Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2025 - Brazil | FY25 BSB 410603

Opportunity Information: Apply for FY25 BSB 410603

The Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund (AEIF) 2025 - Brazil is a competitive grant opportunity run by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy and Consulates in Brazil. It is designed specifically for alumni of U.S. government-funded or U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs (for example, State Department exchange programs tied to the J-1 Exchange Visitor network). The basic idea is to help exchange alumni take what they learned during their U.S.-supported exchange experience and turn it into a practical, community-based project that tackles real public challenges in Brazil and beyond, as long as the work happens outside the United States and its territories.

Funding is available on a per-project basis, with awards ranging from USD 5,000 to USD 35,000. The opportunity is listed under Assistance Listing (CFDA) 19.022 and is authorized under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (the Fulbright-Hays Act). The Embassy notes that final awards depend on funding availability and that awards may be issued as a grant, a fixed amount award (FAA), or a cooperative agreement. The cooperative agreement option matters because it signals that, in some cases, Embassy staff may play a more active role during implementation (referred to as "substantial involvement"). Projects are expected to be time-bound and manageable, with a performance period of 12 months or less.

For 2025, the Embassy and Consulates in Brazil are looking for alumni-led public service projects aligned with three priority themes: promoting democracy and human rights, strengthening the U.S.-Brazil economic partnership, and supporting climate action and environmental protection. In addition to fitting at least one of these themes, proposals are expected to reflect Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA) principles. In practical terms, that means applicants should be explicit about who benefits and how the project advances equity across factors like race, ethnicity, religion, income, geography, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability. Proposals that do not clearly align with the stated objectives (including the DEIA expectation) can be ruled ineligible.

Eligibility is narrow and aimed at exchange alumni rather than general NGOs. Applications must be submitted by exchange alumni themselves or by alumni associations of U.S. government exchange alumni; other organizations cannot apply directly. Each project team must include at least two alumni, and teams can be mixed across different exchange programs and even different countries, but at least one team member must be from Brazil. U.S. citizen alumni are not allowed to submit proposals as the lead applicant, though they can participate as team members. While only alumni or alumni associations may apply, teams are allowed to partner with nonprofits, NGOs, think tanks, and academic institutions to carry out activities, and the grant can be issued either to the individual alumni or to the partner organization. Cost sharing is not required, but any organization receiving an award must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) from SAM.gov.

The application process is structured in three stages, and only applicants who advance will be asked for the more detailed materials. Stage 1 is a simplified application submitted either through the official online form (Google Forms link provided by the Embassy) or by downloading the responses and emailing them to brazilgrants@state.gov. This first-stage submission asks for core information: the project title, the total budget request, where the project will take place (again, outside the U.S. and its territories), basic team member details (roles, qualifications, and estimated time commitment), a concise problem statement describing the challenge and intended impact, clear goals and measurable objectives, and a simplified budget in U.S. dollars. The Embassy uses this stage to screen for fit, feasibility, and relevance before inviting selected teams to continue.

Stage 2 is only for those invited forward and requires a deeper project design. Applicants must lay out methods and implementation plans, including how activities address the problem and achieve objectives, who the direct and indirect beneficiaries are, and whether there is a plan for sustainability beyond the grant period. They must also provide a detailed timeline with dates, times, and locations, and may include draft agendas or training materials if relevant. This stage also calls for identification of local partners, a communications and outreach plan (with required branding references to AEIF 2025, ExchangeAlumni, and the U.S. Embassy), and a monitoring and evaluation plan that explains what outcomes will be measured and how impact will be tracked (for example, changes in knowledge, attitudes, service quality, or organizational capacity). A more detailed, line-item budget and budget narrative using the provided template is required, along with attachments such as any official permission letters needed for activities and UEI/SAM.gov registration details.

Stage 3 occurs only after a proposal is selected for funding by the State Department's Office of Alumni Affairs. At that point, the applicant must submit standard federal assistance forms, including SF-424 (or SF-424-I for individuals), SF-424A, and in some cases SF-424B (especially for individuals and organizations not registered in SAM.gov). These forms are not required at the initial submission stage; they are collected only from selected projects.

The deadline to submit the Stage 1 simplified application is January 10, 2025, by 11:59 PM Brasilia time. The notice was posted in mid-November 2024 (with the opportunity record showing creation around November 14, and the announcement noting November 15). The opportunity page indicates an expected number of awards as one, although the Embassy also describes funding amounts per project, so applicants should be prepared for a competitive process where only a small number of projects may be funded.

Finally, the funding restrictions are extensive and important because violating them can make an application ineligible. AEIF 2025 - Brazil will not fund airfare to or from the United States, any activities happening in the United States or its territories, staff salaries, office space, or overhead/operational costs. It also excludes durable equipment, construction or major infrastructure, alcohol and excessive catering or entertainment, academic or scientific research, charitable or direct development activities, direct social services delivery, individual scholarships, gifts or prizes, social travel/visits, duplication of existing programs, institutional development, venture capital or for-profit activities, support for religious activities, and any partisan political activity or legislative lobbying. The fund is therefore best suited for focused, alumni-driven public service initiatives like trainings, workshops, civic or community engagement programs, pilot initiatives, or practical toolkits and campaigns that clearly align with the Embassy's priority themes, have measurable outcomes, and can be completed within a year without paying salaries or building long-term organizational infrastructure.

• The U.S. Mission to Brazil in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund 2025 - Brazil" 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 2024-11-14.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2025-01-10. (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 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others.

Apply for FY25 BSB 410603

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