Deadline: March 13, 2026
Applications are open for the VV Visionaries Program 2026. The program is 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, they 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 VV knows that women’s leadership will accelerate progress in communities, workplaces, boardrooms, and beyond.
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.
Benefits
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 the network Hub with ongoing continuing education and engagement opportunities.
- After the program, participants will receive a certificate of completion.
Eligibility
- 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
Application
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.
For more information, visit VV Visionaries Program.
