Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026)

The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund is administered by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Juba, South Sudan, under the Public Diplomacy Section. This program is part of the Department’s broader Educational and Cultural Exchanges funding stream and reflects a long-standing commitment to leveraging alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to address global and local challenges. Since its establishment in 2011, the initiative has funded over a thousand projects worldwide, demonstrating a sustained investment in alumni-led innovation and international collaboration. The primary purpose of this funding opportunity is to support teams of exchange alumni in designing and implementing innovative, community-based solutions that align with U.S. foreign policy priorities. Projects must promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States and contribute to key policy goals identified for South Sudan, including peacebuilding, freedom of speech, and economic development through entrepreneurship. The program emphasizes strengthening alumni networks, fostering collaboration across borders, and enhancing leadership capacity among participants. Funding is provided for projects with a performance period of up to twelve months, with anticipated awards ranging from 5000 to 35000 dollars and a total program funding pool of approximately 70000 dollars. Allowable activities include programmatic initiatives that build skills, promote dialogue, and support community engagement. However, restrictions apply to activities such as construction, direct social services, partisan political efforts, religious programming, and commercial ventures. Cost sharing is encouraged but not required, allowing applicants flexibility in structuring their budgets. Eligibility is limited to alumni of U.S. government-funded or sponsored exchange programs, with applications required to be submitted by teams of at least two alumni. While organizations such as nonprofits or educational institutions may participate as partners, they cannot apply independently as the primary applicant. U.S. citizen alumni are not eligible to apply but may participate as team members. Applicants must also comply with federal requirements such as obtaining a Unique Entity Identifier and maintaining registration in SAM.gov if applying as an organization. The application process requires submission of a comprehensive proposal package including standard federal forms, a detailed project narrative, budget and justification, monitoring and evaluation plan, and supporting documentation such as resumes and letters of support. Proposals must clearly articulate the problem being addressed, project design, expected outcomes, and sustainability plans. Applications are submitted via email to the designated embassy contact and must be received by the stated deadline. Applications are evaluated based on criteria including program quality and feasibility, organizational capacity, project planning, budget justification, monitoring and evaluation, and sustainability. The review process includes technical eligibility screening followed by panel evaluation, with applicants typically notified within 120 days after the deadline. Successful applicants enter into a grant or cooperative agreement with defined reporting requirements and compliance obligations. The timeline for this funding opportunity includes a firm application deadline of May 7, 2026, with an anticipated project start date of September 15, 2026. Projects must be completed within a twelve-month period. While continuation funding may be considered based on performance and availability of funds, this opportunity is issued as a single-cycle competition with no explicit indication of annual recurrence.

Align proposal clearly with U.S. foreign policy priorities and South Sudan focus areas; provide detailed and measurable objectives; ensure strong monitoring and evaluation framework; demonstrate organizational capacity and realistic budgeting