Description
The Office of Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs (AF/PDPA), Africa Regional Services, of the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of African Affairs is seeking proposal submissions for one cooperative agreement to design, implement, and oversee two separate events to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI): 1) a livestream virtual program open to the public; and 2) a virtual summit for 15,000 to 25,000 participants. Established in 2010, YALI is the U.S. government’s signature effort to invest in the next generation of African leaders. Over the past decade, YALI has grown to include the Mandela Washington Fellowship exchange program, four Regional Leadership Centers (RLCs) in Africa, and an extensive digital community called the YALI Network. These programs aim to strengthen democratic institutions and good governance, spur economic growth and prosperity, and foster peace and security in Africa. The award recipient will be responsible for planning and administering all components and aspects of the anniversary programs. The award recipient will support public engagement and outreach by approximately 49 U.S. embassies and consulates in Sub-Saharan Africa to YALI participants, including alumni of the Mandela Washington Fellowship exchange program, alumni of the RLCs, and members of the YALI Network. The award recipient should design the livestream and summit, which includes participant registration, content and schedule for both events, and all technical aspects of livestream and digital virtual conference. The livestream program should take place over the course of one day and be no longer than four hours. The Summit should take place over the course of 3-5 consecutive days and include a total of 10-15 hours of programming, although plans may include simultaneous “breakout sessions” for smaller sub-groups of participants that occur within the same hour. Please see Section A. Program Description, below for more information on this program component. AF/PDPA welcomes applications from U.S. and African public and private non-profit organizations, consortia of organizations, and accredited post-secondary U.S. education institutions meeting the provisions described in Internal Revenue Code section 26 USC 501(c)(3). Please see Section B. Federal Award Information, below for additional details. AF/PDPA reserves the right to reduce, revise, or increase proposal budgets, participant numbers, the number of workshops, and/or countries based on program needs and the availability of U.S. government funding (see Section C. Eligibility Information).