Vital Voices

Vital Voices Global Partnership is a non-profit that invests in women leaders working on the world’s greatest challenges. It traces its roots to the Vital Voices Democracy Initiative, launched in 1997 by then First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton and then Secretary of State Madeleine Albright following the UN Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, with Melanne Verveer, Theresa Loar, Donna McLarty, Alyse Nelson and Mary Daley Yerrick among its founders. The initiative became the independent non-profit Vital Voices Global Partnership in March 1999. It describes itself as a “venture catalyst” that identifies women leaders with bold visions and invests in their skills, connections, capacity and visibility over the long term.

Headquarters: Washington, D.C., United States

Areas of Work

• Leadership Development: invests in and builds the capacity of women leaders through fellowships and long term mentorship.
• Economic Empowerment: supports women’s economic participation and entrepreneurship.
• Human Rights and Violence Prevention: works against extreme forms of violence against women and girls.
• Women, Peace and Security: supports women leaders working on peace building and conflict resolution.
• Policy and Advocacy: engages in political and policy advocacy on gender equality issues, including climate policy.
• Sustainability: supports women leaders working on climate and environmental challenges.

Initiatives & Programmes

• Vital Voices Global Fellowship, including VV Engage: a fellowship programme for women leaders, now in its eighth Engage cohort.
• VV Visionaries: run in partnership with the Estée Lauder Emerging Leaders Fund, with its 12th cohort having recently graduated.
• VV Venture: AI for Impact: a 2026 programme supporting women leaders using artificial intelligence for social impact.
• Grassroots Voices Grants: direct grants supporting grassroots women leaders.
• WE Empower UN SDG Challenge: recognises women entrepreneurs advancing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
• Women’s Global Embassy Festival: an annual festival, now in its fourth year, convening women leaders globally.
• VV Councils and Chapters: a network of councils and local chapters supporting Vital Voices’ global community.

Impact

Vital Voices says it impacts about 3 million people each year and has invested in women leaders across 197 countries and territories, building a network of more than 51,000 change makers since 1997. Leaders it has supported have gone on to become Nobel Peace Prize laureates, prime ministers and social entrepreneurs. The organisation holds a Four Star rating from Charity Navigator.

Leadership

• President and Chief Executive Officer – Alyse Nelson
• Board Chair – Kate James
• Board Vice Chair – Gerry Laybourne
• Co-Founder and Board Chair Emeritus – Melanne Verveer

Vital Voices Global Partnership is an excellent fit for professionals passionate about women’s leadership, gender equality and global human rights work.