• Press Release

EMILYs List Launches Ignite Change Fellowship for 2023

March 31, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

EMILYs List is now accepting applications for the Fall 2023 cohort of Ignite Change fellows.WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, launches the application for the 2023 Ignite Change Fellowship, a nine-week virtual initiative to train deeply engaged community leaders and advocates on developing their political skills, leadership, and confidence in potentially running for office. Selected participants will make up the fellowship’s sixth cohort.

Applications can be submitted now through May 19, 2023. The program will be capped at 40 fellows. 

“Since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, state and local elected officials have been vital leaders in the fight for abortion rights, making the need to elect Democratic pro-choice women to elected office up and down the ballot imperative. EMILYs List is proud to be part of building the bench of pro-choice leaders. We are excited to see our new class of fellows learn and acquire the tools needed to turn their passion for community activism into political power,” said Johanna Silva Waki, vice president of training and community engagement at EMILYs List.

So far EMILYs List has trained more than 150 diverse fellows through the Ignite Change Fellowship. 75% of fellows are under the age of 35, 69% identify as POC, and 35% identify as LGBTQ+. ​​ 

Applicants for the Ignite Change Fellowship should exhibit the following attributes:

  • Experience serving as an organizational leader or advocate in their community
  • An eagerness to run for office in the future
  • No prior or current history of being a candidate or running for office

Interested candidates can apply here. Applications are due on May 19, 2023. The program will run virtually from August to October 2023. For more information, read the fellowship FAQ here. Additionally, interested applicants can join one of two informational sessions on April 13 and May 11, 2023.

EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Our work is centered around a fundamental vision: Run. Win. Change the World. EMILYs List has raised $850 million in service to that vision and has helped Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the largest independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 175 women to the House, 26 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,500 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.