Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit | PD SEOUL FY26 04

FAQs: 2027 Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit Grant (U.S. Embassy Seoul)

1) What is the 2027 Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Summit grant?

The 2027 YTL Summit grant is a U.S. Embassy Seoul Public Diplomacy funding opportunity to select one organization to design and implement a high-profile, action-oriented leadership summit in the Republic of Korea in or around August 2027. The summit is intended to strengthen U.S.-ROK-Japan trilateral cooperation by building a durable pipeline and network of emerging leaders likely to influence security, technology, and economic policy.

2) What is the assistance listing/CFDA number and funding source?

The opportunity is listed under Assistance Listing/CFDA 19.040 and uses Smith-Mundt Public Diplomacy funds.

3) What type of award is this?

This opportunity is offered as a cooperative agreement. That means the Embassy will be closely involved in planning and delivery (not a hands-off funder) and will play an active role across major program decisions and approvals.

4) How much funding is available, and how many awards are expected?

Total funding is up to $250,000 (subject to availability), with an expected single award.

5) When is the application deadline?

Applications are due Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT+9.

6) How do applicants submit an application?

Applications must be submitted by email to SeoulPDGrants@state.gov.

7) Can the funding details change after the notice is published?

Yes. Final details around the funding source, statutory authority, or total funds may be updated by amendment. Applicants are expected to track changes to the notice.

8) Where and when will the summit take place?

The in-person summit is planned to be held in the Republic of Korea in or around August 2027. The in-person portion is designed as a three-day summit, with participants arriving one day before and departing one day after.

9) How does the 2027 summit fit into the YTL series?

The 2027 summit is positioned as the fourth year of the YTL series, following Busan 2024, Japan 2025, and the United States in August 2026.

10) What is the program trying to achieve?

The primary goal is to cultivate a self-sustaining network of trilateral "Alliance Champions" with practical policy literacy, strong cross-national professional relationships, and alignment with U.S.-ROK-Japan defense, economic, and security frameworks. The Embassy is looking for programming that produces tangible outputs, strengthens coordination instincts across the three countries, and connects participants to real-world professional pipelines that support trilateral cooperation.

11) What is meant by the shift to an "operational" or "security policy lab" model?

The 2027 summit centers on a more action-oriented design that goes beyond discussion. It includes structured working groups producing constrained deliverables, at least one highly realistic crisis tabletop exercise requiring immediate trilateral coordination, and participant action planning that leads to competitively pitched project proposals (with small grants to support implementation for selected teams).

12) Who are the participants, and how many will be included?

The program will convene a cohort of 50 participants ages 18 to 35.

13) What is the expected country representation in the cohort?

The cohort is typically split as 15 participants from the United States, 15 from the Republic of Korea, 15 from Japan, and up to 5 from other key Indo-Pacific countries.

14) What types of backgrounds should participants have?

Participants are expected to come from, or be strongly oriented toward, advanced technology sectors, defense industry roles, security policy work, and strategic finance. If participants are students, they must demonstrate sophisticated awareness of these issues and clear intent to pursue related career pathways.

15) Who has final authority over participant selection?

The U.S. Embassy retains final authority over participant selection. As a result, recruitment and vetting must be rigorous, defensible, and aligned with U.S. public diplomacy and national security priorities.

16) What are the major required program components?

The design is expected to include: recruitment and screening of participants; three to four pre-summit virtual bootcamps; a three-day in-person summit in Korea (plus arrival and departure buffer days); at least one realistic crisis tabletop exercise; eight to ten cross-national working groups producing constrained deliverables; integration of up to five industry leaders or international experts as speakers/mentors (with Embassy approval); an industrial and security-related site visit in Korea (subject to approval); integration of YTL alumni as mentors or facilitators where useful; participant action planning and competitive pitching of project proposals; small grants for at least three teams to implement projects within nine months; and a follow-on engagement plan to sustain momentum.

17) What are the pre-summit bootcamps expected to cover?

The awardee is expected to run three to four virtual bootcamps to establish shared baseline knowledge, feature expert speakers, and include interactive elements that prepare participants for in-person collaboration.

18) What should the in-person summit agenda include?

The summit should blend plenary sessions, small-group work, mentorship, simulations, and structured networking, with a strong emphasis on producing tangible outputs and reinforcing trilateral coordination.

19) Is a crisis tabletop exercise required?

Yes. A required feature is at least one highly realistic crisis tabletop exercise focused on a tech-security or gray-zone scenario that forces immediate trilateral coordination and helps participants understand operational friction points and policy tradeoffs.

20) How many working groups are expected, and what do they produce?

The awardee must organize roughly eight to ten cross-national working groups. These groups are expected to produce constrained deliverables such as policy positions or recommendations.

21) What topics should working groups and programming cover?

