Washington, D.C. (April 4, 2022) The Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future small grants competition, a signature program that is sponsored by the U.S. government, is pleased to announce this year’s winners. The 2022 grant recipients are represented from all 11 YSEALI member countries. Each team has been awarded up to US$15,000 to run projects which focus on themes of civic engagement, economic empowerment, social entrepreneurship, education, and environmental issues.

The 2022 YSEALI Seeds winners were greeted at the Virtual Kick-Off by the U.S. Mission to ASEAN Chargé d’Affaires, Kate Rebholz, who welcomed and congratulated program participants. “I offer my heartfelt congratulations to all of you. Your winning projects were selected from among almost 500 applications,” said Rebholz.  “Seeds for the Future is not only a funding source; Seeds for the Future is a passport for your journey of discovery and personal growth, and after your 9-month experience, you will be a member of our YSEALI program alumni network, which will provide you with many additional opportunities for funding, training, and workshops.”

The Virtual Kick-Off Workshop, which was held from March 10 to 13, 2022, was designed to prepare grantees for success with presentations on Project Management and Reporting, Budgeting and Budget Management, How to Showcase your Project, and Monitoring and Evaluation. Cultural Vistas, the implementer of the grant, organized the workshop.  Dynamic guest speakers from previous YSEALI Seeds Cohorts provided additional insights to equip project leaders.

Cultural Vistas began administering the YSEALI Seeds in 2017 and 2022 is the fifth year the organization has run the program. “We are thrilled with the vision and tenacity of our grant winners,” said Courtney Nelson, Senior Director, Program and Strategic Development at Cultural Vistas. “Cultural Vistas is honored to continue our partnership in implementing this powerful program.”

The Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Seeds for the Future Program is a small grants competition to support innovative initiatives in Southeast Asia. This grant program provides funding for the region’s most promising young leaders to carry out projects that improve their communities, countries, and the region. The YSEALI community consists of bright young leaders, 18 to 35, from Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Laos, Singapore, Thailand, Timor-Leste, and Vietnam who are making a difference in their communities, countries, and the region. The winners in the 2022 grant cycle are:

YSEALI Seeds for the Future 2022 Grant Recipients

#MudaTahanBencana; Indonesia

ASEAN MakeITSafe; Thailand

ASEAN Youth Advocates Network Brunei Chapter; Brunei Darussalam

Bluepreneur Asia Initiative; Malaysia

Cà Mèn Project; Vietnam

E-Circular; Cambodia

Ecomap; Vietnam

Food Heroes Aksata Pangan; Indonesia

ICT4Educators; Myanmar

Kami Untuk Semua; Malaysia

Mountain Support; Philippines

Say-Ku; Myanmar

SEAdlings; Singapore

Seribu Project; Indonesia

She Star; Timor-Leste

Sign to Read; Laos and Vietnam

SKale Up; Philippines

 

Learn more about the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative at yseali.state.gov.

Contact: Andrea Capere, Communications Coordinator; Indo-Pacific Programs [acapere@culturalvistas.org] or +1 (212) 497-3503