The U.S. Department of State’s U.S. Embassy Conakry, Public Diplomacy Section (PDS) announces an open competition to implement a program to celebrate and promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (Freedom 250) and align with administration policy goals to make the U.S. safer, stronger and more prosperous, or defend freedom of speech. The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) is an annual funding opportunity designed to invest in U.S. government-funded exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that promote shared interests and policy objectives and benefit local communities. We invite you to submit proposals for projects that meet the requirements of the program (discussed in Section C below). Please read this notice carefully before preparing and submitting a funding proposal.  

Please also note the following: This solicitation does not constitute an award commitment by the U.S. government. A final award cannot be made until the proposal has been reviewed and approved, and an award agreement is drawn up and signed by a grants officer. The U.S. Mission reserves the right not to issue an award after receipt of any proposal. The U.S. Mission also reserves the right to reduce, revise, and/or increase a proposal budget in accordance with the needs of the program and availability of funds. Please follow all instructions below.   

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION 

Project Background, Goals, and Objectives 

The 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund is designed to increase the impact of the U.S. government’s investment in exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that support U.S. policy objectives and promote shared interests. All AEIF projects must celebrate and promote the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America (Freedom 250) and align with administration policy goals to make the U.S. safer, stronger and more prosperous, or defend freedom of speech. 

Project Audience(s): Guinean alumni of U.S. government-funded exchange programs    

Project Goal: AEIF is designed to increase the impact of the U.S. government’s investment in exchange participants and programs by helping alumni develop and implement projects that support U.S. policy objectives, promote shared interests; therefore, benefitting both the United States and local communities. Additionally, all AEIF projects must include at least one of the following:   

Convene alumni from different exchange programs to build or expand an alumni network capable of working together on common interests and increase regional and global collaboration of alumni. Every project proposal must include at least two exchange alumni or involvement of an alumni association. 

Strengthen the relationship between alumni and the U.S. government to work together on activities that address shared goals and challenges. 

Support alumni as they develop their leadership capacity and implement projects in their communities for maximum impact. 

Project Objectives: In addition, a successful proposal may address the following U.S. government priority: 

Objective 1: Partnering with U.S. Embassy Conakry’s alumni team to create programs and activities that commemorate Freedom 250 elements and offer networking or personal and professional development opportunities for Guinean alumni of U.S. government programs. 

D. APPLICATION CONTENTS AND FORMAT 

Please follow all instructions below carefully. Proposals that do not meet the requirements of this announcement or fail to comply with the stated requirements will be ineligible. 

Content of Application 

Please ensure: 

The proposal clearly addresses the goals and objectives of this funding opportunity 

All documents are in English 

All budgets are in U.S. dollars 

All applicant authorized signatures are provided where indicated on the various, required forms.   

The following documents are required:   

Mandatory application forms 

SF-424 (Application for Federal Assistance – organizations) or SF-424-I (Application for Federal Assistance --individuals) at grants.gov  

SF-424A (Budget Information for Non-Construction programs) at grants.gov  

SF-424B (Assurances for Non-Construction programs) at grants.gov (note: the SF-424B is only required for individuals, organizations exempt from registration, and for organizations not required to fully register in SAM.gov) 

Proposal (10 pages maximum) 

Applicants must submit a complete narrative proposal using the attached Microsoft Word proposal form, AEIF 2026 Proposal Form.  Do not save as a PDF. Rename the document to AEIF26_Guinea_Project Title.docx, for example, AEIF26_Guinea_STEM Curricula.docx. A partially completed form may result in your application being rejected on technical grounds.   

The proposal should contain sufficient information so that anyone not familiar with it would understand exactly what the applicant wants to do. The proposal must include all the items below:   

Proposal Summary: Short narrative that outlines the proposed project, including project objectives and anticipated impact. 

Introduction to the Organization or Individual applying: A description of past and present operations, showing ability to carry out the program, including information on all previous grants from the State Department and/or U.S. government agencies as well as experience with and expertise in areas related to those described in the NOFO.  

Problem Statement: Clear, concise and well-supported statement of the problem to be addressed and why the proposed program is needed. 

Program Methods, Design, Activities, and Deliverables:  The “goals” describe what the program is intended to achieve. The “objectives” refer to the intermediate accomplishments on the way to the goals. These should be achievable and measurable. Describe the program activities and how they will help achieve the objectives.  

Proposed Project Schedule and Timeline: The proposed timeline for the program activities. Include the dates, times, and locations of planned activities and events. 

Key Personnel: Names, titles, roles and experience/qualifications of key personnel involved in the program. What proportion of their time will be used in support of this program?   

Project Partners: List the names and type of involvement of key partner organizations and sub-awardees (if applicable).  

Future Funding or Sustainability Applicant’s plan for continuing the program beyond the grant period, or the availability of other resources, if applicable. 

Monitoring & Evaluation Plan: Proposals must include a Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP) that explains how the applicant plans to track project performance and measure progress toward the project’s goals and objectives. The PMP should include “If-Then” statements to illustrate how the project activities will lead to the intended results, along with a short datasheet outlining proposed project activities and the indicators that will be used to measure success.   

