The U.S. Department of State, in partnership with Cultural Vistas, has announced the recipients of the 2025 Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Small Grants Program. Thirteen teams from eleven Pacific nations and territories have been selected to receive up to $10,000 each for projects addressing education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, and economic and social development.
In addition to funding, grantees participated in a workshop held in Auckland, New Zealand on April 8-9, 2025. The event provided guidance on project refinement and financial management. Throughout the year, the United States will offer mentorship to support these initiatives.
According to the U.S. Department of State: "The Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Program is a U.S. Government-funded initiative through the U.S. Department of State focused on strengthening leadership and networking throughout the Pacific. The YPL Program began in 2013 with annual conferences to bring together some of the region’s most talented emerging leaders for U.S.-style networking and skills development and has now grown to include further educational and cultural exchanges, regional exchanges, and seed funding opportunities. In 2018 the YPL Small Grants Program was launched, and since its inception, 2018YPL Alumni have led projects across the region."
Awarded projects this year include efforts such as developing leadership skills among youth in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; launching an environmental awareness program at Eda Davara Marine Sanctuary in Papua New Guinea; supporting English proficiency workshops in New Caledonia & Wallis and Futuna; preserving canoe building knowledge in Kiribati; empowering young Pacific women leaders in Australia; improving literacy through community libraries in Fiji; raising environmental resilience awareness among adults in New Caledonia; promoting women's participation in sports through Tonga's Athlete Ambassador Program; supporting youth rugby league development in Solomon Islands; mentoring social workers across Fiji & New Zealand; producing a digital storytelling series about Indigenous ocean stewardship between New Zealand & Hawai’i; training communities on upcycling practices in Fiji; and teaching coral reef rehabilitation techniques to youth leaders in Papua New Guinea.
For more information about current YPL projects or future opportunities with YPL programs, interested parties can visit their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/YoungPacificLeaders/ or see additional details at https://nz.usembassy.gov/young-pacific-leaders/.