Description
AEIF provides alumni of U.S.-sponsored and facilitated exchange programs with funding to expand on skills gained during their exchange experience to design and implement innovative solutions to global challenges facing their community. Since its inception in 2011, AEIF has funded nearly 500 alumni-led projects worldwide through a competitive international competition. This year, the AEIF call for applications in the Dominican Republic will support the United States' commitment to promoting climate resilience, sustainability, and biodiversity protection through entrepreneurship and innovation; promoting inclusion and democratic participation; connecting Dominicans with American entrepreneurship and innovation resources; and promoting citizen security. The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo will accept public service* projects proposed and managed by teams of at least two (2) alumni that support objectives such as: Promoting and providing access to science, technology, engineering, arts, and math (STEAM) education and innovation to youth from underserved and/or rural communities. This also includes teacher training programs on best practices for STEAM education in underserved and/or rural communities. Empowering women and youth from underserved and/or rural communities through the arts and/or entrepreneurship training programs. Countering environmental challenges, increasing resilience, and developing local capacity to address ecological challenges that include but are not limited to countering climate change; transitioning to sustainable energy sources; promoting water and food security, and best practices for agriculture; protecting biodiversity; improving recycling and municipal waste management; and decreasing pollution, sedimentation, and run-off of plastics and debris into marine and coastal areas. Addressing current health and/or citizen security challenges with innovative and sustainable community-focused solutions. Improving the participation and empowerment of youth, women, and underrepresented groups including but not limited to people with disabilities, LGBT+ communities, and migrants in the Dominican Republic. This includes training and educational programming that empower such groups and that improve the capacity of local stakeholders (communities, government actors, academia, and the private sector) to promote inclusion, diversity, equity, accessibility, accountability, and protection of human rights in the Dominican Republic. *These projects must serve beneficiaries, free of charge, and the selection process used to choose beneficiaries must be transparent and receive approval from the Public Affairs Section.