Visionary Leadership Fund Grant

The Visionary Leadership Fund Grant, managed by the Valentine Foundation since 2005, aims to support leadership development for women and aspiring leaders in the Greater Philadelphia area. By funding organizations that primarily serve women and girls, the grant fosters community, effectiveness, and innovation among under-represented groups, including Black, Indigenous, and LGBTQ+ individuals. This initiative is committed to closing equity gaps in non-profit leadership, ensuring diverse voices lead the way towards transformative social change.

Goals
The Visionary Leadership Fund is a separate endowment managed by the Valentine Foundation. Created in 2005, this endowment provides a dedicated source of funding for leadership development for women executives and aspiring leaders in organizations that improve the lives of women and girls in the Greater Philadelphia region. The Fund for Visionary Leadership enhances these organizations and creates positive social change by making valuable leadership training accessible to those working in the non-profit sector with the goals of:

• Supporting the Effectiveness of Current Women LeadersDeveloping the Next Generation of Women Leaders
• Fostering a Community of Women Leaders

The Valentine Foundation envisions a society in which all women, and girls, and non-binary individuals thrive. We encourage submissions from women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles.
Our grantmaking goal is to close the gender, racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other equity gaps in non-profit leadership. We do this by actively funding the leadership development of as many current women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles as possible, within our means and mission.
Characteristics of Visionary Leadership
The Valentine Fund for Visionary Leadership is committed to advancing, encouraging, and developing visionary leadership skills in both aspiring and executive-level women nonprofit leaders. The Fund understands visionary leadership, apart from management and executive authority, to include the following characteristics:

• Demonstration of innovation and entrepreneurial vision: (Takes initiative, is not risk averse, seeks new solutions, partnerships, tries alternative approaches)

Credibility: (Demonstrates knowledge of issues from the standpoint of content and policy. Demonstrates capacity for strategic synthesis of knowledge and practice).
Demonstration of the capacity to influence others with or without the formal authority or title.
Demonstration of the capacity to respect followers, promote their voices, and protect their interests.
Exhibition of generosity: Shares knowledge, power, and resources in the interest of an aim.
Demonstration of life decisions and actions consistent with a set of core values and ethics.
Demonstration of effectiveness. Achievements, even if modest, that reflect intelligence, creativity, vision, advocacy, and a healthy balance of outrage and optimism.
Seeks new solutions
Our grantmaking goal is to close the gender, racial, ethnic, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and other equity gaps in non-profit leadership. We do this by actively funding the leadership development of as many current women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have historically been under-represented in leadership roles as possible, within our means and mission.
Please refer to FAQ for additional guidelines.

Eligibility

Eligible nonprofit organizations have at least one paid staff, operate in the Greater Philadelphia region, and serve at least 70% women or girls or have a program that serves 70% women and/or girls. If the organization is eligible because it has a program specifically for women and/or girls, the individual leader(s) who benefit from this grant must have an active role within or responsibility for this program. The Leadership Fund seeks to support both current and aspiring women leaders and will accept nominations for an individual or a group from eligible organizations.We encourage submissions from women executive and aspiring leaders from groups that have traditionally been under-represented in leadership roles.The Greater Philadelphia region refers to southeastern Pennsylvania counties (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia) as well as contiguous counties in southern New Jersey (Camden) and Delaware (New Castle).Note: It is the responsibility of the Applicant and the Nominated Individual(s) to ensure that the Nominated Individual(s) are eligible and available to attend the proposed leadership initiative. For example, some initiatives require pre-requisites, or applications for admission, or other qualifications.

Ineligibility

Please note: Visionary Leadership Fund Grants are only available to qualifying organizations and will not be made available to individual applicants.