FY 2026 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship)

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Study of the U.S. Branch invites proposal submissions for one cooperative agreement to design, implement, and oversee the FY 2026 YALI Fellowship. Established in 2014 the YALI Fellowship has built and maintained a network of approximately 7,800 young African leaders across sectors critical to U.S. interests and foreign policy priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa.

The award recipient will be responsible for planning and administering all components and aspects of the YALI Fellowship including short-term academic residencies ("institutes") on U.S. college and university campuses for approximately 550 Fellows, Professional Development Experiences (PDEs) for approximately 50 Fellows, a Reciprocal Exchange component that includes approximately 80 U.S. participants, and follow-on alumni activities. Under this award, the first group of Fellows would travel to the United States for the institutes in summer 2027. The award recipient will design the Fellowship application materials, develop an outreach and recruitment plan, receive and screen applications in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State, and oversee the final Fellow selection and placement process. The recipient will recruit, select, and oversee subawards to approximately 22 U.S. educational institutions that will each implement a six-week long institute in one of three tracks: Business and Trade, Emerging Technologies, or Governance and Security.

Each institute should take place on an accredited U.S. college or university campus and provide a group of approximately 25 accomplished African innovators and professionals aged 25 to 35 with rigorous academic and practical coursework, showcasing American excellence in relevant fields. Institutes should also provide structured networking and professional opportunities for Fellows to build relationships with American businesses and industry leaders.

The PDEs are professional placements for a subset of Fellows at relevant U.S. public, private, and non-profit organizations and should take place immediately following the institutes.

The Reciprocal Exchange component should support approximately 80 U.S. citizens to travel to Sub-Saharan Africa to build upon strategic partnerships and business connections developed through the YALI Fellowship.

ECA will award one cooperative agreement to administer all program components. The anticipated total amount of funding available for this cooperative agreement will be approximately $15,000,000, pending the availability of FY 2026 funds. Of this total amount, the recipient should be prepared to transfer approximately $250,000 to each U.S. college, university, or non-governmental organization selected to administer an Institute under sub-award agreements.

ECA welcomes applications from U.S. public and private non-profit organizations, consortia of organizations, and accredited post-secondary U.S. education institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).

Please see the announcement for additional information.