Vital Voices Engage Fellowship 2026: This Is for Women Who Want to Lead Beyond the Room
There is a kind of woman who has already been doing the work — serving her community, holding office, driving policy, speaking truth in rooms that were not built for her voice. This fellowship was created for her.
Vital Voices Global Partnership, one of the world's most respected non-profit organizations dedicated to advancing women's leadership, is currently accepting applications for the VV Engage Fellowship 2026.
The application deadline is 11:59pm EST on May 22, 2026.
Here is everything you need to know👇🏼
What Is Vital Voices Engage?
VV Engage is a Vital Voices signature fellowship supporting outstanding women public leaders making and influencing policy across the globe. Funded in partnership with Freeport-McMoRan, this fully funded fellowship is designed to strengthen the capacity, decision-making power, and effectiveness of women leaders in public life, fostering bipartisan collaboration, shifting culture around women's public leadership, and advancing equality in public representation globally.
Since 1997, Vital Voices has built a network of over 47,000 changemakers throughout the years, each daring to reimagine a more equitable world. The organisation impacts 3 million people each year through its investment in women leaders worldwide.
This is not a certificate course. This is a global platform.
What Does the Program Offer?
The 10-month program allows fellows to participate in training on leadership, strategic communications, political strategy, and governance — in partnership with the Council of World Women Leaders (CWWL) and professors of the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS).
Fellows will also gain access to a global network of peers and political leaders, including current and former heads of state, through the Council of Women World Leaders.
By the end of the program, each fellow will have:
Strengthened core public leadership skills, including political strategy, governance, strategic communications, and community mobilization. They will complete the Vital Voices Leadership Journey — a virtual leadership development course built on over 25 years of work with leaders across the world. They will join the VV Engage Alumni community of over 190 alumni from across the globe and gain access to the Vital Voices global network of more than 49,000 women leaders worldwide. (vitalvoices)
Who Is This For?
To be eligible, applicants must have at least three years of experience holding a leadership or decision-making role in public office, government, civic institutions, political movements, or public policy spaces. Eligible candidates include elected or appointed officials, political party leaders, political activists, community leaders, media professionals, and civil society leaders.
Applicants must also demonstrate a commitment to the core principles of the Vital Voices Leadership Model — being innovative, collaborative, and driven by a clear sense of mission; engaged in their community; committed to working across different political ideologies; committed to advancing the status of women and girls; and committed to transparency and good governance.
All sessions are conducted in English, so proficiency in English is required. Applicants must be at least 18 years old at the time of application.
Are Nigerians Eligible?
Yes — absolutely. The fellowship brings together women leaders from various fields across the world, and the program encourages cross-sector synergies, enabling participants to work together towards systemic change. There is no country restriction. The program is global, and Nigeria is very much part of that picture.
In fact, Christiana Okere — a purpose-driven leader with experience in Fintech, Education, and Agribusiness, who worked on UN-specific projects aimed at rehabilitating and educating victims of armed conflict in Northeast Nigeria — is listed as a 2025 Vital Voices fellow. Nigerian women are not just eligible. They have already been there and excelled.
How to Apply
The application must be submitted by 11:59pm EST on May 22, 2026.
Apply using the link below 👇🏼
https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8783140/Vital-Voices-Engage-Fellowship-2026-Application
The VV Engage Fellowship is highly selective. Shortlisted candidates may be invited for a 30-minute virtual interview. Final decisions will be communicated following the selection process.
For enquiries, you can contact the Vital Voices Engage team at VVEngage@VitalVoices.org.
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