Kazakhstan Youth Leadership Camp for FLEX Alternates

Freedom 250: Kazakhstan Youth Leadership Camp

Agency: U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan

Assistance Listings: 19.040 -- Public Diplomacy Programs

Last Updated: March 13, 2026 View version history on Grants.gov

Description

The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan announces an open competition to implement a youth leadership camp in summer 2026, exclusively targeting FLEX program alternates, highly qualified exchange program applicants not selected as finalists due to limited spaces.  The camp will provide up to 50 FLEX alternates with an intensive entrepreneurship and job skills-building experience, focusing on U.S. best practices, American excellence, and leadership development. Themes will include U.S. entrepreneurship case studies, business project design, public speaking in English, and financial literacy. U.S. speakers will be invited as trainers, and FLEX alumni will serve as mentors. In recognition of Freedom250 - the 2026 commemoration of the United States' founding - this program will deepen participants' understanding of American values of innovation, entrepreneurship, and opportunity, equipping them with career skills to champion U.S.-Kazakhstan economic cooperation and partnerships with American businesses as they emerge as future leaders. The most active participants will have the opportunity to implement local entrepreneurship projects after the camp. Proposals that leverage U.S. Department of State resources such as RELO, American Spaces, Makerspaces, and EducationUSA will be given preference. The camp will extend the impact of FLEX to wider audiences in Kazakhstan and develop a new cadre of future leaders to support long-term U.S.-Kazakhstan cooperation.

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This project will increase youth engagement with USG alumni and American peers, improve job skills and understanding of U.S. entrepreneurship models among Kazakh youth, and foster a network of youth leaders with a strong interest in the United States.

Project Audience(s): The primary audience for this project includes young people between the ages of 15 and 17 years old, who were semi-finalists and alternates of FLEX youth exchange program in the 2026-2027 academic year. Youth should include:

●      High school students;

●      First- and second-year college students;

●      Alternates of FLEX program from various regions of Kazakhstan, including from outside of Astana and Almaty.

Applicants should propose a location for the camp. This is essential in fostering a network of young leaders who can drive positive change across the whole country.

Project Goal: Support youth leadership and entrepreneurship development, as well as understanding of U.S. excellence, by developing a network of up to 50 promising FLEX exchange program applicants.

● Objective 1: ** Equip up to 50 Kazakh youth with improved leadership and career preparation skills, resulting in at least 80% of participants demonstrating a 20% or greater improvement in leadership, job skills, and career preparation skills, as measured through standardized pre- and post-training assessments and observation rubrics aligned with specific skill benchmarks.

● Objective 2: Develop greater understanding of U.S. business culture and entrepreneurial models (e.g. innovation-driven business planning, social entrepreneurship, startup ecosystems) among youth participants by facilitating interactive camp activities that explore these themes, resulting in at least 80% of participants demonstrating increased knowledge on key aspects of U.S. business culture and entrepreneurship addressed in camp activities (e.g., values, traditions, history), as measured by a pre-and post-camp knowledge assessment.

● Objective 3: Increase the ability of youth to develop and implement entrepreneurship ideas according to U.S. business practices, resulting in at least 80% of participants developing and submitting a project proposal, with 50% of the proposals scoring a minimum score of 75, as evaluated by a standardized rubric.

● Objective 4: Facilitate networking and collaboration between participating youth and USG exchange program alumni, resulting in sustained mentorship between alumni and 10-15% of youth participants continuing three months beyond the camp, tracked through follow up surveys and alumni engagement logs.

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Eligibility

Eligible applicants

Miscellaneous

• Other

Additional information

The following organizations are eligible to apply: ● Not-for-profit organizations, including think tanks and civil society/non-governmental organizations ● Public and private educational institutions● Public International Organizations and Governmental institutions

Grantor contact information

Description

kzpdsgrantproposal@state.gov

Email

kzpdsgrantproposal@state.gov

kzpdsgrantproposal@state.gov

Documents

Download all
| File name | Description | Last updated |
| --- | --- | --- |
| NOFO-FREEDOM250KazakhstanYouthLeadershipCamp2026.docx | NOFO - FREEDOM 250 Kazakhstan Youth Leadership Camp 2026.docx | Mar 13, 2026 07:14 AM UTC |
| Attachment1-ProposalTemplate.docx | Attachment 1 - Proposal Template.docx | Mar 13, 2026 07:15 AM UTC |
| Attachment2-BudgetNarrativeSampleTemplate.xlsx | Attachment 2 - Budget Narrative Sample Template.xlsx | Mar 13, 2026 07:15 AM UTC |
| Attachment3-ApplicantOrganizationInformationAOI_Survey.docx | Attachment 3 - Applicant Organization Information (AOI) Survey.docx | Mar 13, 2026 07:15 AM UTC |
| Attachment4-MEPerformanceMonitoringPlanExcelversion.xlsx | Attachment 4 - M&E Performance Monitoring Plan (Excel version).xlsx | Mar 13, 2026 07:15 AM UTC |
| Attachment5-Instructions-MEPerformanceMonitoringPlan_PMP.docx | Attachment 5 - Instructions - M&E Performance Monitoring Plan (PMP).docx | Mar 13, 2026 07:16 AM UTC |
| Mandatory_SF-424.pdf | Mandatory SF-424.pdf | Mar 13, 2026 07:16 AM UTC |
| Mandatory_SF-424A.pdf | Mandatory SF-424A.pdf | Mar 13, 2026 07:16 AM UTC |
| Mandatory_SF-424B.pdf | Mandatory SF-424B.pdf | Mar 13, 2026 07:16 AM UTC |

Link to additional information

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Closing: April 17, 2026

Application process

This site is a work in progress. Go to www.grants.gov to apply, track application status, and subscribe to updates. View on Grants.gov

Award

$80,000

Program Funding

1

Expected awards

$40,000

Award Minimum

$80,000

Award Maximum

Funding opportunity number:

DOS-KAZ-AST-PDS-26-001

Cost sharing or matching requirement:

No Funding instrument type:

Cooperative agreement

Opportunity Category:

Discretionary

Opportunity Category Explanation:

-- Category of Funding Activity:

Other

Category Explanation:

The U.S. Mission to Kazakhstan announces an open competition to implement a youth leadership camp in summer 2026, exclusively targeting FLEX program alternates, highly qualified exchange program applicants not selected as finalists due to limited spaces. The camp will provide up to 50 FLEX alternates with an intensive entrepreneurship and job skills-building experience, focusing on U.S. best practices, American excellence, and leadership development.

History

Version:

1

Posted date:

March 13, 2026

Archive date:

May 17, 2026