What is this grant opportunity?

This is a federal funding opportunity titled "Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)", offered by Assistance Coordination. It is associated with CFDA program 19.600. The MERC Program is funded as assistance to promote Arab-Israeli scientific cooperation, technology-led development, and capacity building. Emphasis is given to research and technology subjects of reg...

Is this opportunity still open?

No, this opportunity is closed. It closed on December 15, 2022. Check the parent program page for future funding cycles.

How much funding is available?

The award range for this opportunity is $100,000 -- $1,000,000.

Applications for federal grant opportunities are typically submitted through Grants.gov. Visit the official listing at grants.gov for application instructions, required documents, and submission deadlines.

Closed · NEAAC22MERC1001 · CFDA 19.600 · Discretionary

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

Federal grant opportunity posted by Assistance Coordination, cataloged on Grants.gov.

$100K-$1M
Award range: Closed
Status: December 15, 2022
Close date: -
Expected awards

Compiled by PlainGrants · August 10, 2026

The verdict

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) is a closed discretionary listing from Assistance Coordination that offered $100,000 -- $1,000,000. Future funding cycles may be published under the same CFDA number. PlainGrants indexes 114 other opportunities from Assistance Coordination.

$100K-$1M
award range: Closed
application status: 19.600
CFDA program: 114
other opportunities from Assistance Coordination

Archived opportunity record

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) is closed (last close December 15, 2022). Check the agency catalog for replacement NOFOs. Assistance Coordination still indexes 114 other opportunities here.

According to Grants.gov (extract vintage 2026-08-10), this record reflects the officially published listing. See methodology.

Deadline tracker

Application window closed

Closed December 15, 2022

Posted Aug 29 Closes Dec 15

Instrument

Grant

Description

The MERC Program is funded as assistance to promote Arab-Israeli scientific cooperation, technology-led development, and capacity building. Emphasis is given to research and technology subjects of regional importance and relevance to the development of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA). Benefits should target developing countries in the region and populations of limited income. Strong, direct Arab-Israeli cooperation is required for proposals receiving funding under the MERC Program. Involvement of U.S. partners and support for the participation of individuals or institutions from outside the Middle East and North Africa (e.g., Europe) is not a key feature of the MERC Program, but may be considered for modest roles in exceptional cases to meet an essential technical need that is not available in the region. Applicants must be prepared to provide a well justified case for non-regional partner participation, and accept that MERC may not support the participation of any non-regional partners.The MERC Program funds peer-reviewed, collaborative, scientific research projects on development topics between Israel and its Arab neighbors across the MENA region. As part of this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), MERC is seeking to fund proposals in the following categories:Applied research grants: Multi-year, joint Arab-Israeli projectsContinuation grants: Funding to extend existing or recently ended MERC awardsTravel and workshop grants: Support for workshops, meetings, and researcher exchangePlease see full NOFO description in the Related Documents section of this listing for additional details.

Catch-all / unrestricted eligibility mark · NEAAC22MERC1001

Grants.gov marks Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) with a catch-all / unrestricted eligibility code (Others (see official listing text)). Read the official announcement text for the real applicant filter — the code alone is not a door list. The extract does not mark applicant cost-sharing as required. Instrument: Grant. Funding-activity code maps to Other (O). This eligibility-code string dominates the Assistance Coordination book (69 peers, 60% of 115).

Code 25: Others (see official listing text)

Codes are Grants.gov eligibility category values from the extract vintage 2026-08-10. Confirm the full eligibility statement on the official listing or the Grants.gov eligibility reference.

Official Listing on Grants.gov

View full details, application forms, and submission instructions.

View on Grants.gov

Agency Contact

merc@usaid.gov

More from Assistance Coordination

Closed Closed September 30, 2026

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC)

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What to do next

Middle East Regional Cooperation (MERC) is closed; use the parent program and agency catalog for the next funding cycle.

Browse open federal opportunities in the same category when this listing is closed. Open opportunities
Look up CFDA 19.600 across all indexed listings before you commit to this opportunity alone. Eligibility finder
Compare award ranges across federal categories before you pick a single CFDA. All categories

Opportunity deadlines and eligibility change on Grants.gov; PlainGrants mirrors the extract and is not the submission system.

Disclaimer: This information is sourced from Grants.gov and SAM.gov and is for informational purposes only. Opportunity details, deadlines, and eligibility requirements change frequently. Always verify current information directly on Grants.gov before applying. PlainGrants is not affiliated with any federal agency.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Data sourced from the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainGrants

Publisher	PlainGrants
Sources	the SAM.gov Assistance Listings and Grants.gov