2023 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2023) | PDS BUD FY23 NOFO AEIF23

Opportunity Information: Apply for PDS BUD FY23 NOFO AEIF23

The 2023 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2023) is a competitive grant opportunity offered by the Public Diplomacy Section of the U.S. Embassy in Budapest under the U.S. Department of State. It is designed specifically for alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs who want to turn what they learned during their exchange experience into practical, community-focused projects. The program’s central idea is to help exchange alumni build on their skills and networks to create innovative, locally relevant solutions to real-world challenges. AEIF has been running since 2011 and has supported more than 500 alumni-led projects globally, so this Hungary-focused round fits into a larger worldwide effort to keep exchange alumni engaged and active after their programs end.

Applicants must apply as a team rather than as an individual. Proposals are expected from groups of at least two eligible U.S. government exchange alumni, and the projects must be proposed and managed by these alumni teams. The U.S. Embassy Budapest is looking for “public service” projects, meaning efforts that generate clear community benefit rather than private gain. While projects can cover a range of topics, the Embassy highlights several major themes it wants proposals to align with: supporting shared security; strengthening economic prosperity by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, and improvements to the digital economy; reinforcing democratic values; and fostering stronger ties between Hungary and the United States. Projects are intended to take place in Hungary, as the priority region for activities is explicitly within Hungarian territory.

From an administrative standpoint, the opportunity is listed as discretionary funding and may be awarded either as a grant or a cooperative agreement, depending on how the project is structured and the level of involvement expected from the funder. The funding opportunity number is PDS BUD FY23 NOFO AEIF23, and it is associated with CFDA number 19.022. The maximum award amount (award ceiling) is USD 25,000, and the Embassy expects to make about two awards under this announcement, which suggests a selective competition where proposals will likely need to be well-defined, feasible, and clearly tied to the stated themes and community needs.

Applications were required to be submitted by email to BudapestGrants@state.gov, with a deadline of 11:59 p.m. Central European Time on March 3, 2023. The notice was created on December 20, 2022. Overall, the opportunity targets motivated exchange alumni in Hungary who can demonstrate strong collaboration, a concrete plan for impact, and a clear link between their proposed project and the skills, perspectives, or partnerships developed through their U.S. exchange experience.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Hungary in the education, environment, information and statistics, law, justice and legal services sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "2023 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2023)" 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 Dec 20, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Mar 03, 2023. (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 $25,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 2 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for PDS BUD FY23 NOFO AEIF23

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