About the Reciprocal Exchange

The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders — the flagship program of the U.S. Government’s Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI) — was created in 2014 to invest in the next generation of African leaders.  The Fellowship’s Reciprocal Exchange component provides U.S. professionals with the opportunity to build upon strategic partnerships and professional connections developed during the Mandela Washington Fellowship.  The Reciprocal Exchange component provides funds for U.S. professionals to implement in-person or hybrid projects in sub-Saharan African countries to continue collaborative work with Fellowship Alumni on the continent.  U.S. professionals may include those met during the Fellowship through networking, the Summit, Professional Development Experiences, Givitas, or other activities.

Award Goal

The Reciprocal Exchange component of the Mandela Washington Fellowship aims to provide opportunities for U.S. professionals and Fellowship Alumni to form lasting partnerships, expand markets and networks, and increase mutual understanding between the United States and countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Award Objectives

• The Mandela Washington Fellowship will provide grants of up to $3,000 per selected project to support hybrid Reciprocal Exchange programs or grants of up to $5,000 per selected U.S. Participant to support travel to Sub-Saharan Africa and other program-related costs during the grant period.
• U.S. Participants and Fellowship Alumni will implement a short-term project that directly benefits individuals in the project country during implementation.  Projects should be no longer than four weeks.
• U.S. Participants and Fellowship Alumni will expand their professional networks, gain new business opportunities, build new knowledge or skills, and expand mutual understanding during their Reciprocal Exchange project planning and implementation periods.
• U.S. Participants will actively share skills and knowledge gained during their Reciprocal Exchange with other U.S. citizens in their home communities after implementing their Reciprocal Exchange.

Award Timeline

• Application Deadline: September 22, 2023
• Notification of Award: December 2023
• Grant Period: January 15 – June 30, 2024

General Application Instructions 

Reciprocal Exchange applications must include the following attachments. Applications missing any attachment will be considered incomplete and therefore ineligible. 

• Completed Application Form(click “Apply Now” to begin)
  • Both the U.S. professional and the Fellowship Alumni must work together to complete an application form.  The application is available at the link below. 
  • All responses must be in English.
  • Include your full legal name as it is spelled in your international passport. 
  • Provide complete contact information, including postal index codes for all addresses and country and area codes for telephone numbers.
  • Answers to essay questions should not exceed 300 words (approximately 2,000 characters) per question.
• Completed Work Plan (download)
  • Eligible work plans must use the template provided and comply with the requirements outlined in the template’s Guidelines tab. 
• Completed Budget Form (download)
  • All costs should be in U.S. dollars.
  • Eligible budgets must use the provided template and comply with the requirements outlined in the template’s Guidelines tab.
  • Budgets should reflect total estimated costs of project implementation, inclusive of expenses that will be provided in-kind and/or through cost-share.
• Professional Resumes: Resumes for all candidates should demonstrate that the applicants are well-qualified to implement the proposed project.  They must be submitted in English and may be no longer than two pages.

Please note the following: 

• Applications must be received on or before the due date.  Applications received after the deadline may not be considered.
• Fellowship Alumni and U.S. professionals must collaborate on all application materials, including the work plan and budget.  Questions in each portion of the applications are similar but require individual answers from the Fellowship Alumni and U.S. professional(s). 
• For projects with multiple U.S. professionals or Fellowship Alumni, the primary U.S. professional and primary Fellowship Alumni should complete the application together.
• Please do not leave any space blank.  If a question does not apply to you, write N/A (not applicable). 

Read more details HERE

Click here to APPLY