Apply Now for the Young Leaders of the Americas (YLAI) Fellowship Program 2025: Fully Funded Opportunity for Young Entrepreneurs in the Americas

About the Fellowship

The Young Leaders of the Americas (YLAI) Fellowship Program empowers younger entrepreneurs from Latin America, the Caribbean, and Canada to broaden their entrepreneurial ventures, enhance their management abilities, and contribute to financial growth in their communities. Since its launch in 2015, the program has supported over 1,750 Fellows, serving to them strengthen their companies and construct lasting connections that appeal to funding and collaboration.

Through a mix of skilled placements, management coaching, and networking, YLAI Fellows achieve helpful expertise and sources to speed up their entrepreneurial success. Fellows will develop their Entrepreneurial Leadership Action Plan (E-LAP), which they’ll implement upon returning to their home international locations, constructing networks and partnerships to assist their ventures.

Program Components

• Four-Week Professional Placement: YLAI Fellows achieve hands-on expertise by collaborating with entrepreneurial organizations in U.S. cities, specializing in their enterprise sector. Fellows work alongside their host organizations to develop their E-LAP.

• YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum: The program features a combine of on-line and in-person coursework designed by IREX and Arizona State University (ASU). This curriculum combines technical entrepreneurship coaching with management growth, serving to Fellows set and obtain their entrepreneurial targets.

• Opening Orientation in the U.S.: Upon arrival, Fellows attend an orientation occasion the place they meet YLAI advisors, study program insurance policies, and join with different members.

• Closing Forum in Washington, D.C.: Fellows take part in a discussion board with U.S. enterprise leaders, authorities representatives, and different entrepreneurial stakeholders, fostering helpful networking alternatives.

• Post-Fellowship Sustained Engagement: After finishing the fellowship, Fellows proceed their collaboration with U.S. companions and have entry to mentorships, skilled growth alternatives, and alumni actions. They might also take part in the Outbound Exchange Program to share their experience with U.S. hosts in their home international locations.

Financial Provisions of the YLAI Fellowship Program

The U.S. Government covers all program-related prices, together with:

• J-1 visa assist (with out dependent assist)

• Round-trip journey to the U.S. and home U.S. journey

• YLAI Entrepreneurial Leadership Curriculum and mentorship

• Housing and meal stipend throughout the program

• Accident and illness profit plan

There isn’t any payment to apply for the YLAI Fellowship Program.

Eligibility

Applicants should:

• Be between 25 and 35 years previous by January 1, 2026.

• Be a citizen and resident of one of the collaborating international locations in Latin America, the Caribbean, or Canada*: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Aruba, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Maarten, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Uruguay, Venezuela.

• Have a confirmed monitor document of rising their enterprise for at the very least two years.

• Not be a U.S. citizen or everlasting resident.

• Be proficient in studying, writing, and talking English with out help from generative AI.

• Not be a U.S. authorities worker.

The fellowship is open to candidates regardless of race, shade, faith, intercourse, sexuality, nationwide origin, incapacity, or different protected traits.

Applications not assembly the above technical eligibility necessities is not going to be forwarded to the choice committee. If you don’t meet the technical eligibility necessities for this program, we invite you to hitch the YLAI Network and go to exchanges.state.gov  for data on different U.S. Department of State trade alternatives.

*Applications are thought of based mostly on content material and program qualification, not grammar or spelling. English proficiency will likely be evaluated throughout the dwell semifinalist interviews, and we encourage private and candid responses.   

Selection Criteria

The YLAI Fellowship Program is a merit-based competitors, and purposes are evaluated based mostly on:

• Professional entrepreneurial expertise and data.

• Commitment to neighborhood service and making use of entrepreneurial abilities to learn your neighborhood.

• Alignment of private {and professional} targets with the program’s aims.

• Leadership, perseverance, and initiative.

• Effective communication abilities in English (evaluated throughout the interview course of).

General Application Instructions and Tips 

The goal of the application is to gather data and to higher perceive an applicant’s {qualifications} for the YLAI Fellowship Program. Questions are designed to seize the applicant’s skilled background, expertise with their very own enterprise, and English language proficiency. The application may also embody the applicant’s work historical past and enterprise profile. 

• The YLAI Fellowship Program makes use of an internet-based application system. You will want entry to a pc or cellular system and the web to apply. If you’re unable to finish this on-line application because of a incapacity, please e mail apply.ylaifellowship@irex.org. The YLAI Team at IREX will coordinate with you straight relating to application lodging.
• You don’t have to complete your application in one session. You could save your work and return to finish your application as many instances as crucial. Once you could have submitted your application, you’ll be able to now not add any further data or make any adjustments. All data have to be entered previous to your remaining submission. You should submit your accomplished application by the deadline.
• Answer all questions on the application in English.
• All fields marked with an * have to be accomplished.
• All solutions in the application, together with written responses to essays, have to be your personal, authentic work. Using generative AI instruments or language copied from different previous applicant essays or utilizing language from web sites is taken into account plagiarism and can consequence in disqualification.  
• You could want to evaluation the application and its questions earlier than filling out the application. Some candidates discover it useful to draft their responses offline (in a separate Word doc for instance) after which minimize and paste their responses into the applicable sections of the application.
• This is the official application for the YLAI Fellowship Program administered by the U.S. Department of State. Only these candidates who full this application will likely be thought of. Applications and knowledge submitted by way of e mail or different means is not going to be thought of.

Terms and Conditions

All application data have to be entered earlier than submission. Once submitted, no additional adjustments may be made. The program solely accepts purposes by way of the official on-line platform, and purposes submitted by way of e mail or different means is not going to be thought of.

If secure journey isn’t potential because of unexpected circumstances, the program will likely be performed just about.

Join the Network

Even if you happen to’re not chosen for the fellowship, you’ll be able to nonetheless be part of the YLAI Network. This platform offers alternatives for networking, skilled growth, and collaboration with fellow younger leaders. For extra data, go to the YLAI Network.

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Ready to take your small business to the subsequent degree? Apply for the YLAI Fellowship right now! Visit YLAI Fellowship Application for extra particulars.

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