Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit

The Young Trilateral Leaders Summit is a federal funding opportunity administered by the U.S. Department of State through the U.S. Embassy in Seoul under its Public Diplomacy programming authority. This initiative is part of broader diplomatic efforts to strengthen cooperation among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan by cultivating emerging leaders who are positioned to influence policy, technology, and security collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region. The program reflects strategic priorities tied to regional stability, technological advancement, and trilateral alignment, and is funded under the Smith-Mundt Act authority. The purpose of the program is to design and implement a comprehensive international leadership summit in the Republic of Korea that convenes approximately fifty emerging leaders aged eighteen to thirty five. These participants are drawn primarily from the United States, South Korea, and Japan, with limited inclusion from other Indo-Pacific countries. The summit is structured as an action-oriented policy lab focused on security and technology issues, including maritime security, artificial intelligence, quantum technologies, critical mineral supply chains, and governance of emerging technologies. The overarching objective is to cultivate a network of future leaders with the technical expertise and geopolitical alignment necessary to advance trilateral cooperation. Funding for this opportunity is provided through a single cooperative agreement with a total award amount of two hundred fifty thousand dollars, subject to the availability of funds. The performance period ranges from twelve to twenty four months, with an anticipated start date in October 2026. Funds are intended to support all aspects of program design and implementation, including participant recruitment, international travel and lodging, venue coordination, speaker engagement, program materials, monitoring and evaluation, and follow-on activities. Applicants must ensure that funding is not used for prohibited costs such as alcoholic beverages or disallowed subawards, including any support to restricted entities. Eligibility is limited to organizations rather than individuals. Eligible applicants include nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, public international organizations, and governmental institutions that demonstrate the capacity to manage complex international programs. Applicants must possess experience in organizing international events, coordinating cross-border logistics, and delivering policy-oriented programming. They are also required to maintain active registration in the System for Award Management and hold a valid Unique Entity Identifier. The program expects applicants to demonstrate familiarity with the policy environments of the United States, South Korea, and Japan, as well as the broader Indo-Pacific region. The application process requires submission of standard federal forms along with a detailed proposal narrative of up to ten pages. Required components include a proposal summary, organizational background, problem statement, project goals and objectives, activity descriptions, implementation strategy, timeline, staffing plan, and monitoring and evaluation framework. Applicants must also submit a detailed budget and justification narrative, along with supporting documentation such as resumes of key personnel and letters of support from partners. Applications must be submitted via email by the stated deadline, and all materials must adhere to formatting and content requirements specified in the notice. Applications are evaluated based on several criteria, including strategic relevance, quality and feasibility of project design, organizational capacity, effectiveness of monitoring and evaluation plans, cost efficiency, and potential for long-term impact. The U.S. Embassy in Seoul plays an active role in the program through substantial involvement in participant selection, agenda development, and program execution. Successful applicants will be notified by the end of September 2026, and the Department of State reserves the right to reject proposals or modify funding based on program priorities and available resources.

Align proposal closely with trilateral cooperation priorities demonstrate strong logistics capability and provide detailed measurable outcomes