Update – 14.07.2025: The article has been updated with information about the funds received by the Human Rights Center.
On July 9, during the 10:00 AM broadcast of its news program “Kronika,” TV channel Imedi, as well as on various platforms (1, 2, 3), discussed the funding of certain non-governmental and media organizations with which the European Commission has signed contracts. The report claimed that these NGOs are “opponents of transparency” and have received, or are expected to receive, substantial funding from the European Union.
The report specifically named several NGOs and the amounts they allegedly received:
- Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), which according to the report has already received €967,343;
- Social Justice Center, for which the European Commission reportedly has a contract of the same amount (€967,343);
- NGO Sapari, which according to the report is allocated €900,000;
- Civil Society Foundation, with which the European Commission reportedly has a €2 million contract;
- Human Rights Center, reportedly allocated €750,000;
- Chai Khana, which, according to the report, has already received €31,947 and is set to receive an additional €532,117.
Imedi’s report stated that the information was based on a list published by a political group in the European Parliament.
On July 11, the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament, Shalva Papuashvili, also circulated a still from Imedi’s broadcast. In his post, Papuashvili claimed that the organization Sapari, which receives EU funding, does not recognize democratic institutions or legislation, spreads hate campaigns, calls for the overthrow of the government, and seeks to hinder citizens from participating in elections by sabotaging the electoral process.
On July 10, the Public Broadcaster also aired a report on the same topic. For the sake of fact-checking, it contacted the NGOs mentioned. The report noted that, according to the organizations, the figures published by the political group affiliated with Viktor Orbán were incorrect.
The amounts mentioned in Imedi’s report do not reflect the actual sums received by the named NGOs and media outlets. Instead, they reflect the total budgets of broader projects or the total funding distributed among multiple beneficiary countries.
- The Social Justice Center receives only €256,550.57 from a broader project with a total budget of €967,343, which involves several other organizations, including the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association.
- The €532,117 attributed to Chai Khana in the report is actually distributed among six countries. The organization was supposed to receive €31,947 from this amount; however, the contract was terminated, and only €5,581 was actually received.
- Sapari received €139,678 as part of a joint project with a total budget of €967,343. This project involves five other organizations, so the remaining funds are allocated to them.
- The Human Rights Center is implementing its project in partnership with three other organizations; therefore, the €750,000 budget is divided among them.
- The €2,265,000 mentioned in the report does not represent the amount received solely by the Civil Society Foundation. This sum pertains to a joint project carried out by multiple partner organizations – meaning the funding is distributed across all project components and participants, not just the Soros Foundation.
What Do We Know About the Goals of the Social Justice Center and GYLA Project and the Amount of Funding They Have Received?
In Imedi’s news broadcast, data published on the NGO Transparency website was shown. Next to the Social Justice Center, an amount of €967,343 is indicated. However, in reality, the organization receives €256,550.57 under this project.
The project, titled “Promoting Greater Civic Awareness and Engagement in Judicial Reforms and Facilitating Increased Access to Justice through Holistic Multi-agency Action,” aims to support public awareness, participation in judicial reforms, and improved access to justice. It has been implemented since January 2024 in cooperation with the Social Justice Center (EMC), the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association (GYLA), the Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI), and Studio Monitor. Information about the project’s budget and its beneficiaries is also available on the website of the EU Delegation to Georgia.
The total budget of the project amounts to €1,018,256, of which €967,343 is funded by the European Union.
According to the Social Justice Center’s (SJC) website, the organization is responsible for implementing its part of the project within the scope of €256,550.57. This amount is allocated to three specific objectives in which the organization is involved.
The Institute for Development of Freedom of Information (IDFI) receives €130,794.74 from the EU’s allocation of €967,343. The remaining funds (€579,997.69) are shared between Studio Monitor and the Georgian Young Lawyers’ Association. Therefore, the €967,343 figure cited in the broadcast as being received by both the Social Justice Center and GYLA actually refers to the EU’s contribution to the entire project budget – not to the actual amounts received by the individual organizations.
The Social Justice Center’s role in the project focuses on identifying and addressing institutional and legal challenges within the justice system, which is one of the key preconditions tied to Georgia’s EU candidate status. The project includes analysis of judicial independence and impartiality, investigation of problems within key institutions of the court system, public information campaigns, and increased civic engagement.
The Social Justice Center responded to the information aired by Imedi on July 11 with an official statement, clarifying that the actual support allocated directly to the organization is 4.5 times less than the amount reported in the TV segment.
What Do We Know About the Funding Received by Chai Khana?
Imedi’s news broadcast claimed that Chai Khana has already received €31,947 in funding and, according to the contract, is expected to receive €532,117. In reality, however, the €532,117 mentioned in the report is distributed among six countries.
KineDok is an international project with a total budget of €760,167.60, of which €532,117.33 is funded by the European Union. The project aims to expand the distribution of Central and Eastern European documentary films and to promote cultural and educational events in six countries: the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Romania, Croatia, and Georgia. The project is coordinated by the Czech organization Institute of Documentary Film, with partners including Anthropolis Egyesület (Hungary), One World Romania Association (Romania), FILMTOPIA S.R.O. (Slovakia), RESTART (Croatia), and, from Georgia, Chai Khana.
