Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2026

The U.S. Department of State, through the U.S. Embassy Windhoek, is soliciting proposals from teams of at least two alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to develop and implement innovative projects that celebrate and promote the 250th anniversary of American independence through the Freedom 250 campaign. Eligible applicants must be alumni of qualifying exchange programs, with U.S. citizen alumni permitted as team members but not as independent proposal submitters, and all applicant organizations must maintain active registration in SAM.gov with a valid Unique Entity Identifier. Projects must address at least one of three core objectives: convening alumni networks, strengthening alumni-government relationships, or supporting alumni leadership development. Proposals will be evaluated on six criteria: quality and feasibility (25 points), organizational capacity (15 points), project planning ability (25 points), budget (20 points), monitoring and evaluation (10 points), and sustainability (5 points), with applications requiring federal forms (SF-424, SF-424A, SF-424B), a maximum 10-page proposal, detailed budgets with justification, and a Monitoring and Evaluation Performance Monitoring Plan including a Theory of Change diagram. The application deadline is May 20, 2026, at 17:00 GMT+2, with submissions accepted via email to WindhoekPublicDiplomacy@state.gov or through Grants.gov.

The program will award up to two grants ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 per award, with a total of $70,000 in available funding. All projects must be completed within 6 to 12 months, with an anticipated project start date of August 2026. Recipients must comply with Department of State Standard Terms and Conditions, federal regulations (2 CFR 200), trafficking in persons compliance requirements, and branding guidelines incorporating Freedom 250 logos in all program materials, with quarterly financial and program reports required throughout the project period and final reports due 120 days after project completion. Project activities must take place outside U.S. territories and primarily benefit foreign national communities in Namibia aligned with U.S. policy objectives.