About

Background

The Leaders Lead On-Demand Program, formerly Professional Fellows On-Demand, was created in 2016 to provide highly tailored public diplomacy programming to help U.S. missions address emerging foreign policy issues in their country or region. The Leaders Lead On-Demand Program provides customized and innovative exchanges to advance foreign policy priorities and complement existing public diplomacy efforts through a flexible multi-segmented exchange model. Each exchange engages emerging leaders and young professionals to provide an opportunity to strengthen civil society and the U.S. government’s response to pressing challenges. This flexible program model has shorter lead times in comparison to the traditional exchanges ECA offers, with programs being deployed as quickly as one month from the request. The Leaders Lead On-Demand Program has successfully trained over 1,100 fellows from over 100 countries since its inception using this flexible model.

Purpose

Each Leaders Lead On-Demand project will address an unmet foreign policy issue that can’t be addressed by other ECA programs. Accordingly, programs will: further U.S. foreign policy objectives, including the advancement of democratic principles and promoting mutual understanding, aim to strengthen the capacity of civil society and build collaborative networks; and build participants’ job skills and ability to address global challenges. Leaders Lead On-Demand funding is intended to address emerging foreign policy issues where no other funding or programming exists, it is not intended to supplement funding of existing ECA exchange programs.

Design

Each Leaders Lead On-Demand exchange includes multiple components or activities designed around a specific project goal. A central component of each project will be a group of foreign participants who will travel to the United States for an intensive, highly tailored program that could contain leadership workshops, seminars, and participation in professional events for a minimum of two weeks. As conditions permit, this component will be followed or preceded by reciprocal overseas programs for smaller groups of American participants. The American participants will have experience or expertise in the field of the exchange project and an established connection or linkage with the foreign participants. Through virtual participation and engagement opportunities, the Leaders Lead On-Demand Program has supported over 4,071 registered attendees.

By the Numbers

Targeted Project Areas

Leaders Lead On-Demand has been implemented in 100 countries worldwide with over 1,100 program participants. Our projects span a variety of ECA-requested thematic areas in every region of the world, and all are tied to U.S. foreign policy objectives.

Past Leaders Lead On-Demand programs have tackled policy priorities, including democracy, social justice, inclusion, and combating disinformation. Programs have delivered outcomes such as drafting legislation in Mongolia for the rights of people with disabilities and building the capacity of associations for young entrepreneurs supporting democratization in Myanmar.