions on priority public issues. EWMI, CTC, and CiDA will
deliver tailored technical assistance according to the individual needs of CSOs. The CCEs will play a
vital role in these processes as neutral spaces facilitating open public dialogue.
Acting Chief of Party
Jason Swantek
jswantek@ewmi-access.org

Deputy Chief of Party

Ekaterine Imerlishvili
eimerlishvili@ewmi-access.org

ACCESS Office
5 Marjanishvili St., 3rd Floor
Tbilisi 0102 Georgia
Tel: +(995 32) 202 444

The U.S. Agency for International Development administers U.S. foreign assistance programs providing
economic and humanitarian assistance in more than 80 countries worldwide.