Opportunity Information: Apply for DFOP0017991
Apply for DFOP0017991
- The Bureau Of Educational and Cultural Affairs in the other sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "FY 2026 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship)" and is now available to receive applicants.
- Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.009.
- This funding opportunity was created on 2026-03-26.
- Applicants must submit their applications by 2026-05-26. (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 $15,000,000.00 in funding.
- The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 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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Opportunity Summary:
The FY 2026 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship) is a U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) funding opportunity to select a single U.S. organization to run the next cycle of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a flagship leadership and exchange program launched in 2014. Through this cooperative agreement, the awardee would be responsible for end-to-end design, coordination, and oversight of the Fellowship, which has already built a network of roughly 7,800 alumni across fields tied to U.S. interests and foreign policy priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa. The program is structured around intensive short-term U.S.-based academic residencies, targeted professional placements, a two-way exchange element that brings Americans to Africa, and continuing alumni engagement after the main program concludes. The first cohort supported under this FY 2026 award is expected to travel to the United States for the campus-based institutes in summer 2027.
At the center of the program are six-week leadership institutes hosted on accredited U.S. college and university campuses. The award recipient must recruit, select, and manage subawards to about 22 U.S. institutions (or eligible organizations) to run these institutes, each serving approximately 25 Fellows. In total, the institutes are expected to support around 550 Fellows, generally accomplished African innovators and professionals ages 25 to 35. Institutes must deliver a mix of rigorous academic content and practical, applied training while also highlighting American expertise and innovation. They are also expected to create structured networking and professional exposure, connecting Fellows with U.S. businesses, industry leaders, and other relevant professional communities. The institutes are organized into three program tracks: Business and Trade, Emerging Technologies, and Governance and Security.
In addition to the institutes, the awardee must administer Professional Development Experiences (PDEs) for a smaller subset of participants. These PDEs are professional placements at relevant U.S. public sector, private sector, or nonprofit organizations and are intended to occur immediately after the institutes. The program anticipates roughly 50 Fellows participating in PDEs, meaning the recipient must develop processes to place Fellows with host organizations, coordinate timing and logistics, and ensure the experience aligns with the Fellowship's goals.
A key feature of this opportunity is that it is not only an inbound exchange. The cooperative agreement also includes a Reciprocal Exchange component designed to send approximately 80 U.S. citizens to Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of the reciprocal travel is to strengthen partnerships and extend business or institutional connections that emerge from the Fellowship, supporting longer-term collaboration and relationship-building between U.S. participants and African counterparts.
Operationally, the selected recipient is expected to build and manage the program pipeline from recruitment through placement. That includes designing Fellowship application materials, creating and executing an outreach and recruitment strategy, receiving and screening applications in coordination with the Department of State, and overseeing the final selection and institute placement process. Beyond the core exchange activities, the awardee is also responsible for follow-on alumni programming, which typically focuses on sustaining the network, deepening professional ties, and reinforcing the Fellowship's longer-term leadership development and engagement objectives.
This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement (Funding Opportunity Number DFOP0017991; CFDA 19.009), reflecting substantial federal involvement in program direction and oversight. ECA expects to make one award, with an anticipated total funding level of about $15,000,000, contingent on the availability of FY 2026 appropriations. From that total, the recipient should be prepared to issue subawards of approximately $250,000 to each institute implementer (the U.S. colleges, universities, or NGOs selected to run an institute), which implies significant financial management responsibilities, subaward monitoring, and compliance oversight across a large network of implementing partners.
Eligible applicants include U.S. public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, including consortia of such organizations. The application deadline listed for the opportunity is May 26, 2026, and the funding ceiling is $15,000,000, with one expected award. Overall, this solicitation is seeking a high-capacity lead implementer that can manage a complex, multi-site international exchange program with substantial logistics, partner coordination, selection and placement systems, program design requirements across three leadership tracks, and robust oversight of subawards and participant experiences.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is the FY 2026 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders (YALI Fellowship) funding opportunity?
This is a U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) discretionary cooperative agreement funding opportunity to select one U.S. organization to run the next cycle of the Mandela Washington Fellowship, a flagship leadership and exchange program launched in 2014.
What is the funding opportunity number and CFDA number?
The Funding Opportunity Number (FON) is DFOP0017991 and the CFDA number is 19.009.
How many awards does ECA expect to make under this opportunity?
ECA expects to make one award.
What is the anticipated total funding amount and maximum (ceiling) for this opportunity?
The anticipated total funding level is about $15,000,000, contingent on the availability of FY 2026 appropriations. The funding ceiling is $15,000,000.
What type of award is being offered?
This opportunity is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, which indicates substantial federal involvement in program direction and oversight.
Who is eligible to apply?
Eligible applicants include U.S. public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, and U.S. nonprofit organizations with 501(c)(3) status, including consortia of such organizations.
What is the application deadline?
The application deadline listed for the opportunity is May 26, 2026.
What is the core purpose of selecting a single U.S. organization?
The selected organization would be responsible for end-to-end design, coordination, and oversight of the Fellowship cycle, including recruitment, selection, placements, program delivery across multiple U.S. sites, professional placements, reciprocal exchange, and alumni engagement.
