County Information

The grant application period for the 2026 Georgia County Internship Program is now open. Applications for the 2026 GCIP are available through the GCIP portal at https://gcip.civicaffairs.org. You must log into the portal to access the application. The deadline to apply is October 20, 2025. For more information about the 2026 GCIP grant, click here.

Webinars were held in August to help prospective counties understand the 2026 GCIP requirements and application process. The materials from these webinars are available below.

Grant process

The number of grants awarded will be based on available funding. The typical grant cycle allows for county applications to be submitted in the fall with the winners being selected and announced by the first week of January. All internships must be completed from May 1st through September 1st. Applications can be submitted online, however each county clerk also receives a grant packet for distribution annually that can be submitted by email or by mail.

Grant selection factors include but are not limited to:

  1. The competitiveness of a county’s proposed intern project compared to other internship applications seeking funding
  2. The uniqueness of a project
  3. The overall impact and benefit to the county of the project(s) proposed
  4. Partial or matching funds provided
  5. Collaboration with other counties, regional commissions, colleges/universities, and/or non-profits
  6. Whether counties that have previously participated in the GCIP properly adhered to grant requirements, guidelines, deadlines, and information requests made by the Foundation.
  7. Counties that have submitted competitive projects that have not previously participated in the program.

For more information on county grant applications, contact  Michele NeSmith at mnesmith@accg.org