FY26 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026)

The U.S. Mission to Nepal is seeking proposals for the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026), which aims to amplify the long-term impact of U.S. exchange programs by mobilizing alumni as strategic partners. The program has three pillars: Innovate, Inspire, and Ignite, and projects should align with the spirit of Freedom 250, reflecting the United States’ 250-year legacy of innovation, entrepreneurship, and global economic leadership. The projects should demonstrate how alumni are positioned as catalysts for innovation, drivers of economic growth, and key partners in strengthening U.S.–Nepal commercial and institutional partnerships. • The program is open to alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs. • Projects teams must include at least two alumni. • Alumni who are U.S. citizens may not submit proposals, but U.S. citizen alumni may participate as team members in a project. • Alumni teams may be comprised of alumni from different exchange programs and different countries, but at least one of the team members must be a Nepali residing in Nepal. • Applications must be submitted by exchange alumni, and no other organizations are eligible to apply but can serve as partners for implementing project activities.