Syria Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund FY 2026

The Department of State's Syria Regional Platform, in cooperation with the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, is soliciting proposals from U.S. government exchange program alumni to develop and implement projects that advance U.S. policy objectives and promote shared interests. Applicants must be organized into teams of at least two individuals with at least two members being non-U.S. citizens; U.S. citizen alumni may participate as team members but cannot serve as team leads. Eligible projects must celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States while addressing at least one of three core objectives: convening alumni to build networks, strengthening alumni-U.S. government relationships, or supporting alumni leadership development. The program prioritizes projects focused on U.S. global technology leadership, economic opportunities and market access, or presidential peace initiatives. Evaluation criteria include relevance to the Freedom 250 theme and U.S. policy goals, clarity of purpose and implementation plan, degree of alumni involvement, local partner support, monitoring and evaluation plans, communication strategies, and budget reasonableness. Applications must be submitted by May 20, 2026 at 17:00 local Syria time to srppds@state.gov.

Award amounts range from $5,000 to $35,000 with two anticipated awards, and projects must have a 12-month performance period beginning October 1, 2026. All projects must be implemented outside the United States and its territories and must primarily benefit foreign national communities aligned with U.S. policy objectives. Applicants must provide detailed budget documentation using the provided budget form, which caps project management fees at 15 percent of the total budget, restricts speaker and trainer fees to $250 per day with a maximum of 30 percent of total allocation, and limits travel costs to 15 percent of the requested budget.