Opportunity Information: Apply for SFOP0010305
The FY 2024 Youth Ambassadors Programs grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0010305) is a U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) competition run through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division. It supports the design and delivery of three separate regional Youth Ambassadors exchange programs (formerly called Youth Leadership Programs) that partner with select countries in three regions: East Asia and Pacific (EAP), Europe and Eurasia (EUR), and the Middle East and North Africa (NEA). The intent is to bring groups of international youth to the United States for a structured, four-week exchange that builds practical civic knowledge and leadership skills while strengthening cross-cultural understanding. Each region is treated as its own program track, and ECA expects to make three awards total, essentially one award per region.
At the core of every proposed program is a four-week, U.S.-based exchange focused on civic education, leadership development, respect for diversity, and community engagement. Applicants are expected to build programming that exposes participants to U.S. civic life and democratic practices through workshops, meetings, site visits, community-based learning, and leadership activities, while also creating real opportunities for participants to practice what they learn. A key feature is that the exchange is not meant to end when participants return home: the grant also supports follow-on service projects that youth implement in their home communities, translating the exchange experience into tangible local impact. In other words, the program is structured to produce both learning outcomes during the U.S. visit and measurable community engagement outcomes afterward.
The opportunity includes a few region-specific requirements. For the EAP and NEA programs, proposals should include engagement of approximately 3 to 5 adult mentors who participate in programming alongside the youth participants, which adds an intergenerational or coaching component that can help sustain project planning and leadership development after the exchange. For the NEA exchanges, competitively selected U.S. secondary school students are expected to join the international participants during the U.S.-based activities, which makes the NEA track explicitly binational in the exchange setting and increases peer-to-peer interaction and mutual learning between U.S. and foreign youth.
Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, meaning the U.S. government will have substantial involvement in the execution of the program compared to a standard grant. The maximum award amount listed is $650,000, and the opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding under CFDA 19.415, with the activity category listed as "Other." The application deadline was May 20, 2024, and the notice was created March 18, 2024. While the announcement signals that more details are in the full NOFO, the summary makes clear that ECA is looking for U.S. organizations that can manage end-to-end exchange delivery, including participant programming in the United States and support for post-exchange service project implementation.
Eligible applicants include U.S. public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (including nonprofits that are not higher education institutions). The announcement also lists "Others" as eligible, suggesting additional eligible entity types may be described in the full notice. Regardless of applicant type, organizations need the operational capacity to run an international exchange program at scale, coordinate logistics and programming across multiple U.S. sites as needed, and provide guidance and oversight for participants community service projects once they return home.
A notable administrative rule in this competition is that ECA will consider only one proposal per region from any single applicant organization. If an organization submits more than one proposal for the same region in Grants.gov, ECA will only review the submission that is closest in time to the NOFO deadline, and that submission becomes the only version considered for that region. This puts extra emphasis on careful internal coordination before submission, especially for organizations with multiple departments or partners that might otherwise submit overlapping applications.
Overall, this opportunity is aimed at organizations that can create a structured, high-touch youth exchange experience that combines civic learning, leadership practice, and sustained community impact. The most competitive proposals are likely to be those that clearly connect the four theme areas to specific participant activities, build in meaningful engagement with local U.S. communities during the exchange, and provide a realistic plan for mentoring and supporting participants as they design and carry out service projects back home, including any region-specific elements like adult mentors (EAP and NEA) and participation by U.S. secondary students (NEA).Apply for SFOP0010305
- The Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2024 Youth Ambassadors Programs" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.415.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2024-03-18.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-05-20. (Agency may still review applications by suitable applicants for the remaining/unused allocated funding in 2026.)
- Each selected applicant is eligible to receive up to $650,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 3 candidate(s).
- Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education, Others.
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FY 2024 Youth Ambassadors Programs (SFOP0010305) - FAQs
What is the FY 2024 Youth Ambassadors Programs grant opportunity?
This funding opportunity is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) competition (Funding Opportunity Number SFOP0010305) run through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division. It supports the design and delivery of Youth Ambassadors exchange programs (formerly called Youth Leadership Programs).
Who is offering and administering this program?
The program is offered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) and administered through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division.
What is the main purpose of the Youth Ambassadors Programs?
The intent is to bring groups of international youth to the United States for a structured four-week exchange that builds practical civic knowledge and leadership skills while strengthening cross-cultural understanding. The grant also supports follow-on service projects implemented by participants after they return home.
Which regions are included, and how is the opportunity structured?
The opportunity supports three separate regional program tracks that partner with select countries in:
- East Asia and Pacific (EAP)
- Europe and Eurasia (EUR)
- Near East / Middle East and North Africa (NEA)
Each region is treated as its own program track, and ECA expects to make three total awards (essentially one award per region).
How many awards does ECA expect to make?
ECA expects to make three awards total, with one award per region (EAP, EUR, and NEA).
