Application Guidelines & FAQ’s

The Emerging Leaders Network is for dynamic emerging organizers who have a desire to grow their leadership skills, learn from other emerging leaders, take part in movement building conversations, and build coalitions and collaborations that propel the movement forward.

Emerging leaders should have a few years of organizing experience under their belts already, are ready to level-up and engage in deeper political conversation and strategy, and to develop their leadership skills. They should be ready to learn from one another.

A national leadership development and movement-building network that trains and supports emerging community activists who are working to advance reproductive health, rights, and justice. Since 1999, the program has helped over 1,000 activists from 275 organizations to strengthen their advocacy skills, develop new strategic approaches, and make valuable connections to peers in other organizations and fields. The project supports recent graduates in their first jobs, emerging leaders at direct action and reproductive justice advocacy groups, new and advancing staff at large reproductive rights organizations, and new directors of community-based organizations. The Emerging Leaders Network also creates opportunities for deep and meaningful collaboration.

Program participants will leave with more training under their belt on leadership and movement skills. They will also develop relationships and connections to other movement leaders and become part of Collective Power’s community of program alums working on a wide range of movement issues. Participants will also have their work documented and published in the Emerging Leaders publication which will be shared out to Collective Power’s community.

After Collective Power spun off from Hampshire College, the intention was always to bring this program back. With the pandemic, organizational growth, and becoming our own 501(c)3, it took some time, but here we are!

Unlike NLNI, this program will adopt a cohort model following the academic calendar. Participants will attend both the Fall & Spring in person convenings as well as attend monthly meetings in between convenings to grow their leadership skills and build stronger collaborative relationships with other participants of the program.

The Emerging Leaders program was adapted from NLNI (New Leadership Networking Initiative), a former program of Collective Power. The design process was led by Desta Cantave, and included a design committee – Adwoa Agyepong, Jade Levine & Kiran Waqar. The program will be facilitated by Desta Cantave, with the support of outside facilitators around specialty topics.

Participants should plan to attend a 2 hour cohort meeting once a month as well as 2 convenings lasting 2-4 days each.

Too many people have dismissed rural folks and communities, ignoring the radical histories of rural America, and the legacies of resistance in BIPOC and poor white communities. Rural America has always been a site for radical organizing, and it’s a legacy that continues today. With the ELN we want to continue to support that work, and uplift the legacies, traditions, and lessons from rural communities.

We know that rural organizers have so many lessons to teach the rest of the movement, and skills they have built to meet the environments they’ve organized in – we are so excited to learn from them! Rural and small town organizers often have access to fewer opportunities than organizers in cities, and experience unique organizing challenges that may be especially present in the current political moment. We feel it is appropriate at this moment to direct resources towards and center that work.

Folks who are not small town/rural organizers are also more than welcome to apply and will be considered for the program as well!

Programming will be mostly virtual, with the exception of two in person convenings. The locations of the in person convenings are still to be determined.

Participants will be expected to take part in monthly virtual meetings between August and June, as well as attend 2 in-person convenings in November and April. In addition to meetings and convenings, participants will be required to complete a project which will be published or documented in our emerging leaders annual publication. In addition to participation in meetings, convenings, and our publication; participants will take part in small peer-mentorship groups over the course of the program.

The Emerging Leaders program is free to participants! If you or your organization would like to make a contribution to support Collective Power to continue to be able to do this work, you may do so here.

Applications are due on June 1st 2025 at 11:59pm EST.

We will review applications and reach out to folks who have been selected for an interview by July 1st, 2025. Interviews will take place in July and those who are selected will be notified in August and given an opportunity to accept or decline. We will begin meeting monthly in September.

Apply to The Emerging Leads Network