Find Your Voice. Build Your Power. Take Action.
The Local Leader Lab is a program for women ready to take action in their communities, together. Just a few hours a week. No plan required, just the desire to figure it out. Build a meaningful civic project, learn how local power works, find your people.
Live sessions. Real deadlines. Women ready to do the work.
You’ll turn your concerns, interests, and passions into meaningful community impact. Through a hands-on project, guided reflection, and supportive peer connection, you’ll learn how power works locally and how you can use your own voice to create change.
Have questions about what the experience is really like? Register for our Information Session on August 13th at 5 PM ET.
Who This is For
The Local Leader Lab is for women at any stage of life or career who:
- Are open to running for office down the road, but want to lead in your community now
- See problems mounting and want support finding where you can make change
- Want to lead alongside other women figuring out the same things
What to Expect
- Live Zoom sessions with expert facilitators and guest speakers (1.5 hrs each)
- Dedicated small-group discussions and peer accountability
- 1:1 coaching from your dedicated facilitator to help you work through blockers and move your civic activation forward
- Practical asynchronous assignments to apply what you’re learning
- Additional expert-led sessions on political pathways and communicating your impact
- Total commitment varies by participant. On average, participants spend 1 to 2 hours per week between live sessions.
What You’ll Do
- Map power in your community and learn how decisions actually get made where you live
- Connect with local leaders and build relationships with people already doing the work
- Design and launch a civic activation — a project rooted in the talent, network, and skills you already have, taking action on an issue you care about
Your civic activation might look like:
- Organizing a community listening session
- Delivering public testimony at a city council meeting
- Launching a voter registration drive
- Building a resource for an underserved community
- Starting a local transparency or advocacy effort
The issue is yours. We provide the structure and guiding support.
What You’ll Gain
- A civic activation plan that addresses a real challenge or opportunity in your community
- A stronger voice and concrete strategies to act where you live
- A personalized roadmap for continuing your leadership journey
- The clarity and conviction to step up right now, not someday
- Admission to the Local Leader Lab Alumnae Network
The Lab Network
Your leadership journey doesn’t end when the cohort does. As a Local Leader Lab alumna, you become part of a growing network of women driving change in communities across the country, with access that lasts well beyond your six weeks in the program.
- Special invitation to the National Summit, where alumnae from across the country come together in person
- A national network of civic and public leaders, spanning past and future cohorts
- Regional and local in-person gatherings, organized by leaders in the network
- Virtual workshops on the topics you want, including Q&As with elected officials and past candidates, storytelling, and more, shaped by the community itself
Upcoming Cohorts & Key Dates
Fall 2026 Cohort – Accelerated Format
September 16 to October 21, 2026
The Fall 2026 Local Leader Lab is an accelerated six-week cohort meeting every Wednesday evening from either Noon to 1:30 or 7-8:30pm, September 16 through October 21.
- Applications open: August 5 – Apply Here
- Information Session: August 13 | 5-5:30pm ET – Register Here
- Applications close: August 25
- Notification: Rolling notification, no more than two weeks after you apply
- Registration & Orientation Module Due: September 9
- Live Sessions: September 16, September 23, September 30, October 7, October 14, October 21
Contribution Commitment
Upon acceptance, a contribution request will be made. The Local Leader Lab is offered on a sliding scale of $25 to $250, a fraction of what this program actually costs to deliver. The remainder is made possible through philanthropic support, and your contribution helps She Should Run keep building the pipeline of women into public leadership. We ask those with greater financial capacity to contribute at the higher end so we can welcome women who need to contribute less.
Dial up your local leadership.
The Local Leader Lab moves you through a hands-on framework where each session builds directly toward a civic activation you design and launch in your own community, on an issue you already care about.
Ground + Clarify
Get oriented and get honest about why you’re here. Define your civic why and map where power actually lives in your community.
Who Holds Power
Learn how decisions get made and who influences them. Refine your power map and identify where your time and energy will matter most.
Where is the Opening?
Spot leverage points. Learn how small, well-timed actions can unlock real change and how to recognize moments that call for leadership.
Make It Bigger
Bring others along. Build relationships, share your story beyond your usual circles, and shape a project with the potential to grow.
Build Your Civic Activation Plan
Sharpen your plan, make clear asks, and prepare to lead. You’ll present your project and leave ready to act, supported and celebrated.
Join a cohort of passionate women tackling local challenges and strengthening democracy.
Michelle
Project: Addressing cultures of violence and building a nonviolence culture in the city of DC
“There is nothing to lose. There is everything to gain. Do not think about it, just dare to lead.”
Read more about Michelle’s Local Leader Lab experience.
Ornella
Project: Improve community board engagement
“Your local neighborhood, your local demographic, local government is where the change happens.”
Read more about Ornella’s Local Leader Lab experience.
Julie
Project: Raise awareness about DC statehood among students
“It feels really big to want to change the world. But it helps to divide it into smaller pieces. Those small wins can snowball, and down the road, you accomplish the big goal.”
Read more about Julie’s Local Leader Lab experience.
Mia
Project: Organize a donation drive to collect supplies for the homeless community
“Coming together reminds us that even in these darkest of times, our voices are still needed and important.”
Read more about Mia’s Local Leader Lab experience.
Turn Your Concern Into Action
The Local Leader Lab is an intensive cohort experience where you don’t just learn about leadership. You DO leadership.
Can’t make these dates? Get on the waitlist to learn about upcoming cohorts.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does women's leadership matter?
Women’s power matters because decisions made without women consistently