The amount of €532,117, cited in Imedi’s report, is distributed across all six countries. Georgia’s and thus Chai Khana’s share amounted to €31,947. However, in a Facebook post responding to Imedi’s accusations, Chai Khana stated that it was unable to receive the full amount of €31,947 because the contract was prematurely terminated due to the adoption of the “Russian law” (referring to Georgia’s law on “foreign agents”). As a result, the actual amount Chai Khana received is only €5,581, a figure confirmed by data published on the European Commission’s website.
The primary goal of the KineDok project is to promote documentary cinema outside of traditional theaters – in non-traditional spaces such as libraries, schools, and community centers, as well as through online platforms. The project includes live screenings with accompanying discussions and programs, online events, and content presented in various formats. It places special emphasis on youth engagement, developing their creative and critical thinking skills, and raising awareness of social issues.
How Much Funding Did the EU Allocate to Sapari, and For What Purpose?
Imedi’s news report stated that the NGO Sapari was supposed to receive a grant of €900,000.
In reality, the total budget of the project titled “Contribution to Elimination of Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence in Georgia” is €967,343, and it is being implemented through a partnership of several organizations. These organizations include the Center for Psychosocial and Medical Rehabilitation of Torture Victims (GCRT), Sapari, Women’s Initiatives Supporting Group (WISG), Women’s Fund in Georgia, Marneuli Democrat Women’s Society, and Artarea. Within this project, Sapari received €139,678, a figure confirmed by the grant agreement made publicly available by the organization.
The project “Contribution to Elimination of Gender-Based Violence and Domestic Violence” includes activities aimed at improving legislation, implementing preventive measures, and strengthening support services for victims of violence, both in Tbilisi and in the regions. Its target groups include women and girls experiencing domestic or gender-based violence, including members of the LGBTQ+ community, women from ethnic minorities, sex workers, probationers, and rural residents. The initiative also includes strengthening regional organizations and conducting awareness campaigns within communities.
How Much Funding Has the Human Rights Center Received, and Under What Projects?
Imedi’s news report claimed that the Human Rights Center would receive €750,000 in funding from the European Union.
In reality, this refers to the project “Strengthening Monitoring and Advocacy Capacities for Rights in Georgia,” under which the EU grant was distributed among several partner organizations. The project is implemented by Hertie School, the Human Rights Center, the Democratic Initiative of Georgia, and the Netherlands Helsinki Committee. Consequently, the EU allocation of €750,000 was divided among these organizations in different proportions. The Human Rights Center’s director, Aleko Tskitishvili, told Myth Detector that the organization received €64,125 over a two-year period of the project.
The goal of the project is to strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations operating at both local and national levels to effectively monitor and advocate for human rights, to enhance oversight of government institutions, and to raise awareness of human rights issues among the public and decision-makers.
Another project linked to the Human Rights Center, listed on the NGO Transparency website, is titled “Quality Media and Conscious Media Consumption for Resilient Society – ConMeCo.” It is implemented by Deutsche Welle Akademie in partnership with local partners – the Media Development Foundation (MDF), and the Human Rights Center – and co-funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. Under this project, the Media Development Foundation’s share amounts to €166,540, and the Human Rights Center, according to Aleko Tskitishvili, received €123,183.
The NGO Transparency website shows €798,006 next to the Media Development Foundation, but this amount reflects the total EU co-financing for the overall project, not MDF’s individual share.
The project “Quality Media and Conscious Media Consumption for Resilient Society – ConMeCo” aims to promote media freedom, strengthen media literacy, and improve society’s resilience against disinformation. It runs from March 1, 2023 to August 31, 2025, and is funded in the amount of €847,860, of which €798,005 comes from the European Union.
How Much Funding Has the EU Allocated to the Civil Society Foundation?
Imedi TV also reported that the Civil Society Foundation was to receive €2,000,000 under the “United for Georgia’s European Way” project. This, too, does not reflect the truth.
The total budget of the project “United for Georgia’s European Way” is €3,099,837, of which €2,000,000 is EU funding. The project is being implemented over a 33-month period with the support of the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung.
In Georgia, the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung’s partners are the Economic Policy Research Center (EPRC), the Civil Society Foundation, and the Independent Journalists’ House (IJH).
The grant agreement published by the Civil Society Foundation describes the project activities, the amount of the grant, and the grant allocation plan among the partners, as well as provides information on specific activities of the organizations. When allocating the budget, it was defined that the Civil Society Foundation would receive up to €593,695 and the Economic Policy Research Center would be eligible for no more than €971,265.
The project the “United for Georgia’s European Way” aims to support Georgia’s European integration through broad civic engagement and cooperation; to promote democracy, civil society, youth, media, business, young lawyers, and strengthen legal support for local activists; to initiate academic research and public dialogue; and to raise awareness of developments in Georgia among local and international communities.
Who Published the Lists of Projects and the Corresponding Funding Amounts?
In the Imedi news report, it was stated that the information they reported was based on a list published by a political group in the European Parliament. Specifically, the reference is to the website NGO Transparency, which aims to ensure transparency around funding provided by the European Union to non-governmental organizations. The launch of the website was announced by Kinga Gál, leader of Fidesz, Hungary’s right-wing Christian Democratic People’s Party, and a member of the “Patriots for Europe” group, which was formed in the European Parliament one year ago. Kinga Gál has also stated that Patriots for Europe, currently the third-largest group in the European Parliament, are fighting for improved transparency and accountability of EU institutions. This political group represents a right-wing alliance based on the doctrine of sovereigntism, bringing together political figures from EU member states.
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