Young Pacific Leaders – Alumni Roadshow | PDS NEWZEALAND 2024 06

Opportunity Information: Apply for PDS NEWZEALAND 2024 06

The Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Alumni Roadshow is a U.S. Department of State-funded grant opportunity run by the Public Diplomacy Section at the U.S. Embassy in New Zealand. It invites eligible organizations to propose and deliver a U.S.-based exchange and outreach program that brings a group of Young Pacific Leaders alumni to the United States for intensive leadership and professional development. The core idea is to deepen alumni capacity across priority issue areas while also using the visit as a high-visibility “roadshow” to promote the YPL program, build broader awareness, and attract partners who can support YPL initiatives and Pacific-led projects over the longer term.

The program centers on hosting 15 selected YPL alumni from Pacific Island countries and territories in the United States for a 3-to-5-week exchange. Their activities are meant to align with a wide set of thematic priorities that reflect regional and global challenges: education; environment and resource management; civic engagement; social and economic development; regional security and geopolitics; cultural preservation and traditional knowledge; and health. The exchange is framed as both a leadership accelerator for alumni and a networking platform that connects Pacific leaders with U.S. institutions that could become collaborators, funders, technical partners, or conveners for future YPL and Pacific-focused work.

A key feature of the roadshow is its timing and convening role around major international discussions. The U.S. exchange component is expected to include participation connected to the Partners in the Blue Pacific discussion and the United Nations General Assembly period in September 2024. In addition to these high-level touchpoints, the roadshow should include structured site visits and substantive meetings with U.S. stakeholders across government, the private sector, and civil society. While Washington, D.C. and New York are explicitly named as primary locations, the opportunity also anticipates travel to other U.S. states where relevant organizations and potential partners are based, depending on the program design and partnership strategy proposed by the applicant.

Funding is offered as a discretionary cooperative agreement, meaning the selected recipient should expect active engagement and collaboration with the U.S. government during program implementation rather than a fully hands-off grant. The opportunity is expected to make one award with a maximum budget of $250,000. Eligible applicants include U.S. and non-U.S. nonprofits (including those with and without 501(c)(3) status) as well as public, state-controlled, and private institutions of higher education, reflecting a preference for organizations with the administrative capacity to manage international exchanges, participant support, travel logistics, and coordinated programming across multiple cities and sectors.

Administratively, the opportunity is issued by the U.S. Mission to New Zealand under Funding Opportunity Number PDS NEWZEALAND 2024 06, categorized under community development (CFDA 19.040). Applications were due July 31, 2024. Overall, this grant is designed for an organization capable of curating a high-impact U.S. itinerary that combines leadership development, policy and professional exposure, and strategic relationship-building, while also serving as a marketing and partnership engine for the broader Young Pacific Leaders program.

• The U.S. Mission to New Zealand in the community development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Young Pacific Leaders – Alumni Roadshow" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on 2024-06-16.
• Applicants must submit their applications by 2024-07-31. (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 $250,000.00 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, Nonprofits that do not have a 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for PDS NEWZEALAND 2024 06

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