The American Council of Young Political Leaders (ACYPL) is a nonprofit organization that facilitates international exchange programs for young political and policy professionals. Founded in 1966, ACYPL organizes bipartisan delegations between the United States and partner countries to expose participants to different political systems, policymaking approaches, and governance structures. ¹

These programs are conducted in collaboration with partner organizations overseas. ACYPL is partnered with many organizations, including Walmart, Akin, Amazon, CapitalOne, Pfizer, Union Pacific, Texas Star Alliance, and more. ²

Leadership

As of 2025, the executive director of American Council of Young Political Leaders was Elizabeth Rosenbaum, who earned a reported salary of $199,009 in 2023. Rosenbaum previously worked at the British Council as the education partnerships manager and as a political fundraiser at the left-of-center think tank Center for American Progress. ³

Other key ACYPL staffers as of 2025 included Shannon Billings, who worked as both CFO and chief of staff, and its board of directors including Joseph Jones (chair), Cassie Folk (secretary), and Bryan Pedersen (treasurer). ⁴

Angie Cooper was a trustee on ACYPL’s board until 2020. ⁵ She has longstanding ties to the Walton family, heirs to Walmart founder Sam Walton’s fortune. Cooper worked as senior director of Global Public Policy at Walmart, a key ACYPL partner organization with deep connections to the Walton family’s business and philanthropic ventures. Cooper now works as president of the nonprofit Heartland Forward. ^{6 5}

Financials

In 2023, American Council of Young Political Leaders reported a total revenue of $3,146,097, of which $3,134,739 came from public contributions and grants. That same year, expenses totaled $2,969,925, and the organization held $2,219,701 in assets. ⁷

In 2022, ACYPL reported a total revenue of $2,285,760, of which $2,249,511 came from gifts and grants. ⁸ That year, grantmaking organization Silicon Valley Community Foundation donated $100,000 for “international development” and the Motion Picture Association contributed $10,000. ^{9 10}

1. “About.” ACYPL, 14 Feb. 2025. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.acypl.org/about/
2. “Partnership Program.” ACYPL, 7 Jan. 2025. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.acypl.org/about/partnership-program/
3. “Our Team.” ACYPL, 3 Jan. 2025. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.acypl.org/about/our-team/.
4. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Council of Young Political Leaders. 2023. Part VII – Section A. Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees.
5. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Council of Young Political Leaders. 2019. Part VII – Section A. Officers, Directors, Trustees, Key Employees, and Highest Compensated Employees.
6. “Angie Cooper.” LinkedIn. Accessed April 19, 2025. https://www.linkedin.com/in/angie-cooper-a22220a0/.
7. ^[1] Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Council of Young Political Leaders. 2023.
8. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). American Council of Young Political Leaders. 2022. https://projects.propublica.org/nonprofits/organizations/520845718/202322279349303887/full.
9. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Silicon Valley Community Foundation. 2022.
10. Return of Organization Exempt from Income Tax (Form 990). Motion Picture Association Inc. 2022.