MEPI Leaders Grants are small grants of $500 to $1000 that support MEPI Alumni addressing the needs of the communities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

MEPI Leaders Grants is part of the MEPI Alumni Connection, a program of the US-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and implemented by IREX.

During the uncertain times of the COVID-19 pandemic, community resilience is being challenged at every corner of the globe. With overwhelmed institutions, local activists are taking the stage to address the needs of their communities.

MEPI Alumni are among these leaders across the Middle East and North Africa. Small grants for alumni will aid in their ability to take quick action on the ground. These fixed amount awards of $500-1000 will support alumni in short-term efforts of 1-2 months in length. These grants will not only allow IREX and MEPI to help scale our alumni efforts, but to also better track and report on their community engagement during and after this dynamic time. Alumni will be required to provide short reports on their activity and its impact.

MEPI Leaders Grants examples

• Software to improve online learning developed by alumni.
• Materials to support underserved community members in a local project responding to the crisis.
• Resources to retrain-community members with skills learned through a MEPI Alumni Connection training such as L2D or Digital Storytelling; or
• Streamlined activities either meant to help their communities cope and recover in the post-COVID-19 crisis, for instance: Series of webinars on mental health, resilience during crisis, communication strategies, jobs creation, etc.

Eligibility Criteria

• MEPI Alumni from Algeria, Bahrain, Iraq, Israel, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Yemen are eligible to apply.
• They are not able to offer MEPI Alumni Connection activities to all alumni at this time.
• They encourage you to look for other DOS programs that are open to your country.

For more information, visit IREX.