Mission Nigeria's Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund

The U.S. Department of State's Public Diplomacy Section at the U.S. Mission in Nigeria is soliciting proposals for the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF), which supports alumni-led projects that apply skills from U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to address global challenges. Applicants must be non-U.S. citizen alumni of government-funded exchange programs leading teams with at least two additional alumni from different programs. All projects must celebrate America's 250th anniversary (Freedom 250) while aligning with either the "American Innovation, Global Leadership, and Economic Partnership" theme or the "Alumni Summit celebrating America's 250th Anniversary" theme. Evaluation will assess ten criteria totaling 50 points: relevance to foreign policy and program quality (10 points), alumni team capacity (5 points), program planning and objectives (10 points), budget justification (5 points), monitoring and evaluation plan (5 points), communication and outreach plan (5 points), local partner participation (5 points), and sustainability (5 points). The application deadline is May 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. West Africa Time, with projects scheduled to begin in September 2026.

The program anticipates awarding three grants totaling approximately $105,000, with individual awards ranging from $5,000 to $35,000 for single-country events and up to $100,000 for bilateral or multi-country events. Projects must be completed within 12 months or less with a performance period of 6 to 12 months. All project activities must take place outside the United States, preferably in Nigeria, and must include eligible expenses such as in-country transportation (maximum 15 percent of budget), venue rental, working meals, speaker fees (maximum 30 percent of budget), and virtual programming costs.