Opportunity Information: Apply for 01 2023
The Notice of Funding Opportunity for Alumni of U.S. Government Programs is a small-grants competition run by the U.S. Mission to Latvia (U.S. Embassy Riga) under the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2023. It is framed around the long-term U.S.-Latvia relationship, highlighted by the centennial of diplomatic ties, and it looks forward to the current and emerging pressures facing both countries and the broader transatlantic community. The embassy is seeking alumni-led projects that strengthen the resilience of the U.S.-Latvia partnership in practical, community-facing ways, especially in response to challenges such as disinformation, hybrid threats, transnational corruption and crime, climate change, and social divisions. The underlying idea is public diplomacy: alumni use the skills, networks, and credibility gained through U.S. government exchange programs to deliver local impact and reinforce shared democratic values and cooperation.
Funding is offered as small grant awards, with typical individual award sizes ranging from USD 10,000 to USD 35,000 (the award ceiling is USD 35,000). The opportunity was posted in November 2022, with applications due by February 15, 2023, and funding decisions expected no later than June 30, 2023. Proposed projects are expected to be completed by May 31, 2024, meaning applicants need to design activities that are realistic to implement within that performance window and that produce measurable outcomes by the end of the project period.
Eligibility is tightly focused on exchange alumni. Proposals must be submitted by alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs (including programs listed on alumni.state.gov and J-1 related exchanges via j1visa.state.gov). Each proposal must come from a team of at least two alumni, and teams can mix alumni from different programs and even different countries. One key restriction is that U.S. citizen alumni cannot be the submitting applicants (they may participate on a project team, but they cannot submit the proposal themselves). Applications may be submitted by individual alumni or alumni associations. While nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks, and academic institutions cannot apply in the name of the organization, they are allowed (and often encouraged) to serve as local partners that help implement activities, provide venues, expertise, participant recruitment, or other support.
The thematic requirement is non-negotiable: proposals must directly address strengthening the resilience of the U.S.-Latvia partnership, and projects that do not clearly align with that theme are considered ineligible. Another firm requirement is geographic: all project activities must take place outside the United States and its territories. The program also notes that proposed projects should primarily target Latvian audiences, so even if a team includes alumni from other countries, the main beneficiaries and outreach should be Latvia-centered.
Cost sharing is not required, so applicants are not expected to bring matching funds, although they may include partner contributions if relevant. Administrative requirements depend on whether the award is processed to an individual or an organization. If the grant is processed with an individual, a UEI and SAM.gov registration are not required. If an organizational partner is used for processing the grant, that organization must have a UEI and an active SAM.gov registration. The NOFO also includes standard U.S. government expectations around equal opportunity and non-discrimination for both employment practices and beneficiary access, without regard to race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or political affiliation.
There are several important compliance limitations. Applicants may submit only one proposal. Grant funds cannot be used for partisan political activity or lobbying for specific legislation, though certain non-partisan civic activities (such as public education, get-out-the-vote efforts, or election monitoring) may be permissible. Projects may promote non-discrimination and tolerance for disadvantaged minorities, but they must be careful not to promote the agenda of a specific group, practice, or lifestyle over another; proposals touching on sensitive human rights and tolerance topics may involve additional embassy briefings to clarify boundaries. Funding also cannot support goals of a religious nature, and it cannot be used to create media content or pay journalist salaries. In practice, that means applicants should avoid budgeting for producing new films, podcasts, news products, or hiring reporters, and should instead focus on public engagement activities like workshops, trainings, dialogues, community initiatives, educational programming, or collaborative problem-solving formats.
Budget rules are especially strict and can make otherwise strong proposals ineligible. The program will not fund airfare to or from the United States, any activities in the United States, staff salaries, office space, or overhead/operational expenses. It also excludes large durable equipment purchases or construction, alcohol or excessive hospitality/entertainment, academic or scientific research, charitable or development assistance, direct delivery of social services, individual scholarships, purely social travel, gifts or prizes, duplication of existing programs, institutional development of an organization, venture capital or other for-profit efforts (including charging participants a fee), fundraising campaigns, and any religious or partisan political activities. As a result, competitive proposals generally need to be structured around time-bound, event- and community-based engagement with clear deliverables, rather than organizational capacity-building or long-term service provision.
Applications must be submitted using the official AEIF 2023 templates (application and budget forms provided via the linked Google Drive folder in the announcement). Submissions must be in English, budgets must be in U.S. dollars using the designated budget format, and pages should be numbered. Required documents include the appropriate SF-424 form (SF-424 for organizations or SF-424-I for individuals), SF-424A (budget information), SF-424B (assurances), and the AEIF 2023 proposal form. The narrative components need to cover the project team details (including roles, qualifications, time commitment, and exchange program background), a concise proposal summary, clear goals and SMART objectives, methods/design/timeline (including beneficiaries and a sustainability or continuation plan where applicable), a list of local partners, a communication and outreach plan that includes U.S. Embassy/AEIF/ExchangeAlumni branding, and a monitoring and evaluation plan that explains outputs, outcomes, indicators, baselines/targets where feasible, and how data will be collected. A detailed line-item budget and budget justification narrative are required, with enough specificity for reviewers to judge whether costs are reasonable, allowable, and directly tied to activities.
Proposals are reviewed based on how well they match the theme and local context, the clarity and credibility of the implementation plan, and the likelihood of sustained community influence after the grant ends. Reviewers also look closely at meaningful alumni leadership (at least two alumni must be actively involved in planning and implementation), community buy-in through local partners, and the strength and feasibility of the monitoring and evaluation approach. Communication plans matter as well, particularly whether the team has a practical timeline for outreach and whether embassy recognition is built into project visibility. Budget quality is a final key factor: costs must be realistic, well-justified, and compliant with all restrictions.
On award administration, the grant is formally issued and managed by a Grants Officer, and recipients may only begin incurring expenses after the official start date on the signed award document. Funding is not guaranteed simply because an application is submitted, and the notice explicitly states it depends on available funding; only successful applicants will be contacted. The Department of State is not obligated to provide future or additional funding beyond the award, and it may reject any or all proposals. Payment is split into two disbursements: 80 percent after the agreement is finalized and signed, and the remaining 20 percent after final reports are submitted and approved. Grantees must submit program and financial reports as required by the award document, and a final descriptive report is due within 30 days of project completion, along with supporting financial documentation such as invoices and agreements to demonstrate transparent use of funds. For procedural questions, applicants are directed to submit inquiries to EmbassyRiga@state.gov, and proposals were to be emailed to that same address by the February 15, 2023 deadline.Apply for 01 2023
- The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Latvia in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Notice of Funding Opportunity for Alumni of U.S. Government Programs" 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 Nov 08, 2022.
- Applicants must submit their applications by Feb 15, 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 $35,000.00 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).
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