On November 1, 2013, the U.S. Embassy the Embassy announced the project “Architectural Rehabilitation of the Church of the Virgin at Gelati Monastery,” funded by the Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preservation (AFCP) Program. The $600,000 preservation project will be implemented by the Georgian International Arts Center, a leading NGO in the field of Culture established in 1995, in partnership with the Faculty of Restoration at the Tbilisi State Academy of Arts. Ambassador Norland made the announcement. Georgian government, religious and cultural leaders, including the Minister of Culture and Monument Protection Guram Odisharia was in attendance. Since 2001, the U.S. Embassy has given almost a million dollars to preserve, protect and promote Georgian culture.