The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2026 transitions U.S. government exchange participants from passive alumni to active partners in diplomacy. While exchange programs provide foundational skills and exposure to American values, the long-term impact of these investments depends on structured opportunities for alumni to apply their expertise to real-world challenges.

This NOFO bridges that gap by funding alumni-led initiatives that advance U.S. foreign policy and celebrate the Freedom 250 milestone. By empowering alumni to lead, the program ensures that key U.S. interests, including regional security, economic prosperity, the defense of free speech, and digital resilience are championed by credible local voices.

To maximize sustainability, this cycle prioritizes projects that:

·        Break Professional Silos: Encourage collaboration across different exchange cohorts to build broader, more resilient networks.

·        Leverage Freedom 250: Use the 250th anniversary of the United States as a strategic platform to promote shared democratic values.

·        Drive Collaborative Action: Mobilize alumni to work alongside the U.S. Mission to Belarus to solve community problems.

Ultimately, AEIF 2026 reinforces the value of the original exchange investment by creating a self-sustaining network of leaders committed to American principles on the global stage.

Project Audience(s): The primary beneficiaries of this program are U.S. government-sponsored exchange alumni. Specific audience characteristics include:

·        Foreign National Alumni: Non-U.S. citizen exchange participants who serve as project leads, leveraging their U.S.-acquired expertise to implement community-driven solutions.

·        Target Communities (In-Country and in Exile): Belarusian citizens, both those remaining in the country and those in the diaspora, who will benefit from alumni-led initiatives focused on digital security, economic opportunity, and the protection of civil liberties.

Project Goal:   To mobilize a sustainable network of U.S. exchange alumni as strategic partners in advancing U.S. foreign policy, celebrating Freedom 250 through collaborative action that promotes regional security and economic prosperity.

Project Objectives:

·        Objective 1 (Cross-Cohort Collaboration): Foster a multidisciplinary network by integrating at least two distinct exchange cohorts per project, achieving a 20% increase in regional alumni collaboration (e.g., joint workshops or shared platforms) within 12 months.

·        Objective 2 (Mission Alignment): Strengthen strategic ties between the U.S. Mission and the alumni network by ensuring all funded projects directly address key policy priorities, such as freedom of expression or digital resilience.

·        Objective 3 (Freedom 250 Impact): Utilize the 250th anniversary of the United States as a primary platform for alumni-led initiatives that highlight shared democratic values and American innovation.