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

US Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U › S › Department of State grant open #DFOP0017934

Response due May 29, 2026 · 00:00 UTC

Summary

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is soliciting for the FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Academic Fellows Program. YSEALI is a U.S. government initiative designed to strengthen leadership development and networking among young leaders from Southeast Asia. The Academic Fellows Program typically involves bringing cohorts of young Southeast Asian professionals to U.S. host universities for intensive academic institutes focused on civic engagement, governance, economic development, or environmental issues. This is a synopsis/pre-solicitation notice posted on Grants.gov.

What they want

Implement the FY 2026 YSEALI Academic Fellows Program on behalf of the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. Work likely involves hosting and administering academic fellowship institutes at U.S. universities for young leaders from Southeast Asian nations, providing programming in areas such as civic engagement, entrepreneurship, natural resource management, or related YSEALI thematic pillars. Full scope details are expected in the forthcoming full solicitation.

Deliverables

Academic fellowship institutes hosted at U.S. universities for Southeast Asian young leaders
Program administration and participant coordination
Reporting to the U.S. Department of State/ECA on program outcomes

Technical requirements

Must be capable of administering international exchange/fellowship programs
Must have capacity to partner with or serve as a U.S. host university or managing organization
Program must align with YSEALI thematic pillars (civic engagement, environment/natural resources, entrepreneurship/economic development)

How they evaluate

Submission: Grants.gov federal grants portal (opportunity number DFOP0017934)

Risks & flags

Only a synopsis/docType is posted — full solicitation with detailed requirements not yet available, limiting competitor preparation time
Short open window of only 22 days between open date (05/07/2026) and close date (05/29/2026) for what is likely a complex grant application
No dollar value disclosed, making cost proposal benchmarking difficult for new entrants
Existing YSEALI program incumbents with established university partnerships may have a structural advantage

Market context

inferred from NAICS

Educational Services

NAICS 611710

US market size: $340B
Typical award: $50K – $25M

Typical buyers

DoDVAStates

Commonly required

Accreditation

Sector-level estimate — full code lookup not yet in catalog.

FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Init…

Due May 29

Onboard ↗