The selected group of up to 15 participants will spend 17 days in the United States — 14 days at Babson College in Boston, MA, for leadership training, followed by 3 days in New York City for cultural immersion at the program’s conclusion.

The program includes workshops on:

• Motivation — why people do what they do;

• Influence skills — how to engage with and influence different kinds of people;

• Collaboration/stakeholder engagement — working well with others;

• Negotiation — getting people to work with you through appealing to the core concerns and motives;

• Personal development planning — how to get better results and how to contribute to the group and its goals;

• Solving complex problems — understanding that even the most complex problems are solvable with diverse groups working together;

• Building collective goals — participants will work on setting ambitious goals and working together to address a communal goal;

• Sessions with specially selected guest speakers and leaders from the US public (government), private, and nonprofit sectors and academia;

• Sessions on: system thinking, advancing ideas, leading with empathy, leading through relationships, incorporating a “bottom-up” approach, managing one’s self, enrolling communities in innovation, innovation during good time and bad, storytelling with pathos, ethos and logos, personal branding, etc.;

• A module on democratic values — where participants take on the role of a US Senator or Representative in a simulation and engage in a conference committee, taking part in the process of reconciling legislative bills from the two chambers of Congress. As the participants consider issues of policy, they learn fundamental concepts of successful negotiation aimed at identifying areas of common interest and expanding beneficial outcomes;

• Cultural immersion program in Boston and New York.

All program-related costs are covered for the participants, including tuition, study materials, international airfare, domestic travel in the US, accommodation, meals, organized cultural immersion activities, emergency health insurance, and US visa fees.

Participants are expected to cover only their transportation within Bulgaria - to the Pre-Departure Orientation event, to Sofia Airport and to all of the Post-Arrival Events.

September 10, 2025 - Program Announcement

October 06, 2025 - Deadline for Applicant Questions

October 10, 2025 (23:59 h)     - Application deadline

November 16, 2025 - Announcement of the semi-finalists for Video Interviews with the Bulgarian partners

Nov 26, 2025 - Dec 10, 2025 - Interviews with Shortlisted Applicants

December 11, 2025 - Announcement of up to 30 finalists for Video Interviews with Babson faculty members

Dec 12, 2025 - Jan 31, 2026 - Conducting Babson interviews

February 02, 2026       - Final Selection Announcement of up to 15 Participants for the US Program

To be announced - Tentative Dates for Pre-Departure leadership assessment (mandatory)

March 28 - March 29, 2026 - Tentative Dates for Pre-Departure Orientation (mandatory)

April 18 - May 04, 2026     - LEAP IV Travel Dates in the US

May 14, 2026     - Tentative date for a meeting with America for Bulgaria Foundation (mandatory)

May 15, 2026 - May 17, 2026 - Tentative Dates for Post-Arrival ABLE retreat (mandatory)

Prior to the participants’ arrival to the US, a 1 to 1.5-hour virtual meeting will be conducted by Babson College. The assessment will key in on traits related to the participants’ leadership styles particularly as they relate to collaboration and personal influence (all of which we measure on scaled capabilities). Please note, feedback from this assessment will be provided in person during the Leadership Modules at Babson.

All selected participants must attend a pre-departure orientation at a designated location outside of Sofia a few weeks prior to departure to the US.

To travel to the US, selected participants must have a valid US B1/B2 visa. Applicants do not need to have a US visa to apply for the program. Those selected who do not already possess a valid B1/B2 visa will apply for one after being accepted into the program. This fee will be reimbursed upon arrival in the U.S. (as of May 2025, the visa fee is USD 185).

The LEAP Program's engagement extends beyond the participants' return to Bulgaria. To conclude their experience, all participants are required to attend two subsequent events: a dedicated meeting with the America for Bulgaria Foundation and ABLE's annual Spring Retreat, as detailed in the program's timeline.

Upon completing the program, LEAP participants are granted the right to become members of ABLE, a unique and dynamic community. ABLE connects over 500 alumni from a number of ABF-funded programs, including the Summer Entrepreneurship Program (SEP), ABLE Activator, and LEAP. The organization serves as a hub for like-minded individuals who are passionate about driving positive change and making Bulgaria a better place. As a member, you will have access to a network of colleagues, co-founders, partners, and suppliers, providing invaluable opportunities for professional growth and personal development.