₾68 million GEL for Patriarchate in 2025: Georgian Gov’t increases church funding

The Georgian government, led by the ruling Georgian Dream party, has allocated an additional 43 million GEL to the Patriarchate of the Georgian Orthodox Church, bringing its total funding for 2025 to 68 million GEL. Initially, the state budget designated 25 million GEL for the church, but a March 14 government decree granted further financial support.

According to the Ministry of Education, the additional funds will be directed to 53 educational institutions established by the Patriarchate. The ministry clarified that this allocation falls under the state’s education funding program, which annually transfers financial support to these institutions. Officials insist that no extra funds beyond the annual budget allocation have been provided.

However, the official state budget published by the Ministry of Finance only lists 25 million GEL explicitly for the Patriarchate. The additional 43 million GEL has been redirected from a broader ₾1.48 billion education fund, which covers general school financing. The government decree instructs the ministry to allocate this sum specifically to the Patriarchate’s institutions.

Last year, the total funding for the Patriarchate reached 60 million GEL. The 2025 budget marks an 8 million GEL increase in church financing.