U.S. Embassy Yerevan’s Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) Grant for Community-Led Projects

• Applicants must be alumni of a U.S. government-funded or sponsored exchange program (https://alumni.state.gov/list-exchange-programs) or a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program (https://j1visa.state.gov/).
• Projects teams must include teams of at least two (2) alumni.
• Alumni who are U.S. citizens may not submit proposals, but they may be included on alumni teams: however, the team must have at least two non-U.S. citizen exchange program alumni leading the project.
• Alumni teams may be comprised of alumni from different exchange programs and different countries.
• Applications must be submitted by exchange alumni. Not-for-profit, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions are not eligible to apply in the name of the organization but can serve as partners for implementing project activities.

Program objectives:

AEIF provides alumni of U.S. government-sponsored and facilitated exchange programs with funding to expand on skills gained during their exchange experience to design and implement innovative solutions to global challenges facing their community. Since its inception in 2011, AEIF has funded nearly 500 alumni-led projects around the world through a competitive global competition.

U.S. Embassy Yerevan will accept public service projects proposed and managed by teams of at least two (2) alumni that support the following themes:

Ø Supporting Civil Society Capacity Building and Civic Activism

Ø Supporting Community Integration and Human Rights of Displaced Persons

Ø Supporting Gender Equity and Women’s Full Participation in Public Life

Ø Promoting Entrepreneurship, Economic Growth, and a STEM Future

Ø Supporting Social Inclusion of People with Disabilities and Other Marginalized Communities

Ø Improving Media Literacy to Counter Disinformation

Ø Conflict Resolution, Peace Building and Reconciliation to Support Armenia-Azerbaijan Peace Building, OR Armenia-Turkiye Normalization

All AEIF projects must aim to bring alumni together 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.

Participants and Audiences:

Please be specific when mentioning the target audience(s) of your proposed project, including demographic information and the approximate number of beneficiaries to be directly and indirectly impacted by project activities.

A.    FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

Announcement posted: December 6, 2023

Closing date for applications: February 9, 2024

Funding type: Small-grant awards

Anticipated program start date: September 1, 2024

Award amounts: Between $5,000 to $35,000

Length of Performance Period: Up to 12 months

Number of awards anticipated: Up to two awards

Total available funding: $70,000

Type of Funding: Educational and Cultural Exchange Funds

NOTE: This notice is subject to funds availability.