The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative is seeking organizations as Cohort Ambassadors to serve as local partners for facilitating a cohesive cohort and fostering cross-cultural understanding through local cultural and professional engagements during the 2024 YLAI Fellowship Program.

Purpose

The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) is the U.S. Department of State’s flagship entrepreneurship program for emerging business leaders and entrepreneurs from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada. YLAI is a competitive fellowship program structured as an international exchange funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs and implemented by IREX, a non-profit based in Washington D.C. As such, IREX is requesting applications from those interested in serving as a YLAI Cohort Ambassador for the 2024 YLAI fellowship cohort. Cohort Ambassadors will be a selection of organizations based in 20 target cities across the United States who serve as local partners for facilitating a cohesive cohort and fostering cross-cultural understanding through local cultural and professional engagements. The 2024 YLAI fellowship will be a hybrid program, consisting of virtual and in-person programming. Fellows will engage with the online curriculum before traveling to the U.S. to complete in-person fellowship components from March 4th – April 10th, 2024.    

Eligibility Requirements

We welcome applications from a wide range of organizations that demonstrate a strong network across different business sectors in their city, as well as the ability to foster meaningful experiences of local U.S. culture and entrepreneurship. The Cohort Ambassador role has traditionally been held by centers for citizen diplomacy but has evolved to include centers for innovation, university departments, and venture capital funds.

Deadline

• Issue Date: June 5th, 2023
• Proposal Due Date: June 30th, 2023, at 11:59 PM EDT
• Anticipated Award Date: August 10th, 2023
• Award Ceiling: up to $28,000

How to Submit a Concept Note

Download the YLAI 2024 Cohort Ambassador Request for Applications document for more information on Cohort Ambassador roles and responsibilities, fellowship timeline, application submission requirements (with links to application materials), application evaluation, and other subaward-related details.

If you are interested in furnishing this service, please send an email with your application materials attached to Derrick Lewis at dlewis@irex.org. Applications must be received no later than 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on the extended closing date indicated above with the subject line “YLAI Fellowship Cohort Ambassador Application”

Questions?

Contact Derrick Lewis at dlewis@irex.org. On June 22nd, 2023 at 3:30 PM EST, IREX will host a virtual Q&A session on the RFA application process. This Zoom meeting will be recorded and shared with interested applicants.