Welcome to the IWF Leadership Fellows Program Application Portal!

Program Overview

IWF’s world-class Leadership Fellows Program accelerates the path to the C-suite for leaders across all sectors. It is custom-built for high achievers who are 3-5 years away from the most senior roles in their professions. For more than 30 years, the Leadership Fellows Program has transformed careers. Unique among leadership development programs globally, our Program’s powerful resources are designed to catalyze individual potential as well as the organizational impact of participants. 

• A customized, world-class curriculum designed in collaboration with INSEAD and the University of Cambridge
• Bespoke mentoring from IWF members, carefully matched with Leadership Fellows to support their individual professional development goals
• A global network of the world’s most accomplished women, with access to IWF conferences featuring expert speakers and small-group dinners for exclusive, one-of-a-kind connections
• An inspiring community of high-achieving peers and alumnae who support and enrich each other’s professional and personal lives
• Real-time application of legacy projects that extend the leadership lessons of the program beyond the participants

Selection Criteria

IWF welcomes applications from high-potential leaders with exemplary achievement, recognition, leadership, and commitment. Please see  "Admissions Information" (above) to review the criteria. 

Application Details

All parts of the application are completed through this portal. Click "Apply Today" (above) to start your application! 

Applications for the 2026-2027 Leadership Fellows Program are due May 15, 2026. 

The application requires personal and professional details, two recommendations (one from the senior-most leader in the applicant's organization or, for large organization's, reporting line, and the other from an external professional colleague), and responses to the essay questions listed below. Please refer to this sample application and sample recommendation form if you wish to preview the application before creating an account.

1. Thinking about the individuals and experiences that have influenced who you are today, both personally and as a leader, which of those do you identify as the most significant and why?
2. What are your short- and long-term professional goals, and how do you think the Leadership Fellows Program will support these goals?
3. One of the goals of the Leadership Fellows Program is to establish a mentor culture among women. Each participant works with an IWF mentor across the program year, and members of the program cohort often become informal peer mentors. Please describe a previous relationship in which you were either a mentor or mentee (whether through informal interactions or a formal program) or a situation in which you benefited from or contributed to peer mentoring. What worked? What didn’t? What would you do differently in the future?
4. Thinking about the mission of IWF (advancing women’s leadership and championing equality worldwide), how do these values play into your personal and professional lives? Please describe how you act upon these values (e.g., through family, volunteer, civic, community, or other activities). 
5. Each participant is required to conduct a Legacy Project during the program. Legacy projects may be a significant next step in an existing initiative on which you are already working, or an entirely new initiative. While participants will have the opportunity to refine their projects early in the fellowship, the Selection Committee is interested in understanding the nature of the project, target audience, potential activities, and envisioned outcomes (to the extent you can define these elements at this point). Please describe your proposed Legacy Project for the Leadership Fellows Program and how the project will leverage your knowledge and experience, and will require an increase in your personal performance. 

Program Cost

Tuition for the 2026-2027 program is US$39,500 per participant and includes:

• Orientation and Leadership Immersion Program (4 days, Mexico City, Mexico, October 2026)
• IWF-INSEAD Women's Global Leadership Program (4 days, Fontainebleau, France, Early/mid-February 2027)
• IWF-University of Cambridge Leading in a Changing World Program (5 days, Cambridge, England, Early/mid-June 2027)
• 2026-2027 Graduation and IWF World Leadership Conference and Gala (Miami, Florida, November 2-5, 2027)
• Mentoring focused on individual needs
• Meals and accommodations at in-person events
• All course materials

Transportation (ground and air travel) is not provided.

A limited number of partial and full scholarships (typically 2-4) are available, primarily for women leaders working at organizations lacking internal professional development resources (e.g., nonprofits, civic or governmental entities, small businesses or entrepreneurs) and from lower-income/developing countries. Leaders from U.S. federal government agencies are eligible for designated scholarship funding; one scholarship per year is typically awarded to a U.S. federal government agency employee. Scholarship requests are considered by the IWF Global Selection Committee in parallel with selection decisions.    

Questions?
Contact IWF by e-mail at iwf@iwforum.org