The Amplify Her® Foundation Incubator is a 6-month program that equips women leaders with mentorship, funding, and practical tools to turn bold gender equity ideas into action.
Focused on advocacy and systems-level change, the Incubator supports initiatives that improve the lives of women and girls in New York City — from launching nonprofits to driving community campaigns and policy projects — with the potential to scale beyond.
KEY FEATURES
Selective Cohort: up to 12 women leaders will be chosen through a competitive application and interview process.
Seed Funding: 3 participants will be eligible to receive a microgrant, up to $10,000, to support the launch of their initiative — whether it takes the form of a registered nonprofit, a time-bound advocacy campaign, or a policy-focused effort.
Monthly In-Person Workshops: Participants will engage in a structured curriculum designed to build leadership, strategic advocacy, and implementation skills. Sessions will be drawn from both nonprofit development and movement-building frameworks.
Mentorship: Each participant will be matched with a network of cross-sector mentors, including seasoned advocates, nonprofit leaders, and members of the Amplify Her® Leadership Network, to support their vision and growth.
Leadership Development: Participants will have access to additional curated programming across the Amplify Her® Foundation ecosystem.
Human-Centered Design: Through a partnership with Robin Hood Foundation’s Design Insight Group (DIG), participants will have the opportunity to co-create and test solutions directly with New Yorkers whose lived experiences reflect the challenges their initiatives aim to address, ensuring their solutions are community-informed, relevant, and effective.
Pitch Competition: The program will culminate with an in-person event where participants will pitch their ideas to a panel of judges. Three winners will receive special recognition and funding.
Stipend: Participants who complete all program requirements are eligible to receive a $1,000 stipend, the opportunity to participate in the pitch competition, and seed funding.
TIMELINE
Commitment: Participants are expected to attend all in-person sessions, held on the first Wednesday of each month, 5:00–7:00 PM at Amplify Her Foundation’s office in Chelsea, Manhattan
Opening Dinner Celebration: March 2026
Workshops: April 1, May 6, June 3, July 1, August 5, September 2, 2026
Pitch Competition (mandatory): October 2026
Virtual Mentorship: Participants are encouraged to meet with their dedicated mentor(s) at least once a month throughout the program, scheduled at a mutually convenient time.
CURRICULUM
Session 1 | Visioning for Systems Change
Session 2 | Community-Centered Design
Session 3 | Messaging for Movement-Building
Session 4 | Mobilizing Resources for Impact
Session 5 | Leading Change: Building Culture & Infrastructure
Session 6 | Evaluating Systems Impact
FUNDING
Three participants will each be eligible to receive one seed grant, up to $10,000, to support the launch of their initiative — whether it takes the form of a registered nonprofit, a time-bound advocacy campaign, or a policy-focused effort.
All selected participants who complete all program requirements will receive a $1,000 stipend.
PARTICIPANT PROFILE
We believe your voice, your vision, and your lived experience matter. If you’ve ever thought, “Something needs to change, and I know there’s a better way,” this program is designed for you.
The Amplify Her® Foundation Incubator supports women at the early stages of bringing an idea to life. Whether you’re dreaming about starting a nonprofit, leading a grassroots campaign, shaping policy, or testing a new idea that could grow beyond your neighborhood, the Incubator is here to help you take that next step. The program provides the mentorship, resources, and peer community needed to transform vision into action and create lasting change for women and girls in New York City.
We welcome applications from women who see possibilities where others see obstacles, and who are ready to bring bold ideas to life.
Identity & Residency: Women, 18 years or older, ready to embrace her power as a changemaker and rise as a leader, whether for the first time or in a new way, to move an idea from vision to action, and a current resident of New York City who is actively engaged in her local community.
Lived Experience: Your lived experience matters. We are looking for women who are grounded in a firsthand understanding of the challenges they seek to address, bringing authenticity and insight to their vision for change.
Purpose & Focus: Committed to advancing the lives of women and girls in New York City through advocacy, leadership, or systems-level change. Driven by purpose and persistence, eager to move an idea forward even if the path isn’t perfectly clear - and open to learning, experimenting, and refining the idea along the way.
Mindset & Approach: Ready to roll up their sleeves and take the next step, embrace feedback, and collaborate with mentors and peers while stepping into leadership in new or unfamiliar ways.