What does "end-to-end" program management include for this award?
Based on the opportunity description, end-to-end responsibilities include designing Fellowship application materials; creating and executing outreach and recruitment; receiving and screening applications in coordination with the Department of State; overseeing final selection and institute placement; managing subawards and institute delivery; administering Professional Development Experiences (PDEs); implementing a Reciprocal Exchange component; and running follow-on alumni programming.
When is the first cohort supported by this FY 2026 award expected to travel to the United States?
The first cohort supported under this FY 2026 award is expected to travel to the United States for the campus-based institutes in summer 2027.
How is the Fellowship structured?
The program is structured around intensive short-term U.S.-based academic residencies (the institutes), targeted professional placements (PDEs) for a subset of Fellows, a two-way exchange element that brings Americans to Africa (Reciprocal Exchange), and continuing alumni engagement after the main program concludes.
What are the leadership institutes and where are they hosted?
The leadership institutes are six-week programs hosted on accredited U.S. college and university campuses.
How many institutes are expected, and what is the awardee's role regarding institute implementers?
The award recipient must recruit, select, and manage subawards to about 22 U.S. institutions (or eligible organizations) to run the institutes, and oversee institute implementation and coordination across those sites.
How many Fellows are expected to participate in the institutes?
In total, the institutes are expected to support around 550 Fellows.
How many Fellows does each institute typically serve?
Each institute is described as serving approximately 25 Fellows.
What are the eligibility characteristics of the Fellows (participants) described in the opportunity?
The Fellows are generally accomplished African innovators and professionals ages 25 to 35.
What program tracks will the institutes offer?
The institutes are organized into three program tracks: Business and Trade, Emerging Technologies, and Governance and Security.
What kind of content and experiences must the institutes provide?
Institutes must deliver a mix of rigorous academic content and practical, applied training while highlighting American expertise and innovation. They are also expected to provide structured networking and professional exposure by connecting Fellows with U.S. businesses, industry leaders, and other relevant professional communities.
What are Professional Development Experiences (PDEs)?
PDEs are professional placements at relevant U.S. public sector, private sector, or nonprofit organizations. They are intended to occur immediately after the institutes and are designed to align with the Fellowship's goals.
How many Fellows are anticipated to participate in PDEs?
The program anticipates roughly 50 Fellows participating in PDEs.
What responsibilities does the awardee have for PDEs?
The recipient must develop processes to place Fellows with host organizations, coordinate timing and logistics, and ensure the PDE aligns with the Fellowship's goals.
What is the Reciprocal Exchange component?
The Reciprocal Exchange component is a two-way exchange element designed to send U.S. citizens to Sub-Saharan Africa to strengthen partnerships and extend business or institutional connections that emerge from the Fellowship.
How many U.S. citizens are expected to participate in the Reciprocal Exchange?
The program is designed to send approximately 80 U.S. citizens to Sub-Saharan Africa.
What is the intended purpose of the Reciprocal Exchange travel?
The reciprocal travel is intended to strengthen partnerships and extend business or institutional connections that emerge from the Fellowship, supporting longer-term collaboration and relationship-building between U.S. participants and African counterparts.
What are the awardee's responsibilities related to recruitment and selection of Fellows?
The selected recipient is expected to build and manage the program pipeline from recruitment through placement. This includes designing application materials, creating and executing outreach and recruitment, receiving and screening applications in coordination with the Department of State, and overseeing final selection and institute placement.
What does the opportunity say about alumni engagement?
Beyond the core exchange activities, the awardee is responsible for follow-on alumni programming, typically focused on sustaining the network, deepening professional ties, and reinforcing the Fellowship's longer-term leadership development and engagement objectives.
How large is the existing Fellowship alumni network mentioned in the opportunity?
The Fellowship has built a network of roughly 7,800 alumni across fields tied to U.S. interests and foreign policy priorities in Sub-Saharan Africa.
What are the expected subaward amounts for institute implementers?
From the total funding, the recipient should be prepared to issue subawards of approximately $250,000 to each institute implementer (the U.S. colleges, universities, or NGOs selected to run an institute).
What oversight and compliance responsibilities are implied by the subaward structure?
The solicitation implies significant financial management responsibilities, subaward monitoring, and compliance oversight across a large network of implementing partners (approximately 22 institute implementers).
Why does this opportunity emphasize capacity and multi-site coordination?
The solicitation is seeking a high-capacity lead implementer that can manage a complex, multi-site international exchange program with substantial logistics, partner coordination, selection and placement systems, program design requirements across three leadership tracks, and robust oversight of subawards and participant experiences.
Are the institutes limited only to colleges and universities?
The institutes are described as being hosted on accredited U.S. college and university campuses, and the awardee must recruit, select, and manage subawards to about 22 U.S. institutions (or eligible organizations) to run these institutes.
Does this opportunity fund the Mandela Washington Fellowship participant applicants directly?
The opportunity described is for selecting a single U.S. organization to implement the Fellowship via a cooperative agreement; it does not describe a grant competition for individual Fellows in this solicitation summary.
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Previous opportunity: FY 2026 Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI)
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