Opportunity Information: Apply for PD SEOUL TOKYO FY23 01

The U.S. Embassy Seoul Public Diplomacy Section and the U.S. Embassy Tokyo Public Affairs Section are offering a joint public diplomacy grant to launch an inaugural Trilateral Global Youth Leadership Forum that strengthens ties among the United States, the Republic of Korea, and Japan. The opportunity sits under the U.S. Embassy Seoul PD Small Grants umbrella and is framed as a response to mounting Indo-Pacific challenges such as security tensions, trade and financial uncertainty, and environmental instability. The core idea is to use U.S. convening power to create a reliable forum where emerging youth leaders from Korea and Japan can build relationships, compare approaches to civic leadership, and work together on issues that affect the alliance and the broader region.

This funding opportunity (PD-SEOUL-TOKYO-FY23-01) was posted by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Mission to South Korea, with applications due May 22, 2023 at 11:59 p.m. GMT+9. It is a discretionary award issued as a cooperative agreement (meaning the U.S. government expects to stay actively involved in the project rather than simply funding it at arm's length). The CFDA listing is 19.040 (Public Diplomacy Programs). The total amount available is up to $180,000, subject to funding availability, with an expectation of making one award.

Programmatically, the forum is designed around a small, highly selective cohort of about 35 participants aged 18 to 30 who are fluent in English and have a track record of outstanding leadership in their communities or in local and regional youth programs. The embassies are looking for people who have already demonstrated they can push for constructive change and who can collaborate across borders with peers who share a similar mindset. Applicants from underrepresented regions and constituencies are encouraged, and alumni of prior U.S. government-sponsored programs are explicitly welcomed. The selection process is intended to be structured and competitive: participants would apply through a standardized online application promoted via a public website and associated outreach and social media, with the U.S. Embassy Seoul, U.S. Embassy Tokyo, and a U.S.-based grantee jointly vetting candidates. The U.S. government retains final approval over participant selection.

The proposed program has three major components that the grantee would be expected to deliver. First, there should be at least four weeks of virtual engagement before the in-person event. These sessions are meant to build momentum, help participants get to know one another, and shape clear objectives and a practical agenda for the summit. The virtual phase is also supposed to bring in subject matter experts from the United States, Japan, and Korea (from academia, civil society, and government) to discuss trends affecting the trilateral relationship, effective youth civic engagement, and other topics tied to the theme of global youth leadership. In addition, the program aims to connect the cohort with leaders from other U.S.-supported regional initiatives, such as YSEALI and the Young Pacific Leaders initiative, to broaden participants' understanding of Indo-Pacific issues and show how youth networks have collaborated successfully elsewhere in the region.

Second, the program culminates in an in-person summit, anticipated to be held in either Korea or Japan in late 2023 and lasting at least two to three days (the text also describes a two-day summit structure). The summit is envisioned as a mix of lectures, facilitated workshops, and skills-based training focused on practical leadership tools: organizing, advocacy, civic engagement, and communicating about complex international challenges. Content areas are intentionally broad and policy-relevant, including climate change, regional security, trade, and science and technology, among others. The embassies expect the summit to feature expert trainers recruited from Japan and Korea, while also creating space for the participants themselves to lead peer-learning sessions based on what they have done in their own communities and organizations. The host-country embassy would support high-level engagement and visibility elements such as a diplomatic reception, senior-level meetings, and public-facing communications, while the grantee would handle program execution details and arrange limited visits to relevant cultural and/or political sites.

Third, the grant emphasizes structured follow-on work rather than a one-off conference. The summit is supposed to produce a concrete, actionable implementation plan for establishing a regular annual trilateral youth summit beginning in 2024. Participants would be organized into working groups to design key pieces of that future forum, including themes, governance and membership requirements, venue options, policy focus areas, and communications strategy. After the 2023 summit, the grantee would continue coordinating with both embassies and the emerging youth leadership group through follow-on virtual sessions (including a check-in about a month after the summit) to keep the plan on track and support the cohort as it transitions from attendees into organizers.

A distinctive feature of this opportunity is its long-term leadership pipeline approach. The initial cohort is not only meant to learn and network, but also to become a tight-knit group of trilateral "youth ambassadors" who can advise on youth perspectives and help steer future trilateral programming. The plan is to leverage these same participants as an organizing or steering committee that collaborates with the embassies and relevant Department of State offices on themes, logistics, and strategic direction for follow-on initiatives. The notice also signals that additional cross-border activities proposed by the cohort could be sustained through small grants co-funded by the U.S. Embassies in Tokyo and Seoul, reinforcing the idea that the inaugural program is a launchpad for continued collaboration rather than a standalone event.

In terms of eligibility, the opportunity is open to U.S.-based implementers, including nonprofits with 501(c)(3) status (other than institutions of higher education), with additional eligible applicant categories referenced in the notice. Funding is authorized under FY23 Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy funds, aligning the program with the State Department's broader mandate to build mutual understanding and strengthen international partnerships through people-to-people exchange and leadership development.

  • The Department of State, U.S. Mission to South Korea in the other (see text field entitled explanation of other category of funding activity for clarification) sector is offering a public funding opportunity titled "U.S. Embassy Seoul PD Small Grants Program" 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 Apr 21, 2023.
  • Applicants must submit their applications by May 22, 2023. (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 $180,000.00 in funding.
  • The number of recipients for this funding is limited to 1 candidate(s).
  • Eligible applicants include: Nonprofits having a 501(c)(3) status with the IRS, other than institutions of higher education, Others (see text field entitled Additional Information on Eligibility for clarification).
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