Announcing AEIF 2015 Winners and More Funding Opportunities

Which alumni teams won AEIF 2015? Find out now! Need funding for your service projects? Keep reading to learn about exclusive opportunities for alumni. And, it is time to celebrate! May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month, so we will be spotlighting alumni from the region all month. Join our celebration on social media!

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Congratulations AEIF 2015 Winners!

This year, we hosted the fifth annual Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) project competition. Out of more than 800 proposals submitted, 48 winning teams were selected to carry-out innovative projects of global significance. The teams – in 43 different countries around the world – will tackle critical issues such as access to education, women’s empowerment, climate change, and more. Watch Team Exchange Alumni’s announcement and view all winning projects here.

Alumni Stories & Updates

Six IVLP participants recently celebrated their birthdays together. We think that might be an exchange birthday celebration record! Share your exchange birthday photos here.

Inspired by their Youth Ambassadors exchange program, a team of Argentine alumni created REDAR (“Red Argentina”), a network dedicated to volunteerism and public service.

Sara Rahim, a NSLI-Y alumna, delivered a keynote address to the United Nations for World Interfaith Harmony Week. Her speech included an important call to action for youth and women. Read more here.

Mildred Apenyo, a Mandela Washington Fellowship alumna, was just featured in the NY Times! She opened Fit Clique, Uganda’s first female-only gym, promising a safe space for women to come together and enjoy wellness.

Funding Opportunities

Are you looking for funding opportunities? If you are a registered member of alumni.state.gov, you are in the right place. Follow these easy steps to find funding for your public service projects.

(1) Log-in to alumni.state.gov.

(2) In the top blue navigation bar, find and click on «Resources.»

(3) On the left side bar of the «Resources» page, click on the first option, «Grant Opportunities.»

(4) Grant Opportunities: On this page, you will find grants that alumni, U.S. embassies, program offices, and Team Exchange Alumni have carefully selected for you. In the green box above «Post a Grant», you can filter these opportunities by location.

(5) On the right side bar of the «Resources» page, you will see two advertisements. The first will direct you to COS Funding Opportunities and the second will take you to Challenge.gov.

(6) COS Funding Opportunities: This database contains $33 billion worth of grant and funding opportunities. You can search by subject area and/or location.

(7) Challenge.gov: This site is a collection of challenge and prize competitions, all of which are run by more than 50 agencies across the U.S. federal government. These include technical, scientific, and creative competitions where the U.S. government seeks innovative solutions.

Asian Pacific Heritage Month

In the U.S., May is Asian Pacific Heritage Month! On social media, we will celebrate alumni with Asian heritage, share famous stories, and spotlight key moments in history. Have an idea for who, or what, we should feature? Tell us your thoughts here. These photos are from Prime Minister of Japan Shinzo Abe’s recent State Visit. Learn more about his visit by reading The White House Blog.