YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – LOCAL PARTNER | 011 FY2022

Opportunity Information: Apply for 011 FY2022

The Youth Leadership Program - Local Partner grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number 011, FY2022) is a cooperative agreement offered by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, through its Public Diplomacy Section (PDS). It invites Bosnia and Herzegovinian public and private non-profit organizations to apply to serve as the local implementing partner for the Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) component of a larger Youth Leadership and Teacher Professional Development Program, contingent on the availability of FY 2022 AEECA funds. The opportunity was posted June 28, 2022, with an original closing date of July 29, 2022, and anticipates making one award with a ceiling of $130,000 under CFDA 19.900.

At its core, the award supports a structured youth civic leadership exchange that combines a U.S.-based experience with sustained community-based follow-on work in BiH. The local partner is expected to help deliver a single cohort program for 21 total participants: 18 high school students ages 15 to 19 and 3 teachers. A key design requirement is that participants come from three different communities in BiH in a way that reflects the country’s diversity and administrative divisions, meaning the selection and composition of the group should intentionally represent a broad mix of identities, perspectives, and local contexts.

The program’s main exchange component is a three to four week visit to the United States, and it must take place in at least two different U.S. cities. Before travel, the program must include a pre-departure orientation held in Sarajevo that covers general preparation, program-specific expectations, and intercultural training. After participants return to BiH, the program continues through an approximately eight-month period during which participants design and carry out a Community Action Project (CAP) in their home communities. This extended follow-on period is not optional; it is built into the program model and must be actively supported and monitored by the implementer.

Program content is expected to be hands-on and skills-oriented rather than purely lecture-based. Required instructional methods include group discussions, experiential learning activities, and structured exercises that develop leadership and teamwork while also building concrete competencies such as collective problem-solving, effective communication, management skills, and appreciation of diversity. In addition to general leadership development, the program must provide an in-depth exploration of youth civic education and engagement themes. The notice frames these themes broadly and encourages substantive exposure to topics like citizenship, community building, economic development, grassroots activism, political leadership, and volunteerism in contemporary society. Participants should not only learn about these topics but also be pushed to turn learning into practical plans for civic engagement, culminating in actionable CAPs that address real community needs.

A major expectation of the program is that it contributes to the Embassy’s public diplomacy goal of promoting mutual understanding between U.S. citizens and citizens of BiH. For that reason, the program must be designed to include meaningful interaction among BiH participants as well as with American peers and local community actors in the United States. The solicitation also stresses inclusion of diverse BiH political and social viewpoints and other forms of diversity, indicating that recruitment, selection, and programming should be deliberately structured to avoid narrow representation and to encourage respectful cross-community collaboration.

The local partner’s responsibilities cover the full program life cycle: preparation, logistics, participant support, follow-on programming, alumni engagement, evaluation, and grant management. During preparation, the award recipient works with PDS to recruit and help select participants, and in consultation with PDS hires psychologists and any additional staff needed to implement the project. The local partner also co-delivers the Sarajevo pre-departure orientation with PDS and the American implementing partner, ensuring that participants receive both practical travel guidance and intercultural preparation. On the operational side, the local partner administers flight booking and ticket purchases for travel to the United States, manages per diem and travel allowances tied to pre-departure, departure, and arrival, and provides logistics such as conference room and hotel rentals and local transportation connected to program activities. The notice also includes an optional element where one to two team members may travel to the United States for up to seven days to participate in activities alongside the participants and the U.S. partner, coordinated with PDS and the American implementer.

After the U.S. exchange, the local partner plays a central role in ensuring the program has lasting impact in BiH. This includes providing additional instruction and practical skills training to support CAP implementation, arranging logistics for follow-on activities in participating cities (venues, hotels as needed, local transport), and organizing a closing session that helps participants synthesize what they did, document outcomes, and prepare to present follow-on results to U.S. partners and the U.S. Embassy. The local partner must also organize follow-up gatherings that include participants and their parents in the participating cities and in Sarajevo, reinforcing safeguarding, transparency, and community buy-in. Beyond the immediate cohort, the awardee is also expected to support alumni engagement by organizing an alumni reunion, creating a longer-term network effect rather than treating the exchange as a one-off event.

Monitoring, evaluation, and reporting are central requirements. Applicants must design and implement an evaluation plan that measures program impact, and they must include a monitoring approach that tracks follow-on engagement and CAP implementation once participants are back home. Because this is a cooperative agreement, the relationship with the U.S. Embassy is intentionally collaborative and hands-on. The awardee must coordinate closely with PDS, provide timely progress updates, and comply with both financial and program reporting requirements. The awardee is also responsible for managing all financial aspects of the agreement, including per diem disbursements and any sub-awards or partner relationships necessary to deliver the program.

PDS, for its part, retains significant oversight and decision-making authority while supporting implementation. The Embassy assists with recruitment and selection but makes the final participant decisions. PDS provides advice and assistance across program components, supports visa interview processes, and helps facilitate engagement within the Department of State as needed (including with ECA, regional bureaus, and the post). PDS also approves key elements such as host family applications, publicity materials, and the exchange activity calendar. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation are conducted through regular communication and potentially site visits, and PDS performs an annual performance evaluation/review. Continued administration and any option-year execution are explicitly conditioned on satisfactory performance and the availability of funds.

Overall, this opportunity funds a BiH organization to serve as the on-the-ground operational and programmatic backbone for a selective youth leadership exchange: recruiting a diverse cohort, preparing them for a multi-city U.S. experience, and then sustaining momentum through structured follow-on training and an eight-month community action phase, all while meeting rigorous monitoring, evaluation, and financial management expectations under close Embassy collaboration.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina in the education sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "YOUTH LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – LOCAL PARTNER" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.900.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 28, 2022.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Jul 29, 2022. (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 $130,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).

Apply for 011 FY2022

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