AEIF: Celebrating Freedom 250 and Advancing USA-ROC

The U.S. Department of State's Embassy Brazzaville is soliciting proposals to implement public diplomacy and community engagement programs that advance U.S. foreign policy priorities in the Republic of the Congo. Eligible applicants include Congolese and U.S.-based non-profit organizations, educational institutions, and qualified entities with demonstrated experience in public diplomacy, education, entrepreneurship, or anti-trafficking initiatives. Projects must address key strategic objectives including celebrating the Freedom 250 milestone, promoting American innovation and technology, fostering U.S.-ROC commercial partnerships, and engaging target audiences such as youth, entrepreneurs, educators, civil society leaders, and exchange program alumni. Applicants must submit a comprehensive proposal form requiring project summaries, SMART-formatted objectives, detailed implementation timelines, monitoring and evaluation plans, and itemized budgets using the provided template. The application deadline is May 22, 2026, with all proposals due to the Embassy Brazzaville by the specified submission date.

Award amounts under this funding opportunity typically range from $5,000 to $35,000, with larger regional initiatives potentially reaching up to $100,000, and performance periods generally spanning 6 to 18 months. The budget template restricts contractual costs, speaker fees (capped at $250 daily, maximum 30% of total budget), project management fees (maximum 15%), and travel expenses (maximum 15% of budget), while explicitly prohibiting staff salaries, office space, alcoholic beverages, and for-profit venture support. All project activities and primary beneficiary engagement must occur in the Republic of the Congo, with local partnership development required as a key implementation component.