Jobs and programmes for women in the USA
Job boards, speaking calls, free mentoring, fellowships, accelerators, scholarships and awards open to women across the United States.
Deadlines are given where they are published, because several of these have narrow windows and reopen only once a year.
The scholarships section is worth a look even if you are not studying. One of these is specifically for women who are the main financial support for their families, and more than half its recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Another is for women over 35 returning for a first degree.
Jobs
8 entries
Impactpool — UN, NGO and international organisation jobs impactpool.org
Roles at the UN, the World Bank, the EU institutions and international NGOs. Use the country filter on their search page to narrow it to where you are. Also runs career coaching and a fellowship for getting into the sector, which is the harder part. These jobs are almost impossible to find on ordinary job boards.
Fairygodboss fairygodboss.com
Jobs, plus company reviews written anonymously by the women who work there — so you can see what a place is actually like before you apply. Free to join, always. Runs virtual recruiting events and resume drops through the year.
The Mom Project themomproject.com
Three thousand companies hiring mothers specifically — returning, or working around a life. Remote, hybrid and onsite; contract, part-time and permanent.
PowerToFly powertofly.com
Thirteen thousand live roles at companies that have committed to hiring women and underrepresented talent. Heavy on tech, product, marketing and sales.
Tech Ladies hiretechladies.com
A hundred and fifty thousand women in tech — engineering, design, product, marketing. The community and job board are free. There is a paid tier for coaching and a curated board, but you do not need it to use the jobs.
InHerSight inhersight.com
Women rate employers on the things that decide whether you stay — flexible hours, salary satisfaction, sense of belonging, room to learn — and you get matched to jobs on what you said mattered.
Idealist idealist.org
Thirty years of nonprofit and mission-driven roles, plus volunteering and internships. Where to look if you want the work to mean something and you can live on a nonprofit salary.
USAJOBS — federal roles usajobs.gov
The federal government, all of it, in one place. Salary bands are published on every posting, which takes the guesswork out of what to ask for. Hiring paths tell you upfront which jobs you are eligible for.
Speaking calls
7 entries
TED — nominate a speaker ted.com
TED searches year-round and says plainly: if you know someone who belongs on that stage, or if you belong there yourself, tell them. Free, always open, and you can nominate yourself or another woman.
TEDx events directory ted.com
Every upcoming TEDx event worldwide, filterable by country, including TEDxWomen events. Each one is organised locally and runs its own speaker call — find the ones near you and approach the organiser directly.
SXSW PanelPicker sxsw.com
Anyone can propose a session and the public votes on it, which makes it one of the few large stages you can get onto without knowing anyone. SXSW EDU runs alongside it.
Grace Hopper Celebration ghc.anitab.org
The largest gathering of women in tech in the world, run by AnitaB.org. Sessions are chosen from an open call, and more than 700 organisations come to recruit.
LWT Summit — Lesbians Who Tech & Allies lesbianswhotech.org
Thirteenth year. An open “apply to speak”, and a free virtual pass if you only want to watch. AI workshops built for marketing, sales, product and engineering leaders rather than engineers alone.
Women Talk Design womentalkdesign.com
Not a call to apply to — a free directory of 600+ women and non-binary speakers in design and tech that event organisers search when they are booking. This is the one where they come to you. There are workshops for new speakers too.
Conferences for Women conferencesforwomen.org
Four conferences a year and the largest women’s professional gathering in the country. Nonprofit. Worth knowing the calendar whether you are speaking, attending or trying to meet the people who book speakers.
Mentoring
8 entries
Jessica Huns — free one-to-one coaching hunsagency.com
Coaching on the Seasons method: name the exact thing you want, decide what a season of chasing it will cost, and run it. Free, a small number of places at a time. Board certified through the NBHWC.
MicroMentor micromentor.org
Free one-to-one business mentoring from volunteers who have built companies themselves. Run by Mercy Corps, open worldwide. They say plainly that they give advice, not money.
Lean In Circles leanin.org
Small peer groups that meet regularly, with research-backed material to work through. Free. Join one near you or start your own. Lean In reports that Circle members get promotions and raises at twice the rate of the general population.
Mentor Her mentorher.global
A six-week online programme, one hour a week with a matched mentor, plus workbooks and workshops. Paid — but more than a third of mentees on each round are matched free through their scholarship places, so ask before you assume you cannot afford it.
SCORE — free business mentoring score.org
One-to-one mentoring, free, for the life of your business — not a fixed number of sessions. Virtual or in person, confidential, and open at the idea stage before anything exists. Free live webinars most weeks as well.
AnitaB.org — mentorship and talent network anitab.org
Eighty-nine per cent of people who go through the mentorship programme are promoted within two years, and three quarters report more confidence. The talent network puts a curated profile in front of employers.
Dress for Success dressforsuccess.org
A hundred and thirty offices, 1.5 million women served. Interview clothing to start, then career development and ongoing professional groups. For the point where you have the interview and not much else.
Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center nasdaqcenter.org
A nonprofit, despite the name. Free resources, expert guidance and mentorship — 125,000 entrepreneurs through it so far, many of whom went on to raise real capital.
Fellowships & programmes
6 entries
Vital Voices Global Fellowship vitalvoices.org
Multi-year fellowship: leadership development, network, and venture support.
Vital Voices VV Venture — AI for Impact vitalvoices.org
Fully funded programme for women social entrepreneurs working with AI.
Echoing Green Fellowship echoinggreen.org
Seed funding and two years of leadership development for people at the very start of a social venture — education, climate, human rights, health. Thirty-five years of it. Fellows stay in the community for life.
Global Good Fund Fellowship globalgoodfund.org
Twelve months, worldwide. A dedicated executive coach, a C-suite business mentor, and USD 10,000 to spend on your own leadership development rather than on the business. Unusual, and the point.
Tory Burch Fellows toryburchfoundation.org
A year of coaching from people who have advised some of the largest founders in the world, plus advisors and introductions. You need to be 21 or over, a US resident, and own the largest stake in a for-profit business that is at least 51 per cent women-owned and turning over at least USD 75,000 a year. There is no upper limit.
Camelback Fellowship camelbackventures.org
Sixteen weeks, and USD 40,000 of unrestricted investment in your venture — money you can spend on going full time, a pilot, or a developer. Your own coach for the duration. For early-stage ventures in education and technology built for social impact. Sixty-three per cent of fellows are women or non-binary.
Accelerators & incubators
5 entries
Antler antler.co
Founder programmes in Dubai and Riyadh, plus London, Bangalore and three US cities. It takes people pre-idea and pre-team — co-founder matching, coaching and early-stage investment. One of the few doors open before you have a company at all.
MassChallenge masschallenge.org
A global accelerator network running since 2009, across healthcare and life sciences, security, food systems, climate and financial systems. What it offers is access — to corporates, customers, regulators and funders — more than money.
Springboard Enterprises sb.co
Twenty-five years, women-led companies only, and a nonprofit. Nine hundred and seventy-five companies through it, 128 exits, 11 unicorns. Current programmes cover longevity, women’s health and fashion tech, plus the Dolphin Tank pitch events where the room is there to help rather than judge.
digitalundivided digitalundivided.com
Six programmes arranged by stage, so there is an entry point whether you have an idea or a company — START for a first business, BIG to refine and fund it, BREAKTHROUGH for coaching at the next stage, and a leadership track above that. Built for founders the funding system overlooks. 3,200 founders supported, 85 per cent reporting growth.
Techstars techstars.com
Sixteen programmes across US cities and sectors — health, finance, space, AI. Three months, mentor-driven, with investment. Not women-specific, and it takes equity, so read the terms before you apply. The network is the reason people do it.
Scholarships & training
4 entries
Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women goldmansachs.com
Free online business education, open worldwide, in English, French, Hindi, Brazilian Portuguese and Latin American Spanish. More than 320,000 entrepreneurs across 150+ countries since 2008. There is also in-person teaching in India, and a route to credit through the IFC.
AAUW Fellowships and Grants aauw.org
One of the largest funders of women’s graduate education since 1888 — USD 29.6 million to 1,538 women in five years. The Career Development Grants are the ones for women changing direction rather than continuing straight on.
Jeannette Rankin Foundation rankinfoundation.org
For women and non-binary people aged 35 and over, going back for a first degree, with financial need. Three quarters of scholars are the single head of their household. Ninety-six per cent finish or keep going.
Soroptimist Live Your Dream Awards soroptimist.org
For women who are the main financial support for their families. More than half of recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. The cash can go on whatever the education actually costs — childcare, transport, books, fees. USD 3.4 million to 2,300 women last year.
Awards & nominations
5 entries
Stevie Awards for Women in Business stevieawards.com
More than 200 categories, so there is almost certainly one that fits what you have actually done. Fifteen hundred nominations from 48 countries last year. Small businesses are judged alongside global ones. Request the entry kit for categories and fees.
The American Business Awards stevieawards.com
The US edition, open to any organisation operating in the States, public or private, for-profit or not. There are Entrepreneur categories and a separate one for entrepreneurs under 35.
EY Entrepreneur Of The Year ey.com
Forty years, 94 countries, 30,000 alumni. You can nominate yourself — you do not need someone else to put you forward. Winners get a year inside the programme, not just a trophy: peers, mentors and the profile that comes with it.
Inc. Female Founders 500 inc.com
Five hundred women founders a year, scored by Inc.’s editors on what the business has achieved and how you lead it. Independent companies only — not divisions of something larger. Open application.
Forbes 50 Over 50 forbes.com
Two hundred honourees a year, sourced partly through public nominations. US-based, born on or before 31 December 1975. Founders are generally expected to be a year in and turning over USD 4 million. The judging explicitly looks for reinvention and major career pivots — which is to say, the thing that happens after you decide to start again.
More for the United States
Every link on this page was opened and checked by hand. Last reviewed 04 October 2026.