Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund Notice of Funding Opportunity (Latvia) | 2026 01

Opportunity Information: Apply for 2026 01

The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) Notice of Funding Opportunity for Latvia is a U.S. Embassy Riga grant program meant to turn the experience and networks of U.S. government exchange alumni into practical, community-facing projects that advance U.S. policy priorities while also benefiting Latvia. The core idea is to build on prior U.S. investments in exchange programs by helping alumni design and run initiatives with visible local impact, strengthening the U.S.-Latvia relationship through economic, cultural, and social cooperation. A major framing requirement for this round is the America250 theme, meaning projects must commemorate the 250th anniversary of the United States and reflect values associated with the country, especially freedom of speech and democratic governance. Beyond the anniversary element, proposals are expected to connect clearly to current U.S. administration priorities such as reinforcing national security, supporting economic growth and entrepreneurship, promoting fair and reciprocal trade, strengthening alliances, supporting transatlantic cooperation, and emphasizing immigration laws and border security. Activities must take place outside the United States and its territories, and projects that include activities in Latvia are explicitly prioritized. Proposals that do not address the required theme and objectives will be considered ineligible, so alignment is not optional.

The opportunity timeline is straightforward and fairly structured. The announcement was posted on December 22, 2025, and applications are due by March 1, 2026. Award decisions are expected no later than June 30, 2026, with project start dates no earlier than September 15, 2026. The program performance period runs through September 30, 2027, meaning selected projects should be fully completed by that date. Funding is offered as either a Grant or a Fixed Amount Award, with individual award sizes expected to range from $5,000 to $35,000.

Eligibility is narrowly focused on exchange alumni and is designed to encourage collaboration. Applicants must be alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs, including those listed on the U.S. Department of State alumni site and J-1 related programs. Proposals must be submitted by a team of at least two alumni, and the team must include at least two non-U.S. citizen exchange alumni. U.S. citizen alumni are allowed to participate as team members, but they cannot serve as the lead applicant or submit the proposal. Teams are encouraged to be diverse, ideally including alumni from different exchange programs and even different countries. Applications may be submitted by alumni as individuals, by non-governmental organizations they represent, or by alumni associations. For-profit entities and academic institutions cannot apply in the name of their organization, although they may participate as implementing partners. Applicants may submit only one proposal.

Cost sharing is not required, but it is encouraged and can be provided in practical ways such as donated services, volunteer time, discounted or free venues, in-kind equipment or supplies, or support from local businesses or NGOs (for example, a partner covering refreshments or an expert donating facilitation time). Administrative requirements depend on how the award is processed: if the grant is awarded to an individual, that person does not need a UEI or SAM.gov registration; if the grant is processed through an organization involved in the project, that organization must have a UEI and an active SAM.gov registration. Content restrictions also matter: grant funds cannot be used for partisan political activity, religious goals, or the creation of media content or journalist salaries. The program can support certain non-partisan civic activities (for example, public education or non-partisan election-related efforts), but it cannot support lobbying for specific legislation or partisan advocacy. Projects should primarily target Latvian audiences.

Applications must use official AEIF 2026 templates available on the U.S. Embassy Riga website, and the submission rules are strict. All documents must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars, and pages must be numbered. The main narrative is submitted through the required proposal form (Word) and should be detailed enough that an outside reviewer can understand exactly what will be done and why. Required sections include: a cover sheet/summary page; a proposal summary with objectives and anticipated impact; an introduction describing the applicant organization or individual capacity and any previous U.S. government or Embassy grants; a clearly supported problem statement; measurable goals and objectives; a description of activities; the methods and design (with a logic model if appropriate); a schedule and timeline with dates and locations; key personnel roles and time commitments; partner descriptions and any sub-awardees; a monitoring and evaluation plan explaining how progress and results will be tracked; and a sustainability or future funding plan that explains what happens after the grant ends.

Budgeting is submitted through the required budget template (Excel) and must include a detailed budget justification narrative; budgets without narratives will not be reviewed. The guidance sets clear spending expectations: project management costs (including speaker, trainer, and consultant fees) should not exceed 30 percent of the total requested amount, and travel (including hotel and per diem) should not exceed 15 percent and will be closely reviewed for necessity and cost effectiveness. Lodging is meant to support short-term program activities rather than long-term rent for team members, and applicants are encouraged to rent rather than purchase when it is cheaper overall. Allowable costs include travel needed to implement the project (and, specifically to support America250, travel for U.S. citizen alumni may be allowed but will be scrutinized), venue rentals, working meals that are integral to the program, reasonable virtual-program costs (platform subscriptions and modest equipment for virtual delivery), speaker or trainer honoraria (noted as up to $250 per day plus justified travel/lodging/per diem), reasonable equipment and materials, and communications/publicity items such as manuals or advertising.

The list of non-allowable costs is extensive and functions like a hard screen for eligibility. AEIF 2026 will not fund any activities occurring in the United States or its territories, and it will not pay staff salaries, office space, or general overhead/operational expenses. It also excludes large durable equipment purchases, construction, alcohol, entertainment, excessive or non-essential catering, academic or scientific research, charitable or development work, direct social services, scholarships, social travel, gifts or prizes, duplicative programming, institutional development, venture capital or for-profit ventures, charging participation fees, religious activities, fundraising campaigns, and partisan political activity or lobbying.

Finally, the submission package includes attachments that help prove readiness and feasibility. At a minimum, applicants should include one-page CVs or resumes for key personnel. Optional but helpful add-ons include letters of support from partners, required official permission letters (if the project needs formal approvals for venues or activities), and supporting materials such as draft agendas, curricula, or evidence from a pilot. If an organization plans to include indirect costs under an approved Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA), the NICRA must be attached as a PDF. File naming also matters: proposals and budgets must follow the specified naming convention, formatted as AEIF26CountryProject Title, with example file names provided in the notice.

• The U.S. Mission to Latvia in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund Notice of Funding Opportunity (Latvia)" 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 2025-12-22.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-03-01. (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 $35,000.00 in funding.
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for 2026 01

[Watch] Creating a grant proposal using the step-by-step wizard inside the applicant portal: