Vital Voices GROW Fellowship Program for Entrepreneurs. Application portal is now open for interested individuals to apply.
The VV GROW Fellowship is a 10-month virtual programme that fosters growth and skills advancement in strategic planning, financial management, marketing and sales, strategic networking, leadership, human resources, and communications to support you in creating a holistic, sustainable foundation for which your vision and impact can grow.
Through the VV GROW Fellowship you will:
- Have gained a new found confidence in your ability to lead, as well as in your businesses’ ability to thrive.
- Have a framework for measuring your organization’s impact which can be used to measure your performance and can also be engaged in your marketing and in securing investors.
- Be empowered with the knowledge and tools to evaluate and identify opportunities for growth in business and leadership.
- Strengthened resiliency and ability to navigate change, and contingency planning strategies and approaches to guard against future economic or other shocks.
- Have knowledge in how to leverage the Vital Voices network of alumnae, partners and supporters to provide access to unique and high impact opportunities to further your own leadership and business impact.
- Understand how to strengthen network connections and engage partners to provide insight and support to you and your business.
About Vital Voices Global
Vital Voices Global Partnership has directly invested in more than 20,000 changemakers across 184 countries and territories since its inception in 1997. Driven by the universal truth that women are the key to progress in their communities and nations cannot move forward without women in leadership positions, Vital Voices has provided early support for leaders who went on to become Nobel Peace Prize Laureates, U.S. Youth Poet Laureates, Prime Ministers, award-winning innovators, pioneering human rights defenders, and breakthrough social entrepreneurs, including Amanda Gorman, Malala Yousafzai, and more. In an effort to advance and expand this work, in 2022 Vital Voices opened the doors to the world’s first global embassy for women, the Vital Voices Global Headquarters for Women’s Leadership —a first-of-its-kind space that allows for convening, innovation, planning, and action — all in the pursuit of tackling the world’s greatest challenges.
Serving as a “venture catalyst,” Vital Voices identifies leaders with a daring vision for change and partners with them to make that vision a reality. It provides connections, increased capacity, a peer network, financial support, skills training, and increased visibility for their work, which ranges from gender-based violence and climate justice to economic inequities and political disempowerment, and more.
Aim and Benefits of Vital Voices GROW Fellowship Program
If accepted into the programme, there is a participation fee of US $1,500. Payment plans and some need-based scholarships will be available.
Scholarships will be available. If you are interested in being considered for a scholarship, select “Apply for a scholarship” and answer the corresponding questions. Successful applicants will be informed of the result of their scholarship application upon notification of programme acceptance.
Requirements for Vital Voices GROW Fellowship Program Qualification
- Applicant is a woman (inclusive of the following identities: cisgender women, transgender women, and non-binary people that are comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women).
- Applicant owns and leads a for-profit business that leads a purpose driven business that offers innovative solutions to the world’s greatest challenges and/or advances the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Applicant holds a key leadership and management role with decision-making authority in the business.
- Applicant’s business is beyond the startup phase, meaning they have proven their business model and product/service, they have a committed customer base, and the business is carrying out marketing activities.
- Applicant’s business at least breaks even in terms of annual revenue.
- Applicant has at least 1 full-time employee (inclusive of self).
- Applicant is proficient in spoken and written English.
Selection Criteria
- Know their mission and the impact they want to have and are motivated to make a positive impact.
- Have proven their business product/service through a baseline of sales and is now ready to move past the rollercoaster of starting up and hanging on by a thread, to build out a sustainable model and functioning team.
- Are enthusiastic about participating in this program and joining VV global network.
- Are excited about the opportunity to collaborate with and support other leaders in the program cohort.
- Do not plan to exit their business within the next 5 years.
- If applicant is involved in more than one business, the requirement criteria above must apply to the business that the applicant would like to focus on during the fellowship.
How to Apply for Vital Voices GROW Fellowship Program for Entrepreneurs
Interested and qualified? Go to Vital Voices on survey.alchemer.com to apply
Applicants may be asked to participate in a 30-min virtual interview. All applicants will be notified about final decisions by December 23, 2022. Early applications are strongly encouraged.
For more details, visit Vital Voices website
Application Closing Date: October 18, 2022
