Are you a U.S. exchange alumni with a great idea?
If you are a U.S. government-sponsored international exchange program alumni*, you can team up with other #ExchangeAlumni (team leaders must be non-U.S. citizen alumni) to apply for an Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) grant!
AEIF supports teams of alumni with grants from USD $5,000 up to USD $25,000 for public service projects that promote shared values and innovative solutions to global challenges.
2020 Theme:
Women, Peace, and Security.
AEIF will prioritize funding projects that:
- Strengthen the role of women in peace, security, and governance;
- Promote protection of women and girls from violence, abuse, and exploitation;
- Support women’s political, economic, and civic participation; or,
- Engage women as partners in preventing terrorism and countering radicalization and recruitment;
Deadline:
February 25, 2020 at 10:00 p.m. Uruguay local time
Eligibility Requirements:
- Applicants must be alumni of U.S. government-funded or sponsored exchange programs, and form teams of at least two (2) alumni. This includes J-1 Exchange Visitor Program alumni as well as USG-funded exchange alumni.
- Alumni who are U.S. citizens may not submit proposals, but U.S. citizen alumni may participate as team members in a project.
- Alumni teams may be comprised of alumni from different exchange programs and different countries.
- Proposals must address women in peace, security, and governance. Proposals that do not address the theme as outlined in the program objectives will be deemed ineligible.
- All project activities must take place outside of the United States and its territories.
Allowable Activities and Costs:
AEIF 2020 can support the following costs and activities:
- Intra-regional or in-country transportation
- Rental of venues for project activities
- Trainer or speaker expenses
- Reasonable equipment and materials
- Meals or refreshments integral to the project goals (i.e. working lunch during a meeting)
- Communications and publicity materials, such as manuals or project advertisements
Ineligible Activities and Unallowable Costs:
AEIF 2020 does not support the following activities or costs, and the selection committee will deem applications involving any of these activities or costs ineligible:
- Airfare to or from the United States and its territories
- Activities that take place in the United States and its territories
- Sustained staff salaries, office space, and overhead/operational expenses
- Large items of durable equipment or construction programs
- Alcohol, excessive meals, refreshments, or entertainment
- Academic or scientific research
- Charitable or development activities or the provision of direct social services to a population
- Support or opposition of partisan political activity or lobbying for specific legislation or programs
- Programs that support specific religious activities
- Fund-raising campaigns
- Programs intended primarily for the growth or institutional development of the organization
- Venture capital, for-profit endeavors, or charging a fee for participation in the project
- Individual scholarships
- Personal development
- Social travel/visits
- Gifts or prizes
- Programs that duplicate existing programs
Timeline:
| Date | Phase |
|---|---|
| January 15 – February 25 | AEIF is open! Send us your proposal. mvdcultural@state.gov |
| February 26 – March 13 | Embassy Montevideo’s Public Affairs Section will evaluate the proposals and select programs that will be presented to the global AEIF. |
Deadline and Application Forms:
Download the application form and the budget form.
Send these two documents to mvdcultural@state.gov before February 25 at 10:00 p.m. Uruguay local time.
In the subject of your email you must follow this format AEIF2020 URUGUAY PROPOSAL NAME. Example: AEIF2020 URUGUAY EMPOWERING EMERGING WOMEN.
If you have any questions, contact Álvaro Fernández at fernandezam@state.gov. (Final proposals sent to this email account instead of mvdcultural@state.gov will be not taken into consideration for the selection process.)