Themes referenced for deliverables and programming include maritime security, AI, quantum, critical minerals and supply chain security, emerging technology governance, technologically advanced shipbuilding, and broader tech-security linkages relevant to trilateral coordination.

22) What is the Advanced Security and Technology Track?

The summit introduces an Advanced Security and Technology Track emphasizing maritime security in an era shaped by artificial intelligence, quantum-enabled threats, critical minerals and supply chain security, technologically advanced shipbuilding, and emerging technology governance.

23) Are external speakers/mentors allowed, and are there limits?

Yes. The program should incorporate up to five industry leaders or international experts as speakers and mentors. They should be integrated throughout the agenda rather than treated as one-off keynotes, and all experts require Embassy approval.

24) Is a site visit required?

Yes. Another required element is an industrial and security-related site visit in Korea, subject to approval. The site visit should reinforce summit themes and highlight Korea's role in trilateral security and emerging tech cooperation.

25) How should YTL alumni be used in the program?

The design calls for integrating YTL alumni as mentors or facilitators where useful, to help the network become more self-reinforcing year over year.

26) What is the "participant action planning" deliverable?

Teams will develop actionable project proposals addressing emerging threats to maritime security and pitch them competitively during the summit.

27) Are there funds for participant projects after the summit?

Yes. At least three teams should receive small grants to implement their projects within nine months. These teams will have reporting requirements and are expected to brief Embassy staff on outcomes.

28) What happens to teams that do not receive small grants?

Even teams that do not receive funding should be encouraged and supported to carry forward key aspects of their proposals.

29) Is a follow-on engagement plan required after the summit?

Yes. Applicants must propose a realistic follow-on engagement plan to sustain momentum, such as ongoing mentorship, alumni programming, virtual discussions, and publication or dissemination of participant outputs.

30) What monitoring and evaluation (M and E) approach is required?

Applicants must include an M and E plan that uses standardized, rubric-based measurement and goes beyond satisfaction surveys. The evaluation is expected to assess whether participants gained knowledge about allied security cooperation and Indo-Pacific threats, improved understanding of emerging tech-security linkages and trilateral coordination challenges, and increased commitment to trilateral cooperation (including indications of movement toward relevant career pathways).

31) What types of performance indicators should be tracked?

The notice references tracking concrete indicators such as recruitment volume, selection totals, country representation, completion of bootcamps, number of experts engaged, sessions delivered, tabletop exercises conducted, working groups formed, deliverables produced, follow-on activities, and more, including targets and baselines where appropriate.

32) What data collection methods are expected for evaluation?

Examples listed include attendance records, application data, pre- and post-assessments, surveys, interviews, mentor feedback, deliverable reviews, and digital analytics.

33) How involved will the Embassy be during implementation?

The Embassy signals substantial involvement throughout, including co-developing the agenda and curriculum, participating in recruitment and interviews, and approving participants, speakers, mentors, venues, lodging, branding, outreach materials, and follow-on plans. Applicants should be prepared to collaborate closely and manage approvals smoothly while still delivering a cohesive program.

34) Who is eligible to apply?

Eligible applicants include not-for-profit organizations (including think tanks and NGOs), public and private educational institutions, and certain public international organizations or governmental institutions.

35) Are individuals eligible to apply?

No. Individuals are explicitly not eligible.

36) What capabilities should competitive applicants demonstrate?

Competitive applicants are expected to demonstrate capacity to run complex international programs in Korea, handle multi-country travel and logistics, facilitate expert-led security and technology programming, and maintain and grow cross-national emerging leader networks with credible Indo-Pacific policy and industry connections.

37) What does "one organization" mean in practice?

The notice indicates the Embassy is seeking one organization to design and run the summit, with an expected single award. The selected awardee would be responsible for building and managing the full program design and delivery in close coordination with the Embassy.

38) How strict is the required program structure (bootcamps, summit, working groups, etc.)?

The program design is expected to follow a set of linked components, with some flexibility in sequencing if the applicant can justify improvements. However, multiple elements are described as required (for example, bootcamps, a realistic tabletop exercise, working groups with deliverables, a site visit, action planning with project pitches, small grants for at least three teams, and follow-on engagement).

39) What kind of outputs is the Embassy looking for?

Outputs referenced include constrained working-group deliverables (such as policy positions or recommendations), successfully executed tabletop exercises, actionable project proposals and pitches, implementation of at least three funded team projects within nine months (with reporting and briefings), and sustained follow-on engagement supported by an alumni-style network.

40) What are the key compliance or approval expectations applicants should plan for?

Because this is a cooperative agreement, the Embassy expects to approve or co-develop core elements including the agenda/curriculum, participant selection, speakers/mentors, venues and lodging, branding and outreach materials, and follow-on plans. Applicants should plan for an implementation approach that accommodates these approvals without losing program momentum.