Horizon Collective is a free, six-month leadership program that supports a cohort of women and gender-expansive leaders of color in Boston who drive grassroots movements and organizations. It is designed for individuals who are dedicated to serving their community, yet do so without access to a leadership development budget.
Through monthly facilitated group sessions that curate space for exploration and tap into a wide range of tools and exercises, participants deepen their understanding of their leadership style, identify opportunities for continued growth, and celebrate their talents. These hands-on sessions build confidence, self-awareness, and practical skills that participants can immediately apply to their advocacy and leadership efforts, all while learning and supporting each other as a growing collective. Each year’s cohort joins an active network of Horizon Collective alumni.​​
OUR VISION.
​​Horizon Collective envisions a future where women and gender-expansive leaders of color break through boundaries and expand their influence. Just as the horizon symbolizes endless possibilities, this program empowers participants to rise above limitations, fostering a new era of leadership rooted in strength, resilience, and vision, with support from a vast network of leaders uplifting one another.
NOT YOUR TRADITIONAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM.
CENTERED IN COMMUNITY.
This program ventures beyond traditional skill development. We know that navigating systems of oppression at work can be isolating, deflating, and complex. Horizon Collective is about building bonds among women and gender-expansive folks with shared experiences and challenges and harnessing the power of a strong support network. Horizon Collective is about working together to restore what oppression has stripped away — the truth that we are enough.
We believe that through curated spaces for us to be seen, heard, and welcomed, we are better able to build confidence, nurture our gifts, and move toward greater community impact. Horizon Collective is more than a leadership development program — it’s a movement.
Growing Together.
Horizon Collective is grounded in the understanding that who we are shapes our personal and professional experiences. This program is intentionally designed as a space to navigate shared challenges together.
PROGRAM DETAILS.
Horizon Collective:
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Cultivates space for women and gender-expansive leaders of color to authentically connect, share, and build relationships.
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Curates opportunities and activities for participants to explore and deepen their ability to live into their personal style of leadership.
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Elevates talents and develops strategies to address the barriers to a full expression of those talents.
Program Offerings
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​Mix of virtual and in-person sessions.
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Two-day in-person retreat.
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Focus on both personal and professional development, including sharing tools and techniques, opportunities to connect with other leaders, and engagement with local and national leaders through our speaker series.
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Access to a diverse alumni network of past participants.
Participant Criteria
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Must identify as a woman or gender-expansive person of color* in a leadership position of any level.**
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Community-based leaders who are doing community-based work.
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Have decision-making power in their organizations/communities (Senior Director or above).
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Have limited access to professional development and opportunities to access an enhanced network.
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Must be able to attend all sessions.
A non-traditional application
process builds our cohort.
Our applicants are contacted for a group interview to discuss their leadership journey.
During the group interview, the applicant and four to six members of their inner circle are interviewed together by the selection committee. This is an opportunity for the selection committee to meet the people who can speak to the different experiences of the candidate and how they have impacted the lives of others. This format is our way of bringing letters of recommendation to life and creating a more personal and human-centered experience.
​​The members of the candidate’s inner circle could include colleagues, community members, mentors, mentees, and others who could speak to their reputation of civic engagement in the community. All applicant responses are held confidential and only reviewed by the Cohort Selection Committee. We then notify all applicants of decisions by email.​
*Gender-expansive is inclusive of gender-nonconforming, genderfluid, nonbinary, genderqueer, transfeminine, agender and all trans-identified individuals. Boston Women’s Fund is dedicated to serving those who have been and continue to be overlooked by traditional philanthropy. We strongly encourage people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ individuals, immigrants, refugees, and others from historically overlooked communities to apply.
**“leadership position” is defined as a role where a person leads a team/department or makes leadership decisions in their organization.
HISTORY.
Originally conceived as the Women of Color Leadership Circle by Natanja Craig Oquendo, executive director of Boston Women’s Fund, alongside Andrea Madu and Stephanie Guidry of The Boston Foundation, with support from The Boston Foundation and Angell Foundation, the program was designed and facilitated by a team of visionary women of color leaders, including Aba Taylor, Kelly Bates, and Talissa Lahaliyed of the Interaction Institute for Social Change, along with others who embody joy, resilience, and creativity.
Inspired by trailblazers Anna Faith Jones and Frieda Garcia — the first women of color to serve as CEO and board chair of The Boston Foundation in the 1990s — this program honors their legacy of partnership, vision, and impact.
The Boston Foundation housed and supported the program from 2020 to 2021 with support from Angell Foundation and facilitation by the Interaction Institute for Social Change (IISC).
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Boston Women’s Fund began leading the program in 2022 with support from The Boston Foundation and the Angell Foundation and continued design and facilitation by IISC.
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In 2024, Boston Women’s Fund began a redesign process engaging alumni from each cohort to help reimagine the offerings to fit our participants’ changing needs. In addition to their recommendations, we decided to adopt a new name to better reflect our vision and evolution. While the mission remains the same — to support, uplift, and amplify women and gender-expensive leaders of color — the program has assumed a fresh, inclusive identity that reflects limitless possibilities and a vision toward the future: Horizon Collective.
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Horizon Collective is sponsored by the Barr Foundation, Angell Foundation, and Imago Dei Fund. It has grown into a movement that uplifts women and gender-expansive leaders of color across the non-profit sector.