The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy Sofia announces an open competition for past participants (“alumni”) of U.S. government-funded and U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs to submit applications to the 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026).  We seek proposals from teams of at least two alumni that meet all program eligibility requirements below. Exchange alumni interested in participating in AEIF 2026 should submit proposals to SofiaGrants@state.gov by May 1, 2026. Note: all submitted/emailed proposals must include "AEIF" in the subject line.

The program aims to increase the long-term impact of exchange programs by strengthening alumni networks, supporting collaboration at the regional and global levels, and building strong relationships between alumni and the U.S. government.

Embassy Sofia seeks alumni-led projects that advance administration goals, including boosting bilateral commercial ties, promoting free speech, highlighting American excellence/best practices, and delivering practical, locally grounded solutions that strengthen U.S.–Bulgarian cooperation in strategically important sectors.

Competitive 2026 proposals will:

• Demonstrate how they will strengthen the relationship between alumni and the U.S. government to work together on activities that address shared goals/challenges through sustained partnerships, practices, outcomes, and measurable impact; and 

• Celebrate/promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States (Freedom250) through programs that:
• Showcase American excellence, best practices, and innovation in business, entrepreneurship, workforce development, leadership, artificial intelligence and other frontier technologies, energy, space exploration, medical research, sports, music, film, and other cultural exports, with an emphasis on applied solutions that can be locally adopted.
• Reinforce core American values, including freedom of speech and digital freedom
• Promote American prosperity through forging sustainable economic, educational, and commercial partnerships, demonstrating the benefits of studying in the United States, adopting U.S. technologies and standards, building partnerships with U.S. firms, and supporting workforce readiness and entrepreneurship in strategic sectors.
• Strengthen U.S.-Bulgaria energy cooperation, including improving energy security, strategic infrastructure, civil nuclear workforce development, and emerging technologies, consistent with U.S. norms and best practices. 
• Share the American story/experience by spotlighting key historical milestones linked to America’s global leadership, highlighting American contributions to Bulgaria and Bulgarian-American contributions to the United States, and connecting Freedom250 commemorations to forward-looking cooperation, innovation, and shared prosperity.

This notice is subject to availability of funding. The Public Diplomacy Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under circumstances deemed to be in the best interest of the U.S. government, pending the availability of funds and approval of the designated grants officer.

Please carefully review and follow all instructions in the Notice of Funding Opportunity.