Young Pacific Leaders Conference 2022 | PAS NEWZEALAND 2021 02

Opportunity Information: Apply for PAS NEWZEALAND 2021 02

The Young Pacific Leaders Conference 2022 grant opportunity (Funding Opportunity Number: PAS NEWZEALAND 2021 02) is a U.S. Department of State program administered through the U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Affairs Section. It invites eligible organizations to submit proposals to design and run a comprehensive leadership conference and related programming for emerging leaders from across the Pacific region. The overall purpose is to strengthen leadership capacity among young professionals and community leaders and to deepen regional connections that support long-term economic growth, civic development, and shared security interests across the Pacific.

At the center of the project is an in-person Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference that continues a multi-year series the State Department has held for the past seven years in locations such as American Samoa, Samoa, New Zealand, Hawaii, Fiji, and Papua New Guinea. The 2022 conference is intended to convene a diverse cohort of participants aged roughly 25 to 35 and provide them with practical, usable leadership skills alongside a stronger understanding of key regional issues. The content is expected to align with the four pillars of the YPL program: civic engagement, environment and resource management, education, and economic and social development. Beyond training, the program is meant to help participants expand their professional networks and collaborate with peers on challenges facing Pacific communities.

A major emphasis of the requested program design is experiential learning and hands-on capacity building rather than purely lecture-based sessions. Applicants are encouraged to incorporate interactive formats such as workshops, scenario-based exercises, collaborative problem-solving, and other applied activities that build real-world skills participants can take back to their communities and organizations. The opportunity also explicitly encourages pre-conference and post-conference components to reinforce learning outcomes and sustain momentum after the main event, which suggests the State Department is looking for a program that supports continued engagement, follow-up, and relationship-building rather than a one-off conference.

The conference location is expected to be Guam. Hosting the program there is framed as a way to highlight the United States as a Pacific nation and to underscore U.S. connections and long-term engagement in the region. In practical terms, proposals would need to reflect the operational realities of convening an international, region-wide group in Guam and to design programming that makes meaningful use of the setting to support the conference goals.

The award is structured as a cooperative agreement, meaning the Department of State anticipates an active partnership role in shaping or overseeing aspects of the project during implementation. The opportunity is categorized under regional development, with CFDA number 19.040. The program anticipates making one award, with a maximum funding amount (award ceiling) of $250,000. The funding opportunity was created on June 29, 2021, and the original application closing date listed is August 1, 2021.

Eligibility is open to a range of organizational types that can credibly manage an international leadership program, including public and state-controlled institutions of higher education, private institutions of higher education, nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status, and nonprofits without 501(c)(3) status (in both nonprofit categories, other than institutions of higher education). Overall, the government is seeking an organization capable of delivering a well-designed, participant-centered leadership experience that builds practical skills, strengthens cross-Pacific networks, and advances collaboration on shared regional priorities under the YPL framework.

• The Department of State, U.S. Mission to New Zealand in the regional development sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "Young Pacific Leaders Conference 2022" and is now available to receive applicants.
• Interested and eligible applicants and submit their applications by referencing the CFDA number(s): 19.040.
• This funding opportunity was created on Jun 29, 2021.
• Applicants must submit their applications by Aug 01, 2021. (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 $250,000.00 in funding.
• The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
• Eligible applicants include: Public and State controlled institutions of higher education, Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Nonprofits that do not have a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Private institutions of higher education.

Apply for PAS NEWZEALAND 2021 02

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