The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future Program is a small grants competition to support innovative initiatives in Southeast Asia. It provides funding for the region’s most promising young leaders to carry out projects that improve their communities, countries, and the region across the program themes of Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education, and Environmental Issues. The program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State and is funded through a grant from the U.S. Mission to ASEAN. Cultural Vistas began administering the program in 2017.
Call for Applications
Cultural Vistas and the U.S. Mission to ASEAN are pleased to announce that the YSEALI Seeds for the Future program is now accepting applications for the 2024 grant competition.
The application deadline is November 16, 2023 at 11:59 PM (UTC+07 Jakarta time).
The competition, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, provides funding of up to $15,000. Selected projects will address issues or opportunities related to the four core YSEALI themes:
• Civic Engagement
• Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship
• Education
• Environmental Issues
Teams will be selected to receive a small grant to implement a project in one or more of the YSEALI member nations. Projects that involve more than one country will receive extra weight in the evaluation process! Applicant teams must submit a detailed proposal, budget, and other supporting documentation. Each team must have at least three core members; they must designate a Project Leader, a Project Secretary, and a Project Treasurer. Please follow additional detailed instructions in the application linked in the button below.
Apply Here
To be eligible, all core team-members (Project Leader, Secretary, and Treasurer) must be 18-35 years old, be registered members of YSEALI, and be citizens of one of the 11 YSEALI nations: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, Vietnam.
To learn more about preparing a successful YSEALI Seeds application, please join the weekly webinar series. Please note, all live webinar times are in Western Indonesia time zone.
October 26, 7:00 pm (UTC+7 Jakarta)
How to Create a Successful YSEALI Seeds Application
In this first webinar, we will discuss what makes a great YSEALI Seeds application, what are some mistakes to avoid and how to stand out from the pool of applicants with your project idea.
Register to join
November 1, 7:00 pm (UTC+7 Jakarta)
Your YSEALI Seeds Theme and Budget
This second webinar in our series will touch on developing your unique brand within one of the YSEALI Seeds themes – Civic Engagement, Economic Empowerment and Social Entrepreneurship, Education, and Environmental Issues. We will also discuss what goes into creating a smart, reasonable, and trustworthy budget for your project.
Register to join
November 8, 7:00 pm (UTC+7 Jakarta)
Ask YSEALI Seeds Grantees
Do you want to learn first-hand about the YSEALI Seeds experience? Join this third and final webinar in our series where you can directly ask of our YSEALI Seeds alumni who have completed successful projects through the program.
Register to join
