The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy Phnom Penh is pleased to announce the 2017 Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) competition. AEIF offers alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs the opportunity to propose innovative projects that address one of five global foreign policy themes. Alumni are invited to submit project ideas through the International Exchange Alumni (IEA) website from March 2 – March 30, 2017. Finalist proposals will be announced in mid to late May, and proposals selected for funding will be announced in July.

AEIF’s goal is to help alumni develop and implement projects that promote shared goals related to global policy themes, benefit their communities, and promote wider use of the IEA website. Alumni may request up to $25,000 for project proposals that address strategic foreign policy themes. In 2016, out of more than 800 submissions worldwide, 61 proposals were selected to receive funding, and announced as winners on the IEA website.

Eligibility

To be eligible for consideration in the competition, alumni must meet the following criteria:

• Alumni must be registered and verified members of the IEA website.
• Alumni teams must include at least three alumni.
• The team leader must submit a complete proposal and budget using the online application form by the deadline of noon ET on March 30, 2017 (12a.m. on March 31, 2017 in Cambodia).
• At least one team member must be from an ECA-sponsored exchange program and at least one member must be a non-U.S. citizen.
• Proposals must be submitted by non-U.S. citizen alumni and project activities must be executed outside the borders of the United States.
• Project proposals sent in via e-mail will not be accepted.

Strategic Priorities

All submitted projects must address one of the five global foreign policy themes below. Please note that these themes have been designed to cover a broad range of possible projects supporting shared goals.

• Business Development and Economic Opportunity
• Civic Participation: Building Resilient Communities
• Cooperation in Science, Technology, Health and Energy
• Education and Inclusion: Pathways to Success
• Empowerment of Women and Girls

An individual alumnus/a can submit more than one proposal but should not submit more than one proposal per theme. Alumni are welcome to submit projects that involve partnerships across borders and activities in multiple countries.

Timeline (U.S. dates given)

Application open: March 2 – 30
Application deadline: March 30
Review process: April 5 – 24
Announcing finalists: July

For inquiries, please email the Embassy at PASExchanges@state.gov