Meeting this moment

Women’s Democracy Lab stands at our 

nation’s crossroads with a clear vision:

An American democracy where diverse women hold equal representation at every level of public service, driving governance that is just, accessible, and responsive to all communities.

In service of this vision, WDL provides bold, timely, innovative ongoing support to a growing network of elected officials.

The Current Environment

Across this country, and around the world, people are witnessing the worst of what we have long been warning about. We’ve named it. We’ve called for systems to change. Elected officials have asked for real support in the face of harassment, threats, and violence. And this moment has made clear just how urgently that support is needed.  

This increase in violence is not random. It is the direct result of an anti-democratic culture of hatred, intimidation, and authoritarianism. For WDL members, this is not new – women and especially women of color are the electeds most frequently and viciously targeted by threats, hate, and intimidation tactics.

Read our October 2025 report “Notes from the Field” to understand more about the conditions (and threats) that our women in elected office currently face.

READ THE REPORT

What we’re doing in response

As more diverse women hold elected office, a transformed democracy becomes possible—but these women should never be left to carry that work alone.

We exist to ensure that diverse elected women, especially at the state and local level, are deeply supported, with investments in their ability to lead boldly, thrive personally, and transform the systems around them.

  • Through innovative, values-driven programming, we support state and local elected officials—many of whom will go on to higher office—in building the skills, community, and strategic capacity to lead authentically and effectively.

  • We know that state and local electeds rely on an ecosystem of support and being in public service can take a toll—not just politically, but physically, mentally, emotionally, and economically. That’s why our support centers the well-being of elected women, as well as a growing set of resources for their families, and their staff. We prioritize safety, care, and sustainability as core pillars of leadership.

  • From gendered and racialized violence to outdated institutions of governance, our work is rooted in deep partnership with the very women navigating these realities. Together, we are advancing solutions that are meant to transform the accessibility of serving in elected office, the sustainability and the outcomes for our Democracy.

Our Impact

  • Our alumni are a nearly 50/50 ratio of state-versus-local officeholders, with representation from 31 states.

    Our members are diverse across age, sexual orientation and gender identity, religion, ethnicity, race, and country of origin, with many of our members being immigrant or first-generation American.

  • WDL supports the leadership development, sustainability, and leadership transitions that shape the full journey of elected and appointed women. We also co-design this work to meet our rapidly changing political environment, which includes the rapid escalation of political violence in the United States.

    Nationwide, WDL works alongside security experts and elected-serving organizations to ensure leaders, their staff, and their families have access to timely training, coordinated support, and actionable safety resources.

    Our coaching and cohort programming integrates:

    • Whole-person leadership development

    • Community building across identities, ideas, and shared experiences

    • Safety planning, crisis navigation, and coordinated response 

    • Policy innovation and systems change

    • Long-term career and succession planning

  • We co-design solutions with our community of elected women to address the structural barriers that limit access to power, including gender, racial, and economic inequities.

    WDL provides trusted safe spaces for women currently serving in elected office to connect across identities and experiences, cultivate ambition, and learn collectively.

    Through curated programming, our Women in Power cohort, alumni engagement, and strategic partner convenings, we create opportunities both in-person and virtually for leaders to sharpen strategy, build relationships, and strengthen their collective influence across states.

What our members have said about us:

  • “I am grateful that WDL exists to try to create space for us to come together and learn from one another. What a privilege and a joy to be a part of this community.”

  • “I have noticed that I have been expressing my opinions more freely in my elected work. I have been speaking up more during meetings and trying to show up more as my authentic self in the spaces I go into. Overall, my confidence level has increased.”

  • “We all have different realities, but there's a thread that's like - I'm not alone.“

  • “This experience has expanded my relationships, introduced me to new tools that I didn't have as a legislator, educated me and engaged me in legislative and progress policies that prompted me to increase my knowledge. It satisfied while introducing me to being curious.”

  • “Being a part of this community taught me to be proud of my identity and be as authentic as I can be in these public spaces.”

  • “I have unlearned a lot of my striving for perfectionism and allowing myself grace to try things, to experiment, and to stop and listen to others as opposed to constantly feeling pressure to have the answers immediately.”

  • “The idea that we're worthy of care and love and we deserve the good things in life once in a while - that is an important takeaway for me.”

  • “I am very appreciative of the personal and professional power of this fellowship. It was life changing in ways that I didn't anticipate. I am honored to have been selected.”

  • “I have noticed that I have been expressing my opinions more freely in my elected work. I have been speaking up more during meetings and trying to show up more as my authentic self in the spaces I go into. Overall, my confidence level has increased.”

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