FY 2026 Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellowship

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. Please see the Notice of Funding Opportunity for additional information.