ACTIVATING TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP WORLDWIDE
THE PROBLEM
Meeting the world's hardest challenges — from poverty to conflict to disaster — requires bold, community-rooted leadership. Yet the leaders with the most potential to transform their communities receive the least investment. Across continents, talented local leaders are locked out of the training, mentorship, relationships, and resources they need to grow their impact. Until we invest in those closest to the challenge — those with the trust, tenacity, and lived experience to lead — progress will stall, and communities will continue to suffer.
Mercy Musingo, Mountaintop Fellow
THE FELLOWSHIPS
Mountaintop supports the world's most promising local leaders — from emerging grassroots organizers to senior business executives — to deepen and scale their impact in low-income communities. Across every program, Fellows receive world-class leadership training at institutions like the Harvard Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, the NYU Stern Initiative on Purpose and Flourishing, and USIU-Africa; 1:1 mentorship and professional coaching; and ongoing access to funding, visibility, and a global peer network.
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Emerging Leaders Fellowship — for grassroots leaders building impact in their communities.
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Executive Fellowships — for accomplished leaders scaling mission-driven organizations.
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Custom Leadership Programs — tailored programs delivered with partners such as the U.S. State Department's Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative program (with IREX) and the Trinity Church Wall Street Philanthropies Anglican Leaders Program.
We have also begun to advance human infrastructure through field building, policy advocacy, research, and media.
THE SOLUTION
Mountaintop International is a nonprofit that builds "human infrastructure" — the inner capacity of local communities worldwide to lead their own development and flourish. Working with individuals, mission-driven organizations, and public institutions, we strengthen values-driven local leaders so they can deepen and scale their impact, develop the research, policies, and education that help communities lead their own development, and cultivate a global ecosystem advancing human infrastructure.
In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose "Mountaintop" speech called for a locally led movement to stir our global consciousness, we champion a global revolution that puts people first, so every community can shape its own future.
Mountaintop Fellows At The 2025 Leadership Institute
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2024 Mountaintop Fellows being formally recognized at the Massachusetts State Capitol
IMPACT TO DATE
We invest in leaders solving urgent problems in their communities. To date:
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24,000+ applicants from 181 countries, reflecting strong global demand and reach.
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Our Fellows include CEOs and founders of organizations serving 465,000+ people worldwide.
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Fellows span the U.S. and 36 countries across Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Europe, as part of eight fellowships and executive education programs.
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Fellows receive training from leaders such as Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Dr. Shirin Ebadi.
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100% of Fellows and alumni report a transformative or significant impact on their leadership trajectory.
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85–100 Net Promoter Score across all of our programs.
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99% of beneficiaries report that Fellows become stronger leaders after their fellowship.
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Fellows who lead organizations grew their revenues by 50% and staff size by 46% within a year of completing their program.
HEAR FROM OUR FELLOWS
TESTIMONIALS
“Without Mountaintop, I would likely still be struggling with limited knowledge and leadership skills to run a nonprofit effectively. The impact we are now creating is a direct reflection of the investment Mountaintop made in me. Supporting Mountaintop is investing in leaders who are changing lives, restoring hope, and building stronger communities.”
Musingo Mercy, 2025 Mountaintop Emerging Leaders Fellow, Co-Founder, United for Girls and Women Empowerment (UGWE) African Foundation (Kampala, Uganda)