AEIF 2026 - Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund Grant

Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF)

Agency: U.S. Mission to Belarus

Assistance Listings: 19.022 -- Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs Appropriation Overseas Grants

Last Updated: April 8, 2026 View version history on Grants.gov

Description

The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2026 transitions U.S. government exchange participants from passive alumni to active partners in diplomacy. While exchange programs provide foundational skills and exposure to American values, the long-term impact of these investments depends on structured opportunities for alumni to apply their expertise to real-world challenges.

This NOFO bridges that gap by funding alumni-led initiatives that advance U.S. foreign policy and celebrate the Freedom 250 milestone. By empowering alumni to lead, the program ensures that key U.S. interests, including regional security, economic prosperity, the defense of free speech, and digital resilience are championed by credible local voices.

... To maximize sustainability, this cycle prioritizes projects that:

· Break Professional Silos: Encourage collaboration across different exchange cohorts to build broader, more resilient networks.

· Leverage Freedom 250: Use the 250th anniversary of the United States as a strategic platform to promote shared democratic values.

· Drive Collaborative Action: Mobilize alumni to work alongside the U.S. Mission to Belarus to solve community problems.

Ultimately, AEIF 2026 reinforces the value of the original exchange investment by creating a self-sustaining network of leaders committed to American principles on the global stage.

Project Audience(s): The primary beneficiaries of this program are U.S. government-sponsored exchange alumni. Specific audience characteristics include:

· Foreign National Alumni: Non-U.S. citizen exchange participants who serve as project leads, leveraging their U.S.-acquired expertise to implement community-driven solutions.

· Target Communities (In-Country and in Exile): Belarusian citizens, both those remaining in the country and those in the diaspora, who will benefit from alumni-led initiatives focused on digital security, economic opportunity, and the protection of civil liberties.

Project Goal: To mobilize a sustainable network of U.S. exchange alumni as strategic partners in advancing U.S. foreign policy, celebrating Freedom 250 through collaborative action that promotes regional security and economic prosperity.

Project Objectives:

· Objective 1 (Cross-Cohort Collaboration): Foster a multidisciplinary network by integrating at least two distinct exchange cohorts per project, achieving a 20% increase in regional alumni collaboration (e.g., joint workshops or shared platforms) within 12 months.

· Objective 2 (Mission Alignment): Strengthen strategic ties between the U.S. Mission and the alumni network by ensuring all funded projects directly address key policy priorities, such as freedom of expression or digital resilience.

· Objective 3 (Freedom 250 Impact): Utilize the 250th anniversary of the United States as a primary platform for alumni-led initiatives that highlight shared democratic values and American innovation.

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Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

• Other
• Individuals

Additional information

The following organizations or applicants are eligible to apply:

• Applicants must be alumni of a U.S. government-funded or sponsored exchange program or a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program (https://j1visa.state.gov/).
• Projects teams must include teams of at least two (2) alumni.
• Alumni who are U.S. citizens may not submit proposals, but U.S. citizen alumni may participate as team members in a project with at least two (2) non-U.S. citizen alumni.
• Alumni teams may be comprised of alumni from different exchange programs and different countries.
• Applications must be submitted by exchange alumni or alumni associations of USG exchange alumni. No other organizations are eligible to apply. Exchange alumni can partner with not-for-profit or non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions to implement project activities. The grant can be issued to the individual alumni or the partner organization.

For-profit entities, even those that may fall into the categories listed above, are not eligible to apply for this NOFO. Organizations may sub-contract with other entities, but only one, non-profit, non-governmental entity can be the prime recipient of the award. When sub-contracting with other entities, the responsibilities of each entity must be clearly defined in the proposal. For more information on the difference between sub-contract and sub-recipient, please refer to 2 CFR 200.331.

Grantor contact information

Description

Ieva Miklasevskaja
Grantor
Phone 0037069032382

Email

Shared inbox

BelarusProgram@state.gov

Documents

No documents are currently available.

Link to additional information

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Closing: May 4, 2026

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates. View on Grants.gov

Award

$--

Program Funding

2

Expected awards

$5,000

Award Minimum

$35,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

AEIF FY26

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

No Funding instrument type:

Cooperative agreement

Grant

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

-- Category of Funding Activity:

Other

Category Explanation:

Alumni grants

History

Version:

1

Posted date:

April 8, 2026

Archive date:

May 6, 2026