Program Overview
Thank you for your interest in applying for the Bold Movers Program, created in partnership between Stuart Weitzman and Vital Voices Global Partnership, designed to invest in women changemakers working to achieve their next social impact milestone.
In a recent study by Harvard Business Review, more than half of women executives cited their mid-career (early 30s to late-40s) as the stage where they faced the most gender bias in the workplace. It is during this time that women deal with gendered assumptions of labor, hyper-scrutiny, and unequal access to opportunities.
We seek to meet these women to help them confront gender-biases and take the next step in their social impact work through engaging trainings, community building sessions, one-on-one mentorship, and meaningful networking opportunities to grow their leadership capacity.
Through participating in the Bold Movers, participants will:
- Build leadership and confidence through tailored skills-building trainings and community-building sessions
- Receive an invitation to attend an in-person convening in Washington, DC (with all travel expenses covered)
- Have the opportunity to apply for grant funding for their projects
- Receive mentorship from experienced Stuart Weitzman leaders and members of the Vital Voices network
- Join the Vital Voices global network of more than 20,000 women leaders from around the world
Who Is This Program For?
The 2025 Bold Movers cohort is looking for participants who are:
- Mid-career social impact leaders
- Pivoting or changing their career path
- Clearly dedicated to leadership and leadership growth
- Interested in connecting to a network of like-minded leaders
Program Timeline
All participants chosen will attend twice-monthly virtual meetings from May to July 2025 in addition to regularly-scheduled mentoring meetings. There will be an in-person gathering in Washington, DC - dates to be confirmed (travel costs covered by the program).
About Vital Voices Global Partnership
We are facing the world’s toughest challenges of all time – climate crisis, systemic and widespread racial injustices, gender-based violence, growing economic divides and inequity, and much more. The world needs women to help solve the problems that are affecting people in their own communities and all around the globe. For over 25 years, Vital Voices Global Partnership has been investing in women leaders solving these challenges. We have built a network of 20,000 changemakers across 184 countries daring to reimagine a more equitable world for all.
At Vital Voices we are “venture catalysts”, identifying women leaders with a bold vision for change and partnering with them to make their vision a reality. We scale and accelerate their impact through long-term investments to expand their skills, connections, capacity, and visibility. We know that women lead differently, and we work to celebrate and share what makes their leadership transformational: inclusion, equity, and a commitment to breaking down barriers.
About Stuart Weitzman
Since 1986, New York City-based global luxury footwear brand Stuart Weitzman has combined its signature artisanal craftsmanship and precise engineering to empower women to stand strong. Having perfected the art of shoemaking for over 35 years, the brand continues to expand its assortment to feature handbags, men’s footwear and eyewear, all the while staying true to its ethos of inspiring strength and confidence with every step.
The brand’s social impact mission is to inspire and support women to make their next bold move in their communities through confidence-building initiatives.
Application Information
In this application, you will have the opportunity to share information about your work and background that demonstrates your suitability for the fellowship. This is a comprehensive application, which you may not finish in one sitting, so if you would like to save your progress and return to complete the application later, you may utilize the "Save & Continue" feature located at the bottom of each application page. Clicking on this feature will send you an email with a link to access your saved application at a later time. Please note that you will not be able to advance to the next page of the application until all required fields have been completed. Applications will be graded on a rolling basis.
To be considered for this opportunity, please submit your application no later than midnight on Friday, February 28, 2025.
If you have any questions or technical difficulties, please reach out to Brittney Knotts at BrittneyK@vitalvoices.org with "Bold Movers Application" in the subject line.