Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2025

Background
The Department of State, U.S. Embassy, Mission South Africa, Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) is pleased to announce the roll-out of the 2025 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF). This annual funding opportunity is 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 while benefiting local communities.

Grant Details
Proposals must address policy goals between the United States and South Africa and include at least one of the following objectives:
1) Bring alumni together from different exchange programs to build or expand an alumni network;
2) Strengthen the relationship between alumni and the U.S. government;
3) Support alumni in developing leadership capacity and implementing community projects.

Successful proposals should also align with U.S. government priorities such as providing vocational training, promoting civic education, advancing social inclusion, or championing climate adaptability. The project must involve at least two alumni from U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs, with one designated as team lead. The funding range for proposals is between $5,000 to $35,000, with a maximum of three awards anticipated.

Eligibility Requirements
Eligible applicants include:
1) Alumni who participated in a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program involving at least two alumni;
2) Alumni associations from countries with current U.S. representation;
3) Teams including U.S. citizen alumni must have at least two non-U.S. citizen exchange program alumni, with non-U.S. citizens as team leads. All organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued via SAM.gov.

Period of Performance
The performance period for projects is set for 12 months from the anticipated project start date within 45 days of notification of funding approval.

Grant Value
The total available funding is to be determined, with individual grant awards ranging from $5,000 to $35,000.

Place of Performance
The priority region for this grant opportunity is South Africa.