The Fiscal Year 2025 Youth Ambassadors Europe program is a funding opportunity offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, Youth Programs Division. This initiative focuses on fostering civic engagement, leadership development, and pluralism through an environmental sustainability lens. The program will involve approximately 30 Russian youth, ages 18 to 22, in two cohorts. Each cohort will participate in a four-week exchange program in the United States during the summers of 2025 and 2026. Participants will also develop follow-on projects to implement in their home communities upon their return.

Eligible applicants for this cooperative agreement include U.S.-based nonprofit organizations, public and private educational institutions, and other entities with at least four years of experience conducting international exchanges. Applicants must demonstrate a strong capacity to recruit participants, particularly those from underserved communities, and to design age-appropriate, culturally relevant programming. The award amount is approximately seven hundred twenty thousand dollars, and the performance period will be twenty-four months.

The program’s objectives are to prepare youth as responsible citizens and leaders, empower them to address community issues, and promote mutual understanding between the United States and participating countries. Activities during the exchange will include workshops, leadership training, community service projects, and opportunities to engage with American peers. Participants will primarily live with U.S. host families to facilitate cultural immersion and interaction.

Applicants must align their proposals with the ECA’s MODE Framework, which emphasizes measuring cultural understanding, fostering civic engagement, and developing leadership skills. Program performance will be monitored, and data must be collected, analyzed, and reported through the Results Performance Monitoring system. Proposals should also include virtual components to supplement in-person exchanges, ensuring program continuity in case of travel disruptions.

A comprehensive plan for diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility must be integrated into the program design. This plan should outline strategies to engage underserved communities and ensure inclusivity throughout recruitment, administration, and program activities.

Applications must be submitted electronically through Grants.gov no later than January twentieth, two thousand twenty-five at eleven fifty-nine PM Eastern Time. Required documents include the SF-424 application form, a detailed proposal narrative, a program budget, and a budget narrative. Organizations are limited to submitting one application. Late or incomplete submissions will not be reviewed. Final funding decisions will be made by the ECA Assistant Secretary, and successful applicants will be notified following the review and selection process.