FY 2025 Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) Program: Overseas Components - DFOP0017284
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Only one proposal will be considered by ECA from each applicant organization. In cases where more than one submission from an applicant appears in grants.gov, ECA will only consider the submission made closest in time to the NOFO deadline; that submission would constitute the one and only proposal ECA would review from that applicant. Please note: Applicant organizations are defined by their legal name, and EIN number as stated on their completed SF-424 and additional supporting documentation outlined in the PSI document.
Executive Summary
Priority Region: 30 countries of strategic importance
The Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study (YES) program strengthens national security by engaging emerging young leaders from the United States and from countries of strategic importance. YES is a merit-based, academic-year program consisting of two exchange cohorts: YES and YES Abroad. YES brings approximately 450 high school participants to the United States each year from approximately 30 countries of strategic importance. Participants live with volunteer Americans host families in all 50 states, study in U.S. high schools, engage in community service activities, and learn leadership skills for an academic year. YES Abroad sends approximately 60 American high school participants abroad each year to select YES countries for a similar program.
The FY 2025 Kennedy-Lugar YES Program: Overseas Components cooperative agreement, which is the subject of this NOFO, will fund the recruitment, selection, orientation, travel, liaison activities with natural parents, and alumni support for international and U.S. participants. This award will also fund the placement and support of U.S. participants abroad. Participant placement and support for the international participants in the United States will be conducted under separate awards. The exchanges for both cohorts will take place during the 2026-27 academic year.
The YES and YES Abroad programs strengthen U.S. national security by developing the next generation of leaders from the United States and 30 countries of strategic importance in all world regions. The YES inbound program exposes participants to American culture and values and cultivates their lifelong affinity for the United States. YES Abroad develops the cultural, linguistic, and leadership skills of American youth, making them more competitive in the workforce. YES boosts the U.S. economy because the bulk of the program funding is spent in American host communities, most often in small towns and rural areas, across all 50 states.