Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2026
Grant Opportunity Analysis
The U.S. Mission to Senegal, which also covers Guinea-Bissau, is seeking proposals from alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs for the 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund, a grant competition supporting alumni-led projects that advance U.S. policy objectives and strengthen ties with the exchange alumni community. Projects should convene alumni networks, deepen alumni engagement with the U.S. government around shared goals, or build alumni leadership and community impact using U.S. experts, technology, or best practices. Eligible applicants are limited to alumni teams or organizations with at least two exchange alumni or an alumni association involved, and the competition places clear budget limits and exclusions on items such as speaker and trainer fees, project management, travel, staff salaries, large equipment, alcohol, and activities in the United States. Applications are due April 19, 2026, with requests between $5,000 and $35,000, and inquiries may be directed to pasmallgrant@state.gov.
Eligible Applicants
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.