DFOP0017815: FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship
Sponsor: Dept of State-ECAInternal Deadline: 05/08/2026Institutional Submission Limit: 1Program Website
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, through its Office of Citizen Exchanges, invites proposals to design and implement the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship. The program advances U.S. strategic interests in the Indo-Pacific by developing a network of emerging leaders from Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) member states who share America’s founding principles of liberty, opportunity, and self-reliance. By promoting free enterprise, open markets, and innovation, the program fosters shared prosperity and supports a secure, free, and open Indo-Pacific.
Through professional fellowships and reciprocal exchanges, YSEALI Professional Fellowship advances U.S. leadership by strengthening commercial ties, promoting regional stability, and supporting peace and security across the Indo-Pacific. Each year two cohorts of approximately 220 participants from Southeast Asia will travel to the United States for five to six weeks of professional and leadership development. Participants, ages 25 to 35, will be placed with U.S. public, private, and nonprofit institutions for customized placements aligned with four strategic themes central to U.S. foreign policy: Economic Prosperity, Strategic Energy and Minerals, Liberty and Freedom, and Peace and Security.
The exchange will culminate in a YSEALI Professional Fellowship Forum in Washington, D.C., where participants will share lessons learned and explore future collaboration. Following each U.S. fellowship, approximately 100 American professionals will travel to Southeast Asia on Reciprocal Exchanges to extend engagement, transfer expertise, and strengthen bilateral partnerships.
Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization.
Submission Process
Limited submissions MUST be coordinated with the Office of the Vice President for Research.
If interested in applying for this opportunity, please combine the following items into a single PDF and email to resdev@mailbox.sc.edu by 5pm on the INTERNAL DEADLINE above:
- Cover page with grant program name & number (if applicable) to which you are applying, your project title, PI (name, department/unit, & email), and list of co-PIs/key collaborators (name & department/unit)
- a two-page project abstract addressing key components/criteria for this specific grant program
- a 2-3 page CV/biosketch for the PI (SCiENcv preferred)