The U.S. Department of State and RocketHub have teamed up in a pilot partnership to help alumni find alternative funding for their innovative solutions. This new initiative, called “AEIF 2.0”, is focused on accelerating projects from the Department’s Alumni Engagement and Innovation Fund (AEIF).
AEIF awards grants to alumni of U.S. government-sponsored exchange programs enabling them to create solutions to some of the world’s toughest challenges. Funds are limited, however, providing for just 53 of nearly 700 projects submitted last year.
The new partnership will create investment options outside of USG support and provide visibility, support sustainability, and accelerate the social impact of exceptional alumni who have demonstrated proof of concept with past projects. Alumni can also leverage RocketHub’s educational tools to maximize their projects’ potential, tell their stories, build the capacity of their organizations, engage local communities and develop sustainable solutions.
Through the annual AEIF competition, the U.S. Department of State has supported more than 150 alumni initiatives in over 80 countries that promote shared values and innovative solutions to global challenges.
