A fellowship to advance women’s public leadership and the SDGs

Program Overview and Call for Applications

VVEngage is a Vital Voices signature fellowship supporting outstanding women political leaders making and influencing policy across the globe. Through this fellowship, we aim to increase the capacity, decision-making power and effectiveness of women leaders in public life, shifting culture around women’s public leadership and moving towards equality in public representation globally. We also aim to work towards a more inclusive and equitable world by advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through policy. The fellowship provides year-long technical training on skills needed to advance the SDGs, and access to a global network of change-makers doing this crucial work in government and civil society across the globe.

Through this fellowship, Vital Voices advances women’s public leadership and the SDGs by conducting online and in-person trainings by experts, such as Vital Voices network leaders and professors from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. The fellowship also connects participants to a global network of peers and mentors, such as current and former female heads of state with the Council of Women World Leaders, with whom they can brainstorm and share challenges and best practices.

Building on 20 years of leadership development work conducted by Vital Voices, the customized fellowship curriculum includes 10 months of inspiring and rigorous in-person and online courses in topics such as Leadership, Strategic Communications, Political Strategy, and Governance. Fellows will acquire specific skills to achieve their goals and advance the SDGs in their communities.

Application Criteria

The 2019-2020 cohort of VVEngage will consist of twenty women leaders from across the globe who will be selected based on the following criteria.*

All applicants must fall into one of these categories:

• Appointed or elected government official at the local, state/regional, national, or international level
• Political party leader or functionary
• Leader of civil society organization whose primary function involves working directly with government or working to get more women in politics/public life
• Political Activist
• Politically-active community leader from marginalized and excluded community that remains on the periphery of political activity in her country.

In addition, all applicants must fit all of the following criteria:

• A minimum of three years in elected or appointed office, as the key decision-maker for a civil society organization, or in related political leadership work
• Proficient in English
• Demonstrate a commitment to the core principles of the “Vital Voices Leadership Model” – Innovative, collaborative, and driven by a clear sense of mission; engaged in her community; committed to working with different political ideologies; committed to advancing the status of women and girls; committed to transparency and good governance

*See application for full criteria

This fellowship is a 10-month commitment that includes two in-person gatherings and virtual training throughout the year. The time commitment is an estimated eight hours per month, not including in-person gatherings. VVEngage will cover all fellow travel, meals and accommodation costs for the in-person gatherings in full.

The application can be accessed here: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4261335/VVEngage-Application.

Applications are now closed. 

For more information, please contact the Vital Voices Political & Civic Engagement team at VVEngage@VitalVoices.org.

Our inaugural VVEngage Cohort included 22 incredible women influencing and making policy from 17 different countries from around the world. 

For more information, please contact VVEngage@vitalvoices.org.