Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2022
Deadline: April 18, 2022 (midnight)

 

How much?

$10,000-20,000/per project.

Note: There is no guarantee that any submitted proposals will be fully or even partially funded.

Who is eligible to apply?

Slovenian citizen alumni who participated in U.S. government exchange programs, such as the Fulbright programs, International Visitor Leadership Program (IVLP), Ron Brown Fellowship Program, Benjamin Franklin Summer Institute, Global Entrepreneurship Summit (GES), Young Transatlantic Innovation Leaders Initiative (YTILI), the World Chicago Professional Fellowship Program, and AWE.

Specifically, Slovenian alumni at not-for-profits/NGOs/social enterprises, Slovenian educational and research institutions, and public entities may submit projects. Alumni may also partner with one of the above types of institutions; in this case, alumni must provide a letter of support/commitment from the partner institution. Projects must have a defined start and completion date.

What are we looking for?

We are looking for proposals on the themes below, which are the same as those outlined under the U.S. Embassy Ljubljana NGO grants.

Consideration will be given to project proposals focusing on the following themes:

• Regional and Transatlantic Cooperation – promoting strong transatlantic relations, with an emphasis on the U.S.–Slovenian bilateral relationship
• Economic Issues – especially entrepreneurship, innovation, economic reform, promotion of trade, women in STEAM
• International Security, Counter Terrorism, and Defense Issues
• Energy Security and Diversification
• Environmental Issues – combating Climate Change, enhancing environmental preservation and sustainability
• Digitalization, Cyber Security, and Artificial Intelligence
• Countering Corruption, Good Governance, Strengthening Rule of Law, and Transparency
• Independent Media and Investigative Journalism – including media literacy and combating disinformation
• Human Rights – including tolerance, respect for diversity and inclusion, and support for historically marginalized communities and equal rights for all people
• Education – to establish and deepen partnerships between scholars and educational institutions

 

Special Addendum for projects involving Ukrainian refugees in Slovenia:

As of March 22, 2022, the AEIF competition wishes to encourage exchange alumni to implement projects specifically targeting/in collaboration with Ukrainian refugees in their countries.

Projects may support Ukrainian refugee communities in areas such as (but not obligatory):

•Community integration, inclusion, and tolerance building;

•Skills building for woman and youth;

•Workforce integration programs; and/or

•English language learning and acquisition.

Note: AEIF funding may NOT be used for provisions of direct social services.

 

AEIF projects should:

• Strengthen the relationship between alumni and the U.S. government to work together on activities that address mutual goals and challenges.
• Support alumni as they develop their leadership capacity and implement projects in their communities.

Supported Activities and Costs

• Intra-regional or in-country transportation
• Rental of venues for project activities
• PPE and sanitizing equipment
• Meals/refreshments integral to the project (i.e.,working lunch for a meeting)
• Reasonable costs to support virtual programming (i.e.,subscription to Zoom, WebEx, camera/microphones for virtual meetings, mailing services, etc.)
• Trainer or speaker honoraria expenses (i.e. max $200/day fee, travel, lodging, per diem)
• Reasonable equipment and materials
• Communications and publicity materials, such as manuals or project advertisements

Not supported Activities and Costs

• Any airfare to/from the United States and its territories
• Activities that take place in the United States and its territories
• Staff salaries, office space, and overhead/operational expenses
• Large items of durable equipment or construction programs
• Alcohol, excessive meals, refreshmentsnot integral to the project, or entertainment
• Academic or scientific research
• Charitable or development activities
• Provision of direct social services to a population
• Individual scholarships
• Social travel/visits
• Gifts or prizes
• Duplication of existing programs
• Institutional development of an organization
• Venture capital, for-profit endeavors, or charging a fee for participation in the project
• Support for specific religious activities
• Fund-raising campaigns
• Support or opposition of partisan political activity or lobbying for specific legislation

What are the application requirements?

In general:

• The proposed project should focus on public service-oriented activities.
• The proposed project must involve at least two (2) Slovenian U.S. Government-sponsored exchange program alumni and must specify a team lead. All non-alumni team members need to be included as well.
• U.S. citizen alumni (e.g. Fulbright, etc.) may be included on alumni teams; however, the team must also have at least two Slovenian citizen exchange program alumni.

You must fill in and submit the following:

• AEIF 2022 Proposal form (WORD), in English
• AIEF 2022 Budget (EXCEL), calculated in U.S. dollars
• Letter of support/commitment from the partner institution(s) (as needed)

Please submit them via the following email: LjubljanaExchanges@state.gov

Subject line: AEIF Alumni proposal 2022 – (Title of Project)

Deadline: The deadline for submitting proposals is April 18, 2022

 

When will I hear if the project is approved for funding?

• Complete applications will be reviewed both by the U.S. Embassy Ljubljana, Public Affairs Section and, if approved by us, further submitted to the Department of State, Office of Alumni Affairs for final review and approval or rejection.
• There is no guarantee that any submitted proposals will be fully or even partially funded.
• As this is a competitive application process, in the interest of fairness and impartiality, the Embassy is unable to give personalized assistance or advice to individual applicants and/or applying organizations. Technical questions can be answered, however.
• Decisions will be communicated within 2-3 months after the application deadline.

Questions?

Charlotte Taft at LjubljanaExchanges@state.gov