LGBTQ+ Victory Institute Inc

The Victory Institute’s Victory Congressional Internship is developing the next generation of LGBTQ+ public leaders. Each semester, the Victory Congressional Internship brings outstanding LGBTQ+ undergraduate students to Washington, DC, for an intensive leadership program, including:

An 8 or 10 week Congressional internship with a member of the Congressional Equality Caucus or an LGBTQ+-friendly member of U.S. Congress to learn firsthand about the federal legislative process; and

An educational and leadership development program to learn about careers in policy-making and engage with subject-matter experts in the District of Columbia working across sectors.

The Victory Congressional Fellowship (VCF) brings one to three outstanding LGBTQ+ young professionals to Washington, DC, for an intensive leadership program. The program includes:

A year-long fellowship in the Congressional Equality Caucus supporting the Executive Director of the Congressional Equality Caucus

An educational and leadership development program to learn about the legislative process and careers in policy-making

To develop strong LGBTQ+ public officials and movement leaders, the 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 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.

The mission of the David Bohnett Leaders Fellowship is to develop a strong cohort of LGBTQ+ public officials. LGBTQ+ Victory Institute, in collaboration with The David Bohnett Foundation, has sent over 150 outstanding LGBTQ+ leaders to the Harvard Kennedy School’s Senior Executives in State and Local Government program since 2002, and connects these alumni to opportunities for further leadership development.

Victory Institute’s Political Appointments Program – a coalition of more than 30 LGBTQ+ organizations – works to support presidential administrations in ensuring qualified LGBTQ+ people are included in the federal government across all agencies and levels.

LGBTQ+ Victory Institute leads the nonpartisan initiative which accepts résumés from LGBTQ+ leaders interested in working in a presidential administration. Victory Institute reviews the résumés and provides support to candidates to assist administrations with filling open full-time and part-time positions – including on boards and advisory committees.

Representation matters, and when LGBTQ+ people are included at decision-making tables, they can significantly influence the policies and direction of agencies, commissions, and the executive branch to make a positive change for LGBTQ+ people.

Women Out to Win is a six month advanced campaign training for LGBTQ+ women to address challenges specific to women candidates, such as imposter syndrome, safety concerns, and fundraising.

Through generous funding from The Ascend Fund, Victory Institute produced a first-of-its-kind report, “The Decision to Run: Uncovering the Barriers and Motivators for LGBTQ Women Running for Office” to explore the barriers and motivators LGBTQ+ women experience when running for office.

LGBTQ+ women expressed needing more mentorship from elected officials who are also LGBTQ+ women.