U.S. Mission to Albania · Federal agency

StartUP Lab: U.S.-Albania Economic Leadership & Innovation Exchange

Posted 16d ago

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Award $10k–$53k Deadline in 15 days Location Alabama Type grant Level Federal Open posted Jul 20, 2026

✦ AI Summary

Who can apply: Federal-level applicants (see eligibility for details).
Funding amount: $10,000 – $53,400, total pool ~$53,400.
Next deadline: August 20, 2026.
Issued by: U.S. Mission to Albania.

How was this generated?

The “key facts” mode pulls structured fields directly from the official source posting (amount, deadline, eligibility tags). The AI mode adds a short plain-English narrative on top, generated from the same source. Always verify with the agency before applying.

AI-generated. Always verify with the official source.

Who can apply — at a glance

Eligible applicants: see the Eligibility tab for the criteria from the official announcement.
Where: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, District of Columbia.
Award: $10k–$53k. Total program pool: $53,400.
Matching funds: not required.
Deadline type: Fixed.

Compiled from the official listing's structured fields — always verify with the funder before applying.

About the funder

U.S. Mission to Albania is a federal-level funder.

See all 4 open programs from this agency →

Award amount

$10k–$53k

Deadline

in 15 days

Aug 20, 2026

Total pool

$53k

About this opportunity

1. Project Objectives American Corners in Albania have a consistent record of delivering youth entrepreneurship and economic advancement programming – from English language courses designed to build employability, to coding and tech skills bootcamps, to structured entrepreneurship incubators - each iteration reaching more participants year after year, expanding through all three Corners, and generating measurable results, including participants who have gone on to launch their own registered businesses. Most recently, American Corner Tirana hosted the launch of the American Chamber of Commerce in Albania Young Entrepreneurship and Innovation Committee, furthering the Corner’s role as a hub for -Albania business engagement. Taken together, this programming has demonstrated that structured, mentorship-driven engagement at American Corners works and is undoubtably well received by audiences. It has also revealed a clear gap: participants need longer-term engagement, direct connections to business networks, and concrete pathways to launch – not just develop – their ideas. StartUP Lab aims to be a direct response to that gap. Building on years of proven programming, it deepens the model with a full 12-month curriculum, direct mentorship from companies and experts, and a National StartUP Challenge that rewards the most promising ideas with seed funding – creating a commercial network that favors American partnerships, opens Albanian markets to goods and services, and reinforces the credibility of the United States as a reliable partner whose leadership delivers tangible results. Project Audience: Each American Corner serves as a city-based incubator hub for 20-25 entrepreneurs ages 18-40 (60-75 total participants) who have concrete startup ideas ready for development. Project Goal: Strengthen -Albania economic ties by transforming American Corners in Albania into entrepreneurship hubs that equip Albanian entrepreneurs with American business commercial networks, opening Albanian markets to partnerships. Project Objectives: Proposals should present clear and measurable approaches to transforming American Corners in Albania into startup incubators that serve as launchpads for commercial excellence. At a minimum, projects must address the following objectives: · Objective 1 – Position American Corners as hubs for innovation and entrepreneurship by delivering one in-person workshop per month per Corner and one hybrid cross-Corner session per month to reinforce workshop learning, with at least 60 entrepreneurs completing the full 12-month incubator program. · Objective 2 – Strengthen -Albania economic ties and market access by connecting participants with at least 10 business exchange alumni through structured mentorship and hybrid cross-Corner sessions, throughout the program duration. · Objective 3 – Launch at least six market-ready National StartUP Challenge finalists, with at least three receiving seed funding to launch businesses that prioritize technology and partnerships within one year of program completion.

Funding agency

U.S. Mission to Albania

Federal agency

Who can apply

Eligibility details aren't on file yet — check the agency source link in the Documents tab for the latest rules.

Geographic eligibility

Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas
Kentucky
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming
District of Columbia

How to apply

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Source documents

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Canonical NOFO, application packet, and forms

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Citation details

Source systemgrants.gov

Source ID363243

PostedJul 20, 2026

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Award size $10k–$53k

Deadline in 15 days

Level Federal

Type grant

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About the funder

About this opportunity

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