FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program
Closed Posted
This opportunity was posted again on . See the latest posting
- Opportunity number
- DFOP0017934
- Agency
-
Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs
Department of State
- Applications due
- Award size
- $4,300,000
Opportunity facts
- Assistance listings
- Funding instrument
- Cooperative Agreement
- Category
-
- Other
- Eligible applicants
-
- 501(c)(3) Nonprofits
- Higher Education Inst. (Public)
- Higher Education Inst. (Private)
- Points of contact
-
- Sarah McLewin mclewinsj@state.gov (202) 655-1596
- Full announcement
Opportunity details come from Grants.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs seeks a cooperative agreement recipient to design, administer, and implement the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program, which will conduct eight approximately five-week academic institutes at U.S. colleges and universities serving approximately 185 undergraduate students and recent graduates from Southeast Asian ASEAN member countries. Applicants must be U.S. public or private educational institutions or 501(c)(3) nonprofit organizations with demonstrated four years of experience conducting international exchanges and may elect to directly implement up to two institutes while administering subawards for the remaining six, with no single institution permitted to conduct more than two institutes in one calendar year. Key responsibilities include arranging participant travel and visa processing, coordinating logistics including housing and meals, managing merit-based selection processes with final ECA approval, organizing annual partner briefings in Washington, D.C., planning field experiences in Washington, D.C., administering health benefits, developing alumni follow-on activities, and implementing reciprocal exchange opportunities for up to 25 U.S. citizens. Evaluation criteria will assess applicants' vision, participating organizations, program activities, program assessment capabilities, follow-on activities, project management, and comprehensive work plans. The application deadline is May 11, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time, with submissions required through Grants.gov.
The anticipated award is one cooperative agreement valued at approximately $4,300,000 for an 18-to-24-month performance period, with an anticipated award date of July 31, 2026. The program will consist of four institutes in spring 2027 (beginning no earlier than March 15, 2027) and four institutes in fall 2027 (concluding no later than November 15, 2027), with each institute accommodating approximately 22-24 Fellows and including a four-week academic residency plus a one-week integrated field experience concluding in Washington, D.C. The program addresses four thematic areas: Economic Prosperity, Liberty and Freedom, Natural Resources, and Peace and Security. Performance will be measured using the ECA MODE (Monitoring Data for ECA) Framework with mandatory post-program data collection no later than six weeks after participant completion and follow-up surveys at one, three, five, and ten years post-program. All program implementation will occur at U.S. college and university campuses nationwide, with coordinated activities in Washington, D.C.
Synopsis
2 versions
Update #2 · Latest ·
The Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), invites proposal submissions for one cooperative agreement to design, administer, and implement the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program (YSEALI AFP).
YSEALI AFP will include approximately eight institutes-four in spring 2027 and four in fall 2027-for approximately 185 undergraduate and recent graduates from Southeast Asia. Each institute will be on one of four themes: Economic Prosperity, Liberty and Freedom, Natural Resources, and Peace and Security.
The award recipient will plan, implement, and oversee the eight institutes under the YSEALI themes. Each institute will host approximately 22-24 Fellows from Southeast Asia. Each institute will be approximately five weeks long and will include an approximately four-week academic residency at a U.S. college or university campus. Institutes will also include an approximately one-week integrated academic field experience (that includes time in Washington, DC) at the conclusion of the institute. The award recipient will coordinate with ECA to organize up to two YSEALI Fellows Forums, one in the spring and one in the fall, in Washington, DC, for all Fellows.
Applicants can administer YSEALI AFP fully through subawards or may propose to directly implement up to two institutes (one in spring, one in fall) and administer subawards for the remaining six institutes. No academic institution will be allowed to implement more than two institutes in one calendar year. ECA welcomes applications from U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, including community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and public and private universities, and other not-for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) (see section B. Eligibility). Applicants may submit only one proposal under this competition. If multiple proposals are received from the same applicant, all submissions will be declared ineligible and receive no further consideration in the review process.
It is ECA's intent to award a cooperative agreement for one base year. Pending satisfactory implementation of this program and the availability of funds in subsequent fiscal years, it is ECA's intent to renew this award for two additional, consecutive fiscal years, before openly competing it again. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.
Update #1 ·
The Office of Academic Exchange Programs, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), invites proposal submissions for one cooperative agreement to design, administer, and implement the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellows Program (YSEALI AFP). YSEALI AFP will include approximately eight institutes-four in spring 2027 and four in fall 2027-for approximately 185 undergraduate and recent graduates from Southeast Asia. Each institute will be on one of four themes: Economic Prosperity, Liberty and Freedom, Natural Resources, and Peace and Security. The award recipient will plan, implement, and oversee the eight institutes under the YSEALI themes. Each institute will host approximately 22-24 Fellows from Southeast Asia. Each institute will be approximately five weeks long and will include an approximately four-week academic residency at a U.S. college or university campus. Institutes will also include an approximately one-week integrated academic field experience (that includes time in Washington, DC) at the conclusion of the institute. The award recipient will coordinate with ECA to organize up to two YSEALI Fellows Forums, one in the spring and one in the fall, in Washington, DC, for all Fellows. Applicants can administer YSEALI AFP fully through subawards or may propose to directly implement up to two institutes (one in spring, one in fall) and administer subawards for the remaining six institutes. No academic institution will be allowed to implement more than two institutes in one calendar year. ECA welcomes applications from U.S. public and private academic and cultural institutions, including community colleges, liberal arts colleges, and public and private universities, and other not-for-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3) (see section B. Eligibility). Applicants may submit only one proposal under this competition. If multiple proposals are receive
Files
| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| performance_monitoring_plan_mode_2.3_02.03.2025.pdf | ||
| performance_monitoring_plan_mode_2.3_02.03.2025-4.docx | DOCX document | |
| FY 2026 YSEALI AFP_POGI.pdf | ||
| FY 2026 YSEALI AFP_NOFO.pdf |
Posting history
| Listing | Posted | Applications due |
|---|---|---|
| Opportunity | ||
| Opportunity |
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