SOCIAL IMPACT IDEA
We’re seeking bold, community-rooted ideas that have the potential to transform the lives of women and girls in New York City.
Focus on Women and Girls: Initiatives that aim to make a lasting difference in the lives of women and girls in New York City - whether through deep, local impact in one neighborhood or community, or by sparking citywide change.
Aligned with Amplify Her® Foundation’s Unified Policy Platform: Preference will be given to projects that demonstrate alignment with our four focus areas: Girls’ Education and Career Readiness, Women’s Economic Mobility, Workplace Equality, and Support for Working Caregivers. We will also consider projects that address related community issues, with a credible pathway to improving outcomes for women and girls (i.e. housing stability, transit safety, food access, environmental health, digital safety, etc.).
Early but Promising Stage: Ideas that may still be in their formative stages but show strong potential for growth and impact.
Courageous and Action-Oriented: Efforts that take on big challenges — whether through launching a nonprofit, leading a campaign, shaping policy, or piloting a platform that could expand beyond one community. It’s about vision and action, not the size or formality of the project.
Grounded in Social Justice: Projects that address inequities and barriers through advocacy, leadership, and systems-level change — and that center the voices and lived experiences of those most affected.
Potential for Broader Impact: Ideas that, while starting locally, hold the possibility to grow in reach or inspire change beyond the immediate community.
What Bold, Community-Rooted Change Can Look Like
The following examples illustrate the range of initiatives we aim to support — from hyper-local projects to citywide campaigns. They are meant to inspire ideas and show that we welcome applicants at all stages of their leadership journey.
A campaign to expand access to affordable childcare in a single borough, aiming to inspire citywide policy change over time.
A neighborhood-based mutual aid network supporting working caregivers with free meal delivery, peer support, and advocacy for better resources.
A pilot project that equips high school girls with STEM mentors from local colleges, creating a pathway to tech internships and scholarships.
A simple but powerful digital tool to help families using public benefits stretch their monthly food budgets and reduce food insecurity.
A storytelling project elevating the voices of women of color in one NYC district to push for safer streets and improved public transportation access.
Even if you are still shaping your idea or do not yet see yourself as a “leader,” this program is designed to help you take your next step with courage, clarity, and community support.
APPLICATION
Applications will open on Monday, November 17, 2025.
Apply with a Video: Share Your Story, Share Your Idea
We want to get to know you — your story, your vision, and the spark behind your idea.
As part of the application for the Amplify Her Foundation Incubator, we invite you to submit a short video (about 3-5 minutes) responding to the prompts below. Feel free to respond to the prompts in any order that feels most natural.
You can record on your phone or laptop. What matters most is your passion and your commitment to advancing gender equity.
We can’t wait to hear from you!
The Story Behind Your Idea
What issue are you working to address, and why is this important to you?
Your Idea: The Proposed Solution
What is your idea, and how does it address the issue you identified?
What stage is your idea currently at (concept, pilot, scaling, etc.)?
What makes this idea innovative or different from other approaches?
What are the first 2–3 concrete steps you would take to launch or expand your idea?
Your One-Sentence Pitch
Summarize your initiative in a single sentence — think of this as your tagline or elevator pitch.
Your Community
Who are you hoping to serve through your work, what impact do you envision having on this community, and how do you plan to involve community members in shaping or leading the initiative?
Your Experience
How have your lived or professional experiences shaped the way you lead and think about change?
Centering Women & Girls
How does your proposed solution or work improve outcomes for women and girls in New York City, even if it is framed more broadly?
Your Hopes for the Incubator
What would you want to gain from being part of the Incubator?
Applications are due on Friday, January 30, 2026, by 5 PM EST.
Short-listed candidates will be invited to an in-person interview in mid-February 2026.
Nominate a Changemaker
Not every leader sees herself as one — sometimes it takes a friend, colleague, or neighbor to recognize the spark. If you know a woman in New York City who is ready to take her bold idea for gender equity to the next level, we invite you to nominate her for the Amplify Her® Foundation Incubator.
Your nomination is simply a way to encourage her to apply. Your support could be the nudge she needs to share her vision with the world.
[Nominate a Changemaker]
Ready to Apply?
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