Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2026

Description

The U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Embassy Conakry, Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) announces an open competition to implement a program to celebrate and promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (Freedom 250) and align with administration policy goals to make the U.S. safer, stronger and more prosperous, or defend freedom of speech. The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) is an annual funding opportunity designed to invest in U.S. government-funded exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that promote shared interests and policy objectives and benefit local communities. We invite you to submit proposals for projects that meet the requirements of the program (discussed in Section C below). Please read this notice carefully before preparing and submitting a funding proposal. Please also note the following: This solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by the U.S. government. A final award cannot be made until the proposal has been reviewed and approved, and an award agreement is drawn up and signed by a grants officer. The U.S. Mission reserves the right not to issue an award after receipt of any proposal. The U.S. Mission also reserves the right to reduce, revise, and/or increase a proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the program and availability of funds. Please follow all instructions below. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Project Background, Goals, and Objectives The 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund is designed to increase the impact of the U.S. government’s investment in exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that support U.S. policy objectives and promote shared interests. All AEIF projects must celebrate and promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (Freedom 250) and align with administration policy goals to make the U.S. safer, stronger and more prosperous, or defend freedom of speech. Project Audience(s): Guinean alumni of U.S. government-funded exchange programs Project Goal: AEIF is designed to increase the impact of the U.S. government’s investment in exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that support U.S. policy objectives, promote shared interests; therefore, benefitting both the United States and local communities. Additionally, all AEIF projects must include at least one of the following: Convene alumni from different exchange programs to build or expand an alumni network capable of working together on common interests and increase regional and global collaboration of alumni. Every project proposal must include at least two exchange alumni or involvement of an alumni association. Strengthen the relationship between alumni and the U.S. government to work together on activities that address shared goals and challenges. Support alumni as they develop their leadership capacity and implement projects in their communities for maximum impact. Project Objectives: In addition, a successful proposal may address the following U.S. government priority: Objective 1: Partnering with U.S. Embassy Conakry’s alumni team to create programs and activities that commemorate Freedom 250 elements and offer networking or personal and professional development opportunities for Guinean alumni of U.S. government programs. D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. Content of Application Please ensure: The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity All documents are in English All budgets are in U.S. dollars All applicant authorized signatures are provided where indicated on the various, required forms. The following documents are required: Mandatory application forms SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals) at grants.gov SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) at grants.gov SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) at grants.gov (note: the SF-424B is only required for individuals, organizations exempt from registration, and for organizations not required to fully register in SAM.gov) Proposal (10 pages maximum) Applicants must submit a complete narrative proposal using the attached Microsoft Word proposal form, AEIF 2026 Proposal Form. Do not save as a PDF. Rename the document to AEIF26_Guinea_Project Title.docx, for example, AEIF26_Guinea_STEM Curricula.docx. A partially completed form may result in your application being rejected on technical grounds. The proposal should contain sufficient information so that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. The proposal must include all the items below: Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed project, including project objectives and anticipated impact. Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the State Department and/or U.S. government agencies as well as experience with and expertise in areas related to those described in the NOFO. Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed. Program Methods, Design, Activities, and Deliverables: The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable. Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives. Proposed Project Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events. Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program? Project Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees (if applicable). Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable. Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: Proposals must include a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) that explains how the applicant plans to track project performance and measure progress toward the project’s goals and objectives. The PMP should include “If-Then” statements to illustrate how the project activities will lead to the intended results, along with a short datasheet outlining proposed project activities and the indicators that will be used to measure success. Budget Justification Narrative Detailed Budget - Applicants must submit a detailed line-item budget, using the attached Microsoft Excel budget form, AEIF 2026 Budget Form.xlsx. Do not save as a PDF. Rename the document to AEIF26_Guinea_Project Title.xlsx, for example, AEIF26_Guinea_STEM Curricula.xlsx. Read the “Budget Guidelines” tab first. Line-item expenditures should be listed in the greatest possible detail. The budget must identify the total amount of funding requested, with a breakdown of amounts to be spent in the following budget categories: personnel; fringe benefits; travel; equipment; supplies; consultants/contracts; other direct costs; and indirect costs. See Annex Section I for a description of the types of costs that should be included in each category. Personnel salaries should include the level of effort and the rate of pay, which should cover the percentage of time each staff member will dedicate to grant-based activities. If an organization is charging an indirect cost rate without a NICRA, it must apply it to the modified total budget costs (MTDC), refer to 2CFR§200.1. Budgets shall be submitted in U.S. dollars and final grant agreements will be conducted in U.S. dollars. Budget Justification Narrative – Applicants must submit a budget justification narrative to accompany the detailed line-item budget. The purpose of the budget justification narrative is to supplement the information provided in the detailed budget spreadsheet by justifying how the budget cost elements are necessary to implement project objectives and accomplish the project goals. The budget justification narrative is a tool to help Embassy staff fully understand the budgetary needs of the applicant and is an opportunity to provide descriptive information about the requested costs beyond the constraints of the budget template. Together, the detailed budget spreadsheet, the budget justification narrative, and the SF-424A should provide a complete financial and qualitative description that supports the proposed project plan and should be directly relatable to the specific project components described in the applicant’s proposal. Additional Budget Notes: Awards to Individuals: Please note the following budget guidelines for the Individual Award: Salary/Honoraria: Only the award recipient may receive salary/honoraria from this funding mechanism. The Recipient must be the primary point of contact and manage all programmatic activities. Contractual Costs: Additional individuals working on the award are only permissible through contracted services, as long as the services are not related to the core programmatic activities. Expenses for services such as accounting, legal support, social media management, website designer, etc., are allowable. Other Direct Costs: Expenses related to securing venues, managing logistics, catering, etc. are allowable. Au

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