Training · Key profession of ecological transition

2026 LeadNext: Ambassadors for a Global Future

The program equips emerging leaders with the skills, networks, and perspectives to work across disciplines, navigate complexity, and lead effectively in diverse cultural contexts.

2026 LeadNext: Ambassadors for a Global Future

LeadNext is TAF’s flagship youth leadership program focused on advancing global citizenship for the 21st century. Through a bold, people-centered approach, the program equips emerging leaders with the skills, networks, and perspectives to work across disciplines, navigate complexity, and lead effectively in diverse cultural contexts. The program will run from June–September (see program brief for all dates).

The 2026 program combines an immersive virtual leadership training intensive, masterclasses with global experts, one-on-one mentorship, and a culminating in-person Global Leaders Summit. The unique cohort design—half from the U.S. and half from Asia and the Pacific—emphasizes relationship-building between future leaders from the United States and Asia, cultivating reciprocal exchange and mutual understanding. Through this experience, participants build practical skills in cross-cultural collaboration, communication, and leadership while joining a network that extends beyond the program itself.

At a time of rapid global change, LeadNext responds by investing early in the next generation: equipping them at the early stages of their careers with the leadership tools, international networks, and global perspective needed to translate ideas into action across borders and sectors.

For decades, The Asia Foundation has invested in leadership at all levels, recognizing that sustainable change depends not only on policies and programs, but on the people who lead them. LeadNext continues this commitment by supporting emerging leaders to help shape a more inclusive and resilient future.

Program Overview: June – September

Program includes:

Fully funded participation, including all travel, accommodation, and meals
Virtual leadership training and expert-lead masterclasses
One-on-one mentorship
Culminating in-person Global Leaders Summit

Applications must meet the following criteria:

Age: 18–25 years old at program start
Language: fully conversant in English
Availability: Able to commit to all 13 virtual sessions and the week-long in-person summit with the flexibility and understanding we are working across many time zones. Virtual sessions will take place in the mornings in Asia and evenings in the United States for approximately 2 hours per session.
U.S. applicants: Open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents.
Asia-Pacific applicants: Open to candidates from one of the countries in which TAF has had a presence. Candidates must be able to secure a visa to travel to the U.S. (candidates from Myanmar, Afghanistan, and Laos must be currently based in the U.S.).
Qualities: Strong candidates are excellent listeners who demonstrate humility, and the ability to collaborate sensitively across cultures.

Application Deadline: May 5, 2026