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

Summary

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (DOS-ECA) is soliciting for the FY 2026 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship). This is a flagship U.S. government exchange program that brings young African leaders to the United States for academic and leadership development institutes hosted at U.S. universities, followed by professional development activities. The program aims to invest in the next generation of African leaders across business, civic engagement, and public management sectors. The synopsis was posted on Grants.gov, indicating this is a federal grant/cooperative agreement opportunity.

What they want

How they evaluate

Risks & flags

• Only a synopsis (docType: synopsis) is posted — full solicitation details, scope, budget, and evaluation criteria are not yet available, limiting competitive analysis
• No dollar value or budget ceiling disclosed, making cost proposal planning difficult
• Short text description with minimal program detail; full requirements TBD pending full solicitation release