What is the length and location of the core exchange program?
At the core of each proposed program is a structured, four-week, U.S.-based exchange.
What topics or themes must the exchange programming cover?
Programs are expected to focus on:
- Civic education and exposure to U.S. civic life and democratic practices
- Leadership development and leadership practice
- Respect for diversity
- Community engagement
What kinds of activities are expected during the four-week U.S. exchange?
The summary indicates that programming should expose participants to U.S. civic life and democratic practices through activities such as workshops, meetings, site visits, community-based learning, and leadership activities. The design should include real opportunities for participants to practice what they learn, not only observe.
Does the program end when participants return home?
No. A key feature is that the exchange experience continues after participants return home through follow-on service projects. These projects are intended to translate the exchange experience into tangible local impact in participants' home communities.
What are the follow-on service projects, and why are they included?
Follow-on service projects are community service or engagement projects that youth implement in their home communities after the U.S. exchange. They are included to produce measurable community engagement outcomes and ensure participants apply civic and leadership learning in a practical way.
Are there region-specific program requirements?
Yes. The opportunity includes requirements that differ by region, particularly for EAP and NEA, and an additional binational component for NEA.
What is required for the EAP (East Asia and Pacific) track?
For the EAP program, proposals should include engagement of approximately 3 to 5 adult mentors who participate in programming alongside the youth participants.
What is required for the NEA (Middle East and North Africa / Near East) track?
For the NEA program, proposals should include:
- Engagement of approximately 3 to 5 adult mentors who participate alongside youth during programming
- Competitively selected U.S. secondary school students who join the international participants during the U.S.-based activities (making the exchange explicitly binational during the U.S. portion)
What is required for the EUR (Europe and Eurasia) track?
The summary describes EUR as one of the three separate regional program tracks and does not list additional region-specific participant composition requirements for EUR in the provided information.
Why are adult mentors included in the EAP and NEA tracks?
The summary describes adult mentors as adding an intergenerational or coaching component that can help sustain project planning and leadership development after the exchange.
What does it mean that NEA includes U.S. secondary school students?
It means competitively selected U.S. secondary school students are expected to participate alongside international youth during the U.S.-based activities, increasing peer-to-peer interaction and mutual learning in a binational exchange setting.
What type of funding instrument is used for this opportunity?
Funding is provided through a cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial U.S. government involvement in execution compared to a standard grant.
How much funding is available per award?
The maximum award amount listed is $650,000.
What is the CFDA number and funding category listed in the announcement?
The opportunity is categorized as discretionary funding under CFDA 19.415, with the activity category listed as "Other."
What were the key dates listed in the summary?
The notice was created March 18, 2024, and the application deadline was May 20, 2024.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include:
- U.S. public and state-controlled institutions of higher education
- Private institutions of higher education
- Nonprofit organizations with IRS 501(c)(3) status (including nonprofits that are not higher education institutions)
- "Others" (the summary notes this category, suggesting additional eligible entity types may be described in the full notice)
What kinds of organizational capabilities are implied by this opportunity?
The summary indicates applicants should have the operational capacity to manage end-to-end exchange delivery, including U.S.-based participant programming and support for post-exchange service project implementation. It also notes the need to coordinate logistics and programming at scale and across multiple U.S. sites as needed, plus provide guidance and oversight for service projects once participants return home.
How many proposals can one organization submit?
ECA will consider only one proposal per region from any single applicant organization.
What happens if an organization submits multiple proposals for the same region?
If more than one proposal is submitted for the same region in Grants.gov, ECA will only review the submission closest in time to the NOFO deadline. That submission becomes the only version considered for that region.
Can an organization submit proposals for more than one region?
The summary states that only one proposal per region will be considered from a single applicant. It does not state that an organization is limited to only one region overall; it describes the limit as being per region.
What does ECA appear to value in competitive proposals based on the summary?
Based on the summary, strong proposals are likely to:
- Clearly connect the four theme areas (civic education, leadership development, respect for diversity, and community engagement) to specific participant activities
- Include meaningful engagement with local U.S. communities during the exchange
- Present a realistic plan to mentor and support participants as they design and carry out follow-on service projects in their home communities
- Incorporate region-specific elements where required (adult mentors for EAP and NEA; inclusion of U.S. secondary school students for NEA)
What is the overall program model described in the summary?
The model combines a high-touch, structured four-week U.S. exchange (learning and leadership practice) with post-exchange follow-on service projects (measurable community engagement and local impact).
Where does this opportunity sit within ECA?
It is run through ECA's Office of Citizen Exchanges, Youth Programs Division.
Is this the same as the Youth Leadership Programs?
The summary notes that Youth Ambassadors exchange programs were formerly called Youth Leadership Programs.
What is the main geographic focus during the exchange?
The exchange is U.S.-based for four weeks, with programming designed to expose participants to U.S. civic life and democratic practices, and to engage with U.S. communities.
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