Running Start

High School Program - Running Start's High School Program was traditionally a weeklong in-person program in Washington, DC. During the pandemic, the program has been a month-long virtual program. In both formats, 50-80 participants learn leadership and campaign skills from 100+ speakers, trainers and Members of Congress while working with a team on a campaign simulation. 90% of High School Program alums said their training gave them confidence to believe that they would be qualified to run for office in the future. Notable High School Program alum Abrar Omeish (D) became the youngest-ever elected official in Virginia and one of the first Muslim women elected in Virginia. She serves on the Fairfax County School Board.

Congressional Fellowship - The Congressional Fellowship includes a semester-long internship with a woman in Congress, free fully furnished group housing on Capitol Hill, a living stipend, and travel to and from Washington, DC. Participants practice real-world campaign skills through a campaign simulation and get weekly training on how to run for office from mentors and alums. 85% of fellowship alums say their training helped them believe that they can speak about important issues on behalf of others. With Walmart's partnership, Running Start has trained 153 Congressional Fellows who have been placed in the offices of 85+ women in Congress. Notable Congressional Fellowship alum Avery Bourne (R) is the youngest-ever elected official in Illinois. She represents the 95th district in the state legislature and recently ran for Lieutenant Governor.

Elect Her - Elect Her is a daylong training for college women on how to run for student government and beyond. It is held in person and virtually. 88% of Elect Her alums who ran for office reported that their training informed their campaign strategy. Each year, 50 Elect Her trainings are held around the country. Since 2009 500+ Elect Her trainings have been held, in 43 states and 9 countries, with 168+ partners, for 17,500+ participants. Notable Elect Her alum Allyson Carpenter (I) became the youngest-ever elected official in Washington, DC as an Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner. She was later elected student body president at Howard University.

Alum / Mentor programming - Since 2007, Running Start has given 25,000+ young women the confidence, capabilities and connections they need to run and win. 90% of our participants who run for office win and 99% would recommend Running Start to a friend. Running Start alums are diverse - 47% are women of color, 28% are first generation college students, 28% identify as LGBTQIA+, 6.5% are persons with disabilities, 12% are low or low-medium income and receive a scholarship if they are attending a program with a fee (although most of the programs are free). Running Start stays connected with alums through a series of 20-30 events and trainings each year, most of which focus on mentorship and network building. Alums also stay connected via Slack and LinkedIn communities. In 2022, Running Start hosted its third-annual HBCU Women Leaders Summit in Washington, DC with partner organization Xceleader. More than 75 HBCU students from around the country attended and received training on how to run for office. Notable alum Congresswoman Lauren Underwood (D) is the first woman, the first person of color, and the first millennial to represent Illinois's 14th District in Congress and the youngest Black woman to serve in Congress.