2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026)

The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy in Tashkent announces an open competition to implement a program to the 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026) for alumni of U.S. government exchange programs to strengthen economic ties between the United States and Uzbekistan. This program advances U.S. foreign policy by positioning America as the global leader in innovation while promoting U.S.-Uzbekistani business connections. The program goal is to build economic connections through alumni-led projects that promote America as a global engine of innovation and technological leadership. Projects must incorporate Freedom 250 themes as part of America’s 250th Anniversary. Teams of at least two exchange program alumni may apply. Priority themes for the program are Business, Energy and Trade; STEM, AI and Innovation; or Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism. Projects should attract foreign investment and tourism into America while demonstrating benefits of U.S. partnerships through activities like STEM workshops, innovation hackathons, cultural festivals, or promotion of major U.S.-hosted events. 

The U.S. Department of State’s Embassy in Tashkent announces an open competition to implement a program to the 2026 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF 2026) for alumni of U.S. government exchange programs to strengthen economic ties between the United States and Uzbekistan. This program advances U.S. foreign policy by positioning America as the global leader in innovation while promoting U.S.-Uzbekistani business connections. The program goal is to build economic connections through alumni-led projects that promote America as a global engine of innovation and technological leadership. Projects must incorporate Freedom 250 themes as part of America’s 250th Anniversary. Teams of at least two exchange program alumni may apply. Priority themes for the program are Business, Energy and Trade; STEM, AI and Innovation; or Education, Culture, Sports and Tourism. Projects should attract foreign investment and tourism into America while demonstrating benefits of U.S. partnerships through activities like STEM workshops, innovation hackathons, cultural festivals, or promotion of major U.S.-hosted events. 

The following organizations are eligible to apply:

● Applicants must be alumni of a U.S. government-funded or a U.S. government-sponsored exchange program (https://j1visa.state.gov/).
● Projects teams must include teams of at least two (2) 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.
● Applications must be submitted by exchange alumni or associations of USG exchange alumni. No other organizations are eligible to apply. Exchange alumni can partner with not-for-profit or non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions to implement project activities. The grant can be issued to the individual alumni or the partner organization.