Notice of Funding Opportunity for Alumni of U.S. Government Programs | 01 2022

Opportunity Information: Apply for 01 2022

The U.S. Embassy in Riga, Latvia is inviting proposals for the 2022 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2022), a small-grants program run by the U.S. Department of State for alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. The purpose of AEIF is to help exchange alumni use the skills, networks, and experience they gained through their U.S.-related programs to design and deliver practical, community-based projects that address real-world challenges. Since launching in 2011, AEIF has supported hundreds of alumni-led projects globally, and this Riga competition is specifically focused on needs inside Latvia connected to the Ukrainian refugee situation.

For this round, U.S. Embassy Riga will only consider projects that are proposed and managed by teams of at least two exchange program alumni and that directly support Ukrainian refugee communities in Latvia. The notice highlights several acceptable focus areas, including initiatives that promote community integration and inclusion, tolerance-building, skills development for women and youth, workforce integration and employment readiness, and English-language learning and acquisition. A key limitation is that AEIF money cannot be used to provide direct social services, meaning proposals should focus on empowerment, training, integration, and capacity-building rather than direct aid or routine service delivery.

Funding is offered as small grant awards, with individual awards expected to fall between USD 10,000 and USD 25,000, and an award ceiling of USD 25,000. The opportunity was posted on March 25, 2022, and applications are due by April 27, 2022, submitted by email to us.embassy.riga@state.gov. Funding decisions are expected no later than June 30, 2022. The project performance window is June through December 2022, and proposals should be designed so activities can realistically be completed within that timeframe.

Eligibility is tightly defined. Applicants must be alumni of a qualifying U.S. government-funded exchange program (as listed on alumni.state.gov) or a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program (including J-1 related programs listed at j1visa.state.gov). Each project must have at least two alumni as team members. U.S. citizen alumni are not allowed to submit proposals as the applicant, but they may participate on the project team. Teams can include alumni from different exchange programs and even different countries, as long as the application itself is submitted by eligible exchange alumni. Organizations such as NGOs, think tanks, and academic institutions cannot apply in the organization’s name as the primary applicant; however, they can be implementing partners. If an application is submitted through an organization partner, the alumni must be part of that organization and must be the ones carrying out the project.

There is no cost-sharing requirement, so applicants do not have to provide matching funds. Projects must take place in Latvia and must clearly align with the stated theme of supporting Ukrainian refugee communities in Latvia; proposals that do not fit this theme are considered ineligible. The notice also includes compliance-related requirements and restrictions common to U.S. government grants. If the grant is processed with an individual, that person does not need a DUNS number or SAM.gov registration. If the grant is processed through an organization partner, the organization must have a unique entity identifier (DUNS, as referenced in the notice) and an active SAM.gov registration. Partner organizations are also expected to follow equal opportunity and non-discrimination practices for both employment and beneficiary access, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation. Each applicant may submit only one proposal.

The program includes several content restrictions that applicants need to plan around. Funds cannot be used for partisan political activity, lobbying for specific legislation, or to support or oppose political parties or candidates, although some non-partisan civic activities are described as potentially allowable. Projects also cannot pursue religious goals or support specific religious activities. The notice further prohibits using grant funds to create media content or to pay journalist salaries. Proposals should target primarily Latvian audiences, even though the thematic focus is support to Ukrainian refugee communities within Latvia. The Embassy flags sensitive areas such as tolerance and human rights topics (including race, ethnicity, gender, religion, or sexual orientation), volunteerism, and trafficking in persons, and notes that grantees may receive guidance on how to support human rights and non-discrimination without advocating for a particular lifestyle or the agenda of a specific organization.

Applications must use the official AEIF 2022 application and budget templates provided via a Box link in the notice, and submissions must be prepared in English. Budgets must be presented in U.S. dollars using the designated budget form, and pages should be numbered. Required federal forms include SF-424 (or SF-424-I for individuals), SF-424A, and SF-424B, with applicants instructed to use the correct folder of forms depending on whether they apply as an individual or via an NGO/organization partner. The narrative portion of the application is expected to cover the project team structure (including roles, qualifications, and estimated time commitment), a concise proposal summary, clear goals and measurable objectives, a detailed methods/design section and timeline (with dates, locations, and potentially draft agendas/materials), identification of local partners, a communication and outreach plan that incorporates AEIF 2022, ExchangeAlumni, and U.S. Embassy branding, and a monitoring and evaluation plan describing outcomes and how impact will be measured. A detailed budget justification is required, with line items explained at a granular level.

Finally, the notice lays out a long list of costs and activities that are not allowed and can make an application ineligible. Prohibited items include travel to or activities in the United States, staff salaries and overhead such as office space and operating expenses, large durable equipment purchases or construction, alcohol and excessive catering/entertainment, academic or scientific research, charitable or development aid, direct social services, individual scholarships, social travel/visits, gifts or prizes, duplicating existing programs, institutional development for an organization, venture capital or for-profit efforts (including charging participants a fee), fundraising campaigns, and any religious or partisan political activities. Applicants who stay within these boundaries and propose practical, Latvia-based integration or skills-building projects for Ukrainian refugee communities are the intended fit for this funding opportunity.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Latvia in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Funding Opportunity for Alumni of U.S. Government Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.022.
• This funding opportunity was created on Mar 25, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Apr 27, 2022. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
• Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $25,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 5 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 01 2022

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