U.S. Embassy Senegal (also covering Guinea-Bissau) is pleased to invite alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to apply for the 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF), which is centrally managed by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. This annual competition supports innovative projects led by alumni that advance U.S. policy objectives and strengthen the relationship between the United States and its exchange alumni community.
For 2026, AEIF will fund projects that celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and align with key policy goals, such as making the United States safer, stronger, and more prosperous, or defending freedom of speech. Proposals may request funding between $5,000 and $35,000, pending availability of funds.
We encourage alumni teams to collaborate and submit creative project ideas that demonstrate the impact of exchange experiences, contribute to positive change in your communities, and strengthen ties with the United States.
This funding opportunity is only open to alumni of USG exchange programs and 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 increasing regional and global collaboration of alumni. Every project proposal should 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 using U.S. experts, U.S. technology, or U.S. best practices to maximize impact.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.
Most applications submitted through Grants.gov need the following. Registration can take several weeks, so start early. The notice lists the exact requirements.