Building Leaders

I think we click with Third Wave because we are young women organizers. We are up and coming, we are the third generation just like you.
– Leslie, Sistas on the Rise

Leadership Development

The Third Wave Foundation has been committed to empowering individual activists since thousands of young people across the United States joined Rebecca Walker’s inaugural rallying cry, “I am the third wave!”

With our support, young feminist activists will be better equipped with skills, experience, knowledge, social networks, and a sharply focused personal vision to move forward with their work.

In 2006, we launched two projects: the Why Give Institute and the Southwest Regional Leadership Training for the Young Women’s Collaborative.

Scholarship for Young Women and Transgender Activists comes to a close in 2005

As Third Wave continues to grow and strategically shift our grantmaking, we have been investigating new ways to support both young women and transgender activists and the work they are leading. Our Scholarship Program was one of our oldest grantmaking areas and one we valued having.

We realized that while the need for financial support is as great as ever, there are increasing number of organizations and foundations who are able to fill this need, with the ability to award larger sums than what Third Wave has ever offered. We also saw this as the perfect opportunity to provide alternatives for young activists, whether or not they choose to pursue institutional higher learning. With these thoughts in mind, Third Wave sought out to develop leadership programs that continue to support activists on an individual level while creating a model that enables mutual learning, skills-building, follow-up and networking, and direct linkage to social just movements.