The Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI) is inviting 2026 YLAI Program Participants to apply for the Outbound Exchange grant enabling travel to Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), to continue collaborating with 2026 YLAI Alum.  

Purpose 

The YLAI Outbound Exchange Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by the YLAI Team at IREX. The Outbound Exchange aims to build upon emerging business partnerships and professional connections established during the 2026 YLAI Fellowship by fostering sustained collaboration, learning, and capacity building among YLAI’s U.S.-based partners, 2026 Alumni, and local entrepreneurial communities across the Western Hemisphere. Through these substantive two-week projects, U.S. Participants will form lasting and productive partnerships with YLAI Alumni, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding between the United States and LAC countries.         

Eligibility requirements 

Successful applications will demonstrate a history of productive collaboration between the U.S. Participant and a 2026 YLAI Alum, and detail how the Award will be used to further the partnership, support inclusive economic prosperity in the region, and support the professional goals of the U.S. Participant and 2026 YLAI Alum. The Award requires the U.S. Participant to travel to the Alum’s country and engage with the local community. Please review more extensive eligibility requirements in the Application Instructions document.

Deadline 

The application period opens on Monday, June 8th and closes on Thursday, July 6th at 11:59 PM EDT.    

How to submit an application 

1. Download the following materials: 
   1. Application Checklist
   2. Application Instructions
   3. Draft Budget Template
   4. Draft Work Plan
   5. FAQ Document
   6. Terms and Conditions Agreement
2. Complete and submit your application here. This link can also be found in the Application Instructions document. 

[If you need to link to a PDF, Word file, Excel file, or another document, include the document type and filesize in parentheses immediately after the hyperlink. Examples: Full instructions (PDF, 1.1 MB), Budget spreadsheet (XLSX, 255 KB), Release form (DOCX, 96 KB).]

Questions?