Budget Justification Narrative 

Detailed Budget - Applicants must submit a detailed line-item budget, using the attached Microsoft Excel budget form, AEIF 2026 Budget Form.xlsx.  Do not save as a PDF. Rename the document to AEIF26_Guinea_Project Title.xlsx, for example, AEIF26_Guinea_STEM Curricula.xlsx.  Read the “Budget Guidelines” tab first. Line-item expenditures should be listed in the greatest possible detail. The budget must identify the total amount of funding requested, with a breakdown of amounts to be spent in the following budget categories: personnel; fringe benefits; travel; equipment; supplies; consultants/contracts; other direct costs; and indirect costs. See Annex Section I for a description of the types of costs that should be included in each category. Personnel salaries should include the level of effort and the rate of pay, which should cover the percentage of time each staff member will dedicate to grant-based activities. If an organization is charging an indirect cost rate without a NICRA, it must apply it to the modified total budget costs (MTDC), refer to 2CFR§200.1. Budgets shall be submitted in U.S. dollars and final grant agreements will be conducted in U.S. dollars. 

Budget Justification Narrative – Applicants must submit a budget justification narrative to accompany the detailed line-item budget. The purpose of the budget justification narrative is to supplement the information provided in the detailed budget spreadsheet by justifying how the budget cost elements are necessary to implement project objectives and accomplish the project goals. The budget justification narrative is a tool to help Embassy staff fully understand the budgetary needs of the applicant and is an opportunity to provide descriptive information about the requested costs beyond the constraints of the budget template. Together, the detailed budget spreadsheet, the budget justification narrative, and the SF-424A should provide a complete financial and qualitative description that supports the proposed project plan and should be directly relatable to the specific project components described in the applicant’s proposal. 

Additional Budget Notes:  

Awards to Individuals: Please note the following budget guidelines for the Individual Award: 

Salary/Honoraria: Only the award recipient may receive salary/honoraria from this funding mechanism. The Recipient must be the primary point of contact and manage all programmatic activities. 

Contractual Costs: Additional individuals working on the award are only permissible through contracted services, as long as the services are not related to the core programmatic activities. Expenses for services such as accounting, legal support, social media management, website designer, etc., are allowable. 

Other Direct Costs: Expenses related to securing venues, managing logistics, catering, etc. are allowable.  

Audit Requirements: Please note the audit requirements for Department of State awards in the Standard Terms and Conditions https://www.state.gov/m/a/ope/index.htm and 2CFR200, Subpart F – Audit Requirements. The cost of the required audits may be charged either as an allowable direct cost to the award OR included in the organization’s established indirect costs in the award’s detailed budget. 

Visa Fees:  Include all visa application and related fees in your budget as applicable. Please note DS-2019s for post-funded programs must be submitted directly by the award recipient. If you anticipate your program will include the DS-2019 visa processing, your organization must be a registered Designated Sponsoring Organization. For more information go to: https://j1visa.state.gov/sponsors/become-a-sponsor/ 

Attachments 

Key Personnel Resumes: A resume, not to exceed one page in length, must be included for the proposed key staff persons, such as the Project Director and Finance Officer, as well as any speakers or trainers (if applicable). If an individual for this type of position has not been identified, the applicant may submit a 1-page position description, identifying the qualifications and skills required for that position, in lieu of a résumé. 

Letters of support from program partners: Letters of support should be included for sub-recipients or other partners. The letters must identify the type of relationship to be entered into (formal or informal), the roles and responsibilities of each partner in relation to the proposed project activities, and the expected result of the partnership. The individual letters cannot exceed 1 page in length. 

Proof of Registration: A copy of the organization’s registration should be provided with the proposal application. U.S.-based organizations should submit a copy of their IRS determination letter. Guinean-based organizations should submit a copy of their certificate of registration from the appropriate government organization. 

Indirect Costs: If your organization has a Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) and includes NICRA charges in the budget, your latest NICRA should be included in the application submission. 

Other items NOT required/requested with the application submission, but which may be requested if your application is approved to move forward in the review process include: 

Copies of an organization or program audit within the last two (2) years 

Copies of relevant human resources, financial, or procurement policies 

Copies of other relevant organizational policies or documentation that would help the Department determine your organization’s capacity to manage a federal grant award overseas 

Documentation that demonstrates the recipients’ plan and/or policy to safeguard PII of participants and beneficiaries. It is the responsibility of the recipient to ensure protection of personally identifiable information (PII) and safeguard PII when collecting, maintaining, using and disseminating such information 

Information to determine what financial controls and standard operating procedures an organization uses to procure goods and services, hire staff and track time and attendance, pay for grant-related travel, and identify other financial transactions that may be necessary to undertake the project activities  

The Embassy reserves the right to request any additional programmatic and/or financial information regarding the proposal.   

Application forms required above are available at grants.gov or Grants - U.S. Embassy in Guinea. 

If you have any questions about the grant application process, please contact: PASConakry@state.gov. 

Question Deadline: For questions on this solicitation, please contact PASConakry@state.gov.  Questions must be received on or before May 7, 2026, at 11:59 p.m., GMT.