Vital Voices: Invest in Women. Improve the World.

FOR 28 YEARS, VITAL VOICES HAS BEEN INVESTING IN WOMEN LEADERS SOLVING THE WORLD’S GREATEST CHALLENGES.

We are “venture catalysts,” identifying those with a bold vision for change and partnering with them to make that vision a reality. We scale and accelerate their impact through long term investments to expand the skills, connections, capacity, and visibility of women leaders.

We have provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, U.S. Youth Poet Laureates, prime ministers and breakthrough social entrepreneurs.

With our donors’ support, we have now directly supported more than 47,000 women changemakers across 188 countries and built the most powerful global network of women leaders daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.

From evacuating more than 1000 women leaders and family members out of Afghanistan, to mobilizing a successful global effort to remove Iran from the UN Commission on the Status of Women, and creating the first ever Global Embassy for women leaders - VITAL VOICES CONSISTENTLY DOES THE IMPOSSIBLE.

Goal 1: EXPAND THE VITAL VOICES NETWORK

We are proud to report that we have expanded the Vital Voices Global Leadership Network from 20,000 to 47,000 women changemakers, representing 188 countries around the globe. Our leadership training programs—the main way to join our Global Leadership Network—reach exceptional women and girls at many stages of life, from high school to mid-career and beyond. We seek to catapult innovators in business, government, and the non-profit sector into their next stage of leadership and impact.

90% of participants improve public speaking, 85% sharpen communications, 83% expand networks, and 93% gain practical, applied skills. Nearly half (48%) of alumnae take on new leadership roles, from CEOs to senior government positions. Programs like WomenLead India and Voices That Inspire (which is focused on Latin America) show remarkable outcomes, with 60–71% of participants advancing into new roles within one year.

Beyond the skills and curriculum, the community and mentorship carefully planned by the Vital Voices team for each cohort creates lasting impact. In the words of our program participants: 

“Mentorship was transformative. I came in seeking guidance and left mentoring others in my community.”

“The freedom to take the lessons and run with them… every part was shared with respect for our individual contexts. I felt part of the big picture but still celebrated for my individuality.”

“My mentors didn't just guide me, they challenged me to dream bigger, build systems, refine my vision and lead with clarity and courage.”

Goal 2: IMPACT 1 BILLION LIVES THROUGH WOMEN-LED SOLUTIONS

Vital Voices and the women in our Global Leadership Network are solutions-minded. We know that women must have a seat at the table, to share the bold ideas needed to solve the major challenges of our times.

With your support, Vital Voices elevated the ideas of women on the frontlines of environmental change and strengthened a global network of women leaders driving inclusive climate action. VV Network leaders had a strong presence at 6 major convenings (COP16, COP29, CBD, UNCCD, World Bank, IFC), ensuring that women’s innovations are highlighted. For example, Vital Voices co-organized four panels during COP29 with the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), WOCAN, and the Nizami Ganjavi Center, highlighting barriers to climate finance for women-led solutions, and exploring strategies to elevate Indigenous and women-led leadership. Intensive engagement with women leaders is a hallmark of Vital Voices support. For example, we have invested in Fany Kuiru, the first woman to lead the Coordinating Body of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon Basin (COICA), which represents 511 Indigenous communities and territories across the nine countries that share the Amazon Basin. Vital Voices helped her to be recognized with a high-profile DVF Award, gave her Crisis Response funding when her leadership was under attack, and highlighted her work both during Indigenous Peoples Day and throughout the year. Building our Network to ensure that a diversity of voices are included is always a priority for us. We brought 15 additional climate leaders into the Network, from all over the globe--including important youth activists.

In the third year of our Crisis Response program, we assisted 168 women leaders in 22 countries who were threatened for daring to lead and speak truth to power. After receiving assistance, 97% of recipients reported feeling emotionally safer and 94% reported feeling physically safer. 90% reported an increase in their ability to prepare for crisis more effectively. We: delivered urgent assistance to 149 survivors of violence and grants to over 1,000 women and girls in Central America; released groundbreaking research on online threats, harassment, deepfake pornography, and other Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence with Columbia University’s SIPA Institute of Global Politics, catalyzing cross-sector solutions; and worked hand-in-hand with women leaders in Ukraine to support survivors of conflict-related sexual violence and other trauma.

The Mothers Call is the joint vision and commitment of the Palestinian movement Women of the Sun and Israeli movement Women Wage Peace, who have come together to demand peace talks to achieve a solution to the conflict. These women are united around a simple message that unites our common humanity: that every mother wants to keep her children safe from the perils of war and destruction of future generations. Over the course of the year, Vital Voices worked with these courageous women to help chart a course that elevates their profound message. We met in person most recently as part of our participation in the DVF Awards--which they won jointly the previous year--to refine a strategy that will bring together community leaders unified in a commitment to peace and breaking deadlock.

Goal 3: SHIFTING GLOBAL PERCEPTIONS OF WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP

We forged partnerships and pathways to highlight women’s solutions and stories. We: partnered with the Organization of American States to advance Indigenous women’s leadership in 35 countries; hosted high-visibility events attended by government officials, business executives, and non-profit leaders, including the “Leading the Rise” Democracy Summit in Warsaw, amplifying the voices of women leading in democracy, peacebuilding, and human rights; and launched our Vital Voices Live podcast series, elevating positive narratives of women’s leadership. 

When you invest in one woman through Vital Voices, you ignite a ripple effect that reaches far beyond her. Alumnae of our programs don’t just grow their own leadership; they multiply impact across communities, sectors, and generations. Our research shows that: they form 60+ new partnerships, building bridges across industries and geographies; their organizations touch hundreds of thousands of lives each year, in some cases reaching more than 610,000 people annually; and the cycle continues - 82% of alums go on to mentor others, ensuring the next generation of leaders rises even stronger.