Deadline: 19 December 2018
The Professional Fellows Division in the Office of Citizen Exchanges at the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) is currently seeking proposals for the FY 2019 Special Professional Fellows Program for Latin America and the Caribbean in support of the Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI).
The Special Professional Fellows Program for Latin America and the Caribbean is a two-way global exchange program designed to promote mutual understanding, enhance business development and leadership skills, and build a lasting and sustainable network of young business and social entrepreneurs across Latin America, the Caribbean, and the United States.
The Program will support approximately 250 participants from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) in a five to six-week Fellowship program, including an orientation, a four to five-week individually tailored working placement in a U.S. business or organization complemented by entrepreneurial training and workshops, an end of program closing event, and follow-on alumni activities. The American outbound exchange component will support approximately 60 American participants traveling overseas for approximately two weeks to assist with the implementation of the YLAI Fellows’ Action Plans, follow-on projects, and special initiatives.
Goals
- Promote mutual understanding and lasting partnerships between business and social entrepreneurs from Latin America and the Caribbean and the United States;
- Strengthen the entrepreneurial and leadership skills of the YLAI Professional Fellows so they can achieve success—growing their business or organization in size and impact—and lead positive change in their workplaces, communities, and countries;
- Provide opportunities, before, during and after the U.S.-based fellowship, for the YLAI Professional Fellows and U.S. participants to collaborate and share ideas, approaches, and strategies;
- Foster business partnerships between emerging entrepreneurial entities in LAC with their counterparts in the United States;
- Assist the YLAI Professional Fellows in identifying new resources, networks, and support for their businesses or organizations; and,
- Create a network of business leaders committed to sound business practices, ethical management, corporate social responsibility, and community involvement.
Award Information
- Approximate Total Funding: $5,000,000, pending the availability of FY 2019 funds.
- Approximate Average Award: $5,000,000, pending the availability of FY 2019 funds.
- Ceiling of Award Range: $5,000,000, pending the availability of FY 2019 funds.
Eligibility Criteria
- Applications may be submitted by U.S. public and private non-profit organizations meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3).
- In collaboration with ECA, the award recipient will recruit and select approximately 250 foreign Fellows from 36 countries in LAC: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, and Venezuela. ECA reserves the right to modify the final list of participating countries and the allocation of participant numbers by country in the FY2019 cooperative agreement and up to two subsequent renewal cooperative agreements.
How to Apply
Applicants can apply via given on the website.
For more information, visit https://bit.ly/2DgQCn2