Program Overview
Thank you for your interest in applying for the VV Visionaries program, a partnership between Vital Voices Global Partnership and the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund, the charitable fund of Estée Lauder, to support the next generation of emerging leaders who are redefining leadership in their everyday lives. Together with the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund, we aim to champion women leaders across diverse sectors, industries, and experiences who want to create positive social impact in their communities and beyond.

When women advance, the world succeeds. We need leaders across every industry and every community who use their power, influence, and passion to make positive change. And we know that women’s leadership will accelerate progress in our communities, workplaces, boardrooms, and beyond.

About Vital Voices Global Partnership
We are facing the world’s toughest challenges of all time – climate crisis, systemic and widespread racial injustices, violence against women, growing economic divides and inequity, increased instability and much more. The world needs women to help solve the problems that are affecting people in their communities and around the globe.

For over 25 years, Vital Voices Global Partnership has been investing in women leaders addressing these challenges. We know that women aligned with our leadership model lead differently, and we work to celebrate and share what makes their leadership transformational: inclusion, equity, and a commitment to breaking down barriers.  We have cultivated a network of over 47,000 changemakers across 195 countries daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all. We proudly serve as “venture catalysts”, identifying women leaders with a bold vision for change and partnering with them to make their vision a reality. We help them scale and accelerate their impact through long-term investments to expand their skills, connections, capacity, and visibility.

Program Description:

VV Visionaries program participants will: 

• Join a cohort of 50 women leaders committed to advancing their leadership for the greater good.
• Complete the Vital Voices Leadership Journey, a 7-week virtual leadership development course based on learnings from over 25 years of work with leaders from across the world.
• Participate in interactive small-group discussions and peer learning
• Learn from guest speakers including Estée Lauder executives and Vital Voices network.
• Share, learn, and build lasting connections with a cohort of 50 leaders from across the world.

Through the program, participants will: 

• Gain a stronger understanding of what drives their leadership; gain a deeper awareness of how to lead inclusive communities; and embrace taking bold actions to create a lasting impact.
• Join the Vital Voices global network of more than 47,000 women leaders from around the world with full access to our network Hub with ongoing continuing education and engagement opportunities.
• After the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion.

Selection Criteria:

The Vital Voices Visionaries program seeks to identify and support exceptional women leaders who have bold ideas and are driving meaningful change. We are not simply selecting résumés — we are selecting community-informed leaders with a clear purpose that make a difference.

• Community-Based Leadership: Demonstrates a commitment to positive community impact and a desire to pay it forward.
• Innovative Problem Solving: Challenges the status quo and explores new approaches to address community needs.
• Track Record of Action: Shows tangible evidence of initiatives, projects, or measurable steps toward change.
• Commitment to Community Engagement: Eager to contribute to and remain engaged with the Vital Voices alumni network beyond the program experience.
• Potential for Impact: Leader with the potential to drive their vision forward, creating a multiplier effect in their community or sector with the support of Vital Voices and its network.

Eligibility Requirements:

• You identify as a woman
• You will be 18 years old by May 2026
• You are proficient in English
• You are the founder or co-founder of a social sector organization (NGO, foundation, social impact initiative) OR
• You are the founder or co-founder of a social enterprise (for profit business with explicit social impact)
• You are currently not participating in or have graduated from another Vital Voices leadership program in 2025 or 2026.

Program Commitment

Participants are expected to:

• Actively participate during all 7 live weekly virtual sessions on Thursday mornings (2 hours each), plus an additional 1-2 hours per work for assignments and peer calls/discussions (3-4 hours weekly).
  • Participants should have no more than 2 absences to remain in good standing.
• Complete surveys throughout the program and for up to one year after program completion, including a needs assessment survey, post-session surveys, a post-program survey, and a 12-month follow-up survey.
• Remain engaged with the Vital Voices network upon graduation.

Technical Requirements and Accessibility:
The VV Visionaries program will be virtual. You will need access to a computer with a camera or a phone and a reliable internet or network connection to fully participate in the program.

Program Dates
Cohort 12: June 11 – July 23, 2026
Cohort 13: August 20 – October 1, 2026
Cohort 14: October 29 – December 10, 2026

Instructions:
Applications must be written in English and completed and submitted by March 13th at 10 am ET. The estimated time to complete is 30 minutes.

As soon as you start your application, you must click the “Save and Continue Later” box at the top right corner of the page and enter your email address. You will receive an email with a personal link that you can use to return to your application at any time. If you cannot locate an automated email from noreply@alchemer.com, please check your junk or spam folders.

We recommend writing your responses to the short-answer questions in a separate document and pasting them into the application once you are ready to submit to prevent any loss of content. You can download the short-answer questions here.

The application must be completed by the person applying for the program and must be completed in
English. If selected, please note that your invitation is NON-TRANSFERABLE and may not be transferred to another owner or employee of the business. ONLY the selected applicant is eligible to participate in the program.

AI Policy 
Pease note that the use of AI can be utilized to enhance efficiency in drafting and refining application responses; however, its use must be guided by ethical principles to ensure the integrity of the responses, and must avoid any falsification or misleading information. Please review our full AI policy here.

What happens after I apply?
Finalists will be notified 3-4 weeks before the start of each cohort. Please refer to the cohort dates above. If you have any questions or challenges with the application, please email visionaries@vitalvoices.org with the subject line: 2026 Visionaries Program Application.