U.S. Department of State Grant: Developing Young Pacific Leaders for Regional Development

The U.S. Mission New Zealand Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce an open competition for organizations interested in submitting proposals to organize a comprehensive small grants program designed to provide emerging Pacific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to become leaders in the region’s economic and civic development. As a Pacific nation, the United States has long been committed to working with partners in the region to ensure continued regional security, as well as economic growth and development. This program for young leaders will create ties across the Pacific to ensure that we are better prepared to address challenges together in the future. 

The State Department has convened a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) small grants program annually since 2018, with training workshops taking place in New Zealand. All these small grants programs shared the goal of building leadership capacity and creating ties among emerging leaders from across the Pacific region (see below for a list of participating countries). This year, the small grants program should bring together a group of emerging leaders, ages 25-35, with the goal of providing them with practical leadership skills and a deeper knowledge of regional issues related to the four pillars of the YPL program: civic engagement, environment/resource management, education, and economic and social development. The small grants program should also help participants work with their peers on issues that affect the region. 

The small grants program should emphasize experiential learning and capacity building in order to equip participants with the tools they need for success. We encourage pre- and post-small grants programming. The location of the in-person training workshops should be in New Zealand.

Goals of the small grants should include: 

·        Developing the knowledge and skills of youth in the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand, to become economic and civil society leaders who cooperate across the region to address difficult issues. 

·        Ensuring that emerging Pacific Islands leaders see the United States as a partner in solving regional and global challenges. 

·        Building a network of emerging Pacific leaders that can share best practices and collaborate on shared challenges.  

·        All programs must include an element that will promote increased understanding of the United States including, but not limited to U.S. policy, people, culture, values, and/or perspectives.