Deadline: February 28, 2019.

Do you have a great public service project in mind, but need funding to get it off the ground?
Are you ready to use the skills and knowledge you gained during your exchange experience?

If you answered yes, then you and your team of alumni could apply for – and win! – up to $25,000 through the 2019 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund competition. Since 2011, AEIF has supported more than 400 alumni-led initiatives around the world and reached millions of people both directly and indirectly through trainings, awareness campaigns, and leadership and empowerment programs.

 

THEMES

1. Empowering Women and Girls: Projects enhance or support empowerment that creates enabling environments so that women and girls are able to freely and fairly participate in civil society, the economy, government, education, and sports.

2. Fostering Economic Prosperity: Projects promote or develop best practices to nurture more gender-diverse business ownership, as well as innovative ventures that more broadly benefit society. Activities may include skills training, building awareness of job resources, or promoting job creation through information on entrepreneurship or business development. Proposals to create for-profit businesses or directly employ workers are not eligible for AEIF funding.

3. Building Civic Participation, Good Governance, and Resilient Communities: Projects support and promote active citizen participation, observation of the governmental/political process, promotion of good governance best practices, media literacy, volunteerism in community service projects; or help communities build resilience to natural disasters, violent conflict or extremism. Projects that support or oppose partisan political activity are not eligible for AEIF funding.

4. Advancing Science, Technology, Health, and Innovation: Projects promote awareness of and nurture a healthy innovation economy and improves STEM education. Proposals to provide direct social services (i.e. medicine) to a population are not eligible for AEIF funding. Proposals for research projects are not eligible for AEIF funding.

5. Promoting Inclusion and Educational Opportunity: Projects promote opportunity for education, particularly for under-represented or marginalized groups. Projects may also include mentorship programs in science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM), or English language.

 

ELIGIBILITY

1. The International Exchange Alumni website is available to all former and current participants of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. Program offices (e.g. Fulbright, SUSI, UGRAD, etc.) will register participants for the Exchange Alumni site. If you recently participated in a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program, please check your email for an invitation to join the Exchange Alumni site.
2. Didn’t receive an email? Check if your program is on the list of eligible exchange programs. Then email us at exchangealumni@state.gov with the following information:

• Your first and last name (the same name(s) you used while you were on your program).
• Program name (from the list of eligible exchange programs).
• Program dates (start and end).
• The country where you are from.
• The country where your exchange took place.
• Your email address (preferably a long-lasting email address).
• Your certificate of completion, if available (please attach it).

 

APPLICATION

Resources

Budget Template (XLSX)

Guide to Completing AEIF Proposal Form (PDF)

Sample Proposal (PDF)

Guide to AEIF Budget Form and Budget Justification(PDF)

Sample Budget (XLSX)

Proposal Do’s/Don’ts(PNG)

Budget Do’s/Don’ts(PNG)

 

OFFICIAL LINK

 

Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund