Victory Empowerment Fellowship

Program Overview

The Victory Empowerment Fellowship is a six-month fellowship for LGBTQ+ leaders of color and/or transgender leaders to join a strong cohort of movement leaders from across the country while expanding their campaign skills and policy-making power.

The Victory Empowerment Fellowship consists of four key components provided by LGBTQ+ Victory Institute: The Candidate & Campaign Training, virtual convenings, the International LGBTQ+ Leadership Conference, and six-months of mentorship from an out LGBTQ+ elected official.

Application Process

Applications for the 2026 Victory Empowerment Fellowship are open until Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.

Please complete the online application available below, and send a letter of recommendation to sarah.pope@victoryinstitute.org.

Apply Here!

Nominate Someone to Apply!

Not the right opportunity for you? Nominate someone you think should participate in the program.

Nomination Form

In-Person Program Events

Candidate and Campaign Training (July 2026)

Victory Institute’s Candidate & Campaign Training provides comprehensive, non-partisan training to present and future LGBTQ+ candidates, campaign staff, and community leaders. All Victory Empowerment Fellows will participate together and learn necessary skills and strategies by engaging in tough, realistic campaign situations. Fellows selected for the 2025 cohort will attend the Denver Candidate & Campaign Training July 9-12, 2026. Participants will arrive in Denver on July 8th.

International LGBTQ Leaders Conference (December 2026)

The largest gathering of LGBTQ+ leaders in the world, the International LGBTQ+ Leadership Conference offers trainings, workshops, and networking opportunities relevant to both the current and future state of the LGBTQ+ movement to over 700 attendees. Participants leave able to more effectively craft policies and build coalitions to bring those policies to fruition, learning from the experts, but also from one another.

The Victory Empowerment Fellowship includes complete registration, travel, and shared lodging for both the Candidate & Campaign Training and International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference. All Fellows must attend.

Meet the Fellows

Learn more about our 2025 fellows here.

Program Alumni

Victory Empowerment Fellows are already making a change in their communities and we are proud that since 2015, we have had 103 LGBTQ+ leaders who have gone through this program. Meet our 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2015 fellows.

Notable Alumni Include

Vernetta Alston

North Carolina State Representative

Andrea Jenkins

Minneapolis City Council Member

Taylor Small

Former Vermont State Representative

Mauree Turner

Former Oklahoma State Representative

Questions?

For questions regarding the Victory Empowerment Fellowship, please contact Sarah Pope, Director of U.S. Programs, at sarah.pope@victoryinstitute.org.

Supporters

LGBTQ+ Victory Institute would like to give special thanks to our program supporters. Their philanthropy ensures that this program has the financial resources it needs to make the Victory Empowerment Fellowship possible.

If you are interested in learning how you or your company can support the Victory Empowerment Fellowship, please contact development@victoryinstitute.org.