LEADERSHIP
Developing New Leaders for Tomorrow

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." - Mahatma Gandhi

Today's leaders navigate a world that is undergoing continuous change. As the landscape changes, so do the tools needed for leaders to harness that change and improve organizational and individual performance. At American Express we appreciate the impact that talented leaders can have on business and society as a whole, and we dedicate significant resources to attract, develop and retain talented employees.

Through this giving theme, we are extending our commitment to leadership development to a broader community. We are seeking the best methods, programs and partners that provide current and future nonprofit leaders with practical opportunities to learn and build leadership skills.

We are especially interested in proposals that cultivate leadership opportunities for diverse communities within the nonprofit sector or that focus on innovative leadership development programs for emerging leaders of world-class institutions. We specifically target programs for emerging nonprofit leaders in the arts, environment, higher education and social service sectors. We will accept a limited number of requests for programs impacting emerging leaders of the public sector.

In addition, we will accept a limited number of requests for programs outside the US to support entrepreneurs to become future business leaders.

Criteria:
Supported programs must encourage leadership development for emerging leaders through one of the following:

• Addressing the leadership deficit in the nonprofit sector, whether by training emerging leaders, enabling new executive directors, or feeding the pipeline of talent into the sector by encouraging graduating college students to consider careers in the nonprofit sector.
   
• Diversifying the current landscape of nonprofit leaders.
   
• Transforming organizations via best-in-class management and leadership practices, whether through board leadership, implementing management principles, or expanding an organization's capacity to attract, develop and retain leadership talent.

Organizations we support typically fall in one of the following categories:

• Networks: Supporting leadership training by an organization to a wider group of organizations within the same discipline or field.
   
• National Organizations: Supporting leadership development of an organization's local members or affiliates.
   
• Local Organizations: Supporting leadership development of an organization located in key markets (see list of markets here).

Applications for youth leadership programs are discouraged. We do not support scholarships for an individual's personal leadership training.

RECENT EXAMPLES

The Bridgespan Group, New York, NY
The Bridgespan Group brings leading-edge strategies and tools to the challenges and opportunities facing nonprofit organizations. As part of an overall strategy of creating local offices in major metropolitan areas, Bridgespan opened Bridgestar New York to provide senior leadership development and executive talent-matching services for nonprofit organizations. Workshops, seminars, online resources and other initiatives are designed to build strong nonprofit leaders in the New York region. Bridgestar New York has begun to fundamentally change the performance trajectory of metro New York nonprofits and the lives of talented people who want to apply their skills to important social challenges. This initiative is serving as a model for Bridgespan's expansion into additional cities, potentially making a profound difference in the performance of individual leaders and the nonprofit sector.

Center for Creative Leadership, Greensboro, NC
Center for Creative Leadership ("CCL") is one of the country’s premier leadership development educational institutions. In partnership with American Express Company, CCL developed and launched the inaugural American Express Nonprofit Leadership Academy ("Academy"). The Academy is a selective and rigorous training program, convening the nation's top emerging nonprofit leaders to develop the personal and business skills required for successful leadership in the sector. Adding value to the training, American Express senior executives participate in the Academy and address the importance and application of customer service, leadership development, brand management and marketing for the nonprofit sector. Academy participants are selected from national organizations and local nonprofits located in American Express service center communities. Post Academy, participating nonprofit leaders can access CCL’s robust website, conduct telephonic executive coaching sessions, and take advantage of repeating the 360 evaluation process.

Guilford Nonprofit Consortium, Greensboro, NC
The Guilford Nonprofit Consortium is composed of nonprofit organizations and agencies throughout Guilford County. Its purpose is to connect the citizens of the County to the nonprofit community and to foster resource sharing and mutual support among its members. In partnership with Center for Creative Leadership and University of North Carolina, Guilford Nonprofit Consortium launched a year-long training program for nonprofit leaders in the local Triad area. The training program employs a combination of classes and mentor relationships to teach both capacity-building skills (e.g., Marketing, Human Resources, fundraising) as well as personal leadership style skills (e.g., servant leadership).

National Arts Strategies, Washington, D.C.
National Arts Strategies (NAS) is one of the premier leadership trainers for arts and preservation organizations. NAS recently redirected some resources to training emerging leaders, or those who will direct organizations in the arts community in the next five to ten years. The focus of the program, titled "Future Leadership," is to accelerate the development of these emerging leaders and to close the gaps in their leadership experiences. Phase I of the project successfully launched the Future Leadership online community discussion forum. The ongoing discussions about the future of leadership in the arts will help inform the design of a series of educational seminars and services which will be launched for Phase 2.

Synergos Institute , New York, NY
Founded in 1987, The Synergos Institute is a nonprofit organization focused on addressing global poverty and social injustice through a process of collaboration. Launched in 1999, the Synergos Senior Fellows program links talented civil society leaders in a worldwide learning, service and action network. The network aims to strengthen the leadership and institutional capacity of these leaders to take on a vanguard role in partnerships that address the systemic causes of poverty and promote social change. Through the three-year fellowship, Fellows have the opportunity to enhance their skills, knowledge, and experience. American Express funding will support the strengthening of the Senior Fellows program by increasing the number and quality of regional opportunities for peer learning and interaction with other fellows in a specific geography, by improving communication and knowledge-sharing through major technology upgrades, and by supporting collaboration and problem-solving efforts with other global networking groups.

Taproot Foundation, San Francisco, CA
Taproot Foundation strengthens nonprofits by engaging business professionals to provide high value services via a pro bono consulting model. Through this model, Taproot Foundation gives "service grants" to eligible nonprofit organizations. Taproot Foundation launched a new practice area around Leadership Development, which is a groundbreaking initiative to support and strengthen the nonprofit sector's leadership capacity. The new practice area will be rolled out over the next three years in major U.S. metropolitan areas including: New York, Boston, Washington, DC, Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

UNCF, Fairfax, VA
UNCF serves nearly 60,000 students via a network of 39 member colleges and universities. UNCF faces a network-wide transition as a new generation of presidents steps into leadership roles. UNCF partners with the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities (AGB) and Harvard University's Graduate School of Education to facilitate the UNCF Executive Leadership and Governance Program. Through a portfolio of unique and innovative leadership development programs, the program is building a stronger cadre of well-trained, high-potential executives equipped to foster meaningful and enduring institutional change at the nation's historically black colleges and universities. Additionally, UNCF's second tier leaders are offered leadership and management seminars to enhance their skills and further feed the pipeline of future leaders.

United Way International, Alexandria, VA
United Way International (UWI) is a global network of nonprofit organizations operating in 45 countries outside the United States. UWI convenes leaders from the nonprofit, business and government sectors to identify local needs and develop strategies to solve these challenges. American Express funding will support a year-long leadership development program for a cohort of approximately 25 emerging leaders from within the global United Way system with an emphasis on Asia and Latin America. Key outcomes of this program will include stronger leadership in the United Way global system to enable better collaboration at the community level to identify the root causes of social problems and implement sustainable solutions.

The White House Project, New York, NY
The White House Project (WHP) aims to advance women's leadership in all communities and sectors by creating a permanent, nonpartisan pipeline to women's leadership. Based on its motto of "Inspire, Inform, Equip." WHP runs diverse programs to promote women's leadership via advocacy, research, education, mentoring and networks. American Express supported a new partnership between WHP and O Magazine to create a cross-sector leadership training program for women. The program, Women Rule builds off WHP's highly successful signature training program "Vote, Run, Lead." The three-day training program for women from across sectors (nonprofit, for-profit and political) took place in New York in June of 2008. From a pool of 3,200 online applicants, Women Rule! engaged over 80 women diverse in age, experience, and geographic area.

Young Nonprofit Professionals Network, Alameda, CA
Young Nonprofit Professionals Network (YNPN) is a 10,000 strong membership network of over 20 chapters dedicated to attracting, developing and retaining talented young leaders to the nonprofit sector. Critical to YNPN is a robust online communication tool that provides this young, computer-savvy generation with a Web 2.0 platform that enhances the organization's ability to network and share information. An upgraded YNPN website is a needed resource to fuel YNPN's phenomenal growth and feed the pipeline of future talented nonprofit leaders.