FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program

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.