FY 2025 Youth Ambassadors Africa Program

The FY25 Youth Ambassadors Africa Program, administered by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), offers funding to support youth exchange initiatives with participants from sub-Saharan Africa. The amended Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO), under funding opportunity number DFOP0017188, invites U.S. nonprofit organizations and educational institutions to propose a cooperative agreement project that enables youth and adult mentors from eligible African countries to take part in a three-week exchange program in the United States. The primary themes of the exchange are civic engagement and leadership development. The application deadline is June 30, 2025, with an anticipated award date of September 15, 2025. The program is grounded in the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961 (Fulbright-Hays Act) and aims to promote mutual understanding and collaboration between the United States and participating countries. Activities during the exchange include workshops, community site visits, homestays with American families, peer-to-peer engagement, and follow-on community projects upon participants' return. Applicants are encouraged to propose formats that are interactive, age-appropriate, and aligned with the program’s themes. Additional emphasis is placed on meaningful collaboration between U.S. and African youth and between adult mentors and their American counterparts. Eligible applicants must be U.S.-based nonprofit organizations or educational institutions with a minimum of four years' experience conducting international exchange programs. Only one proposal may be submitted per organization. Applications must include a comprehensive proposal narrative, SF-424 forms, budget documents, and a plan for program monitoring and evaluation using ECA’s Monitoring Data for ECA (MODE) Framework. The total award available is $1,000,000, and ECA expects to make one award for a 24-month performance period. Although cost sharing is not required, it is strongly encouraged. Participant recruitment and selection will be managed by U.S. embassies and consulates in participating African countries. The final list of countries and participants will be determined by ECA in Fall 2025 and may include nations such as Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, and many others. While the award recipient will not select participants, it will be responsible for organizing pre-departure materials, travel logistics, exchange activities, and follow-on programming in home countries. Proposals must include detailed plans for staffing, logistics, and coordination with partner organizations and U.S. embassies. Applicants must submit their proposals electronically via Grants.gov. They must also be registered with SAM.gov and MyGrants and comply with various federal guidelines and performance reporting standards. Application review will assess program quality, institutional capacity, monitoring and evaluation strategy, and cost-effectiveness. The selected recipient will be expected to support data collection, financial and programmatic reporting, and compliance with J visa regulations. Questions about the NOFO should be directed to Program Officer Gretchen Wietmarschen at WietmarschenGM@state.gov or 202-826-4284.

Begin SAM.gov and MyGrants registrations early (4–8 weeks lead time) Include strong alumni engagement plans Demonstrate institutional capacity and past performance Ensure application compliance with MODE indicators and PMP structure