Program Overview
To develop strong LGBTQ+ public officials and movement leaders, LGBTQ+ Victory Institute sends emerging LGBTQ+ leaders of color and/or transgender leaders to Victory’s Candidate & Campaign Training and International LGBTQ+ Leadership Conference. The fellowship connects alumni to ongoing opportunities for leadership development.
The Victory Empowerment Fellowship is a six-month fellowship for LGBTQ+ leaders of color and/or transgender leaders who seek to expand their campaign skills and policy-making power and to join a strong cohort of movement leaders from across the country.
The Victory Empowerment Fellowship consists of three key components provided by the LGBTQ+ Victory Institute – the Candidate & Campaign Training, International LGBTQ+ Leaders Conference – and a six-month mentorship program.
Application Process
Application ProcessApplications for the 2025 cohort are now closed. The 2026 application will be available in Fall 2026.
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In-Person Program Events
Candidate and Campaign Training (May 2025)
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 Houston Candidate & Campaign Training May 15-18, 2025. Participants will arrive in Houston on May 14th.
International LGBTQ Leaders Conference (December 2025)
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.
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.