ABOUT MOUNTAINTOP INTERNATIONAL
Activating transformational leadership worldwide
VISION
A future where every community has the inner capacity to flourish in order to build a just, loving, and peaceful world for all.
Sumarni Laman, 2024 Mountaintop Fellow
MISSION
Mountaintop International is a nonprofit that builds the inner capacity, or “human infrastructure,” of leaders worldwide in order for their communities to flourish. Mountaintop’s initiatives help individual leaders, NGOs, governments, and other institutions to develop talent and deepen systems change.
In the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., whose "Mountaintop" speech called for a locally led movement to stir our global consciousness, we are proud champions of a global revolution that puts people first so that every community can lead its own future.
Dede Alexson Barpeen, 2024 Mountaintop Fellow
WHAT WE DO
Mountaintop’s flagship program is a paid, one-year, full-time fellowship for the most promising local leaders to stay in or return to their home communities and contribute to systems change in lower-income places around the world. Mountaintop’s Fellows receive a full-time stipend, two week leadership institute hosted at Harvard University's Edmond & Lily Safra Center for Ethics, 1:1 mentorship, grants, and a lifelong community of inspiring peers to accelerate their local leadership journey and prepare them for large-scale impact to transform their communities and countries.
In 2025, Mountaintop's fellowship has three tracks: Flagship Fellowship, Anglican Fellowship, and Executive Fellowship.
Beyond the fellowship, Mountaintop also partners with high impact organizations to create custom talent management solutions, and runs an impact fund to invest in locally led organizations building human infrastructure in low income countries.
2024 Mountaintop Leadership Institute Outdoor Retreat
OUR VALUES
A key part of the solution to addressing global challenges lies in strengthening our collective morality. Mountaintop strives to promote our values by working to embody them in everything we do.
Universal Compassion: Empathizing with the suffering of others, regardless of who they are.
Example: Thich Nhat Hanh.
Unconditional Love: Loving others unconditionally, even those we deeply disagree with.
Example: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Visionary Wisdom: Making imaginative, effective, evidence-based, and historically informed
decisions and striving to understand diverse perspectives. Example: Norman Bourlaug.
Long-Term Dedication: Committing over the course of a career or lifetime to a particular
community or cause. Example: Aminatou Haidar.
Selfless Courage: Acting for the greater good even in the face of uncertainty, complacency, inconvenience, risk, or danger. Example: Berta Cáceres.
Audrey Mugeni, 2024 Mountaintop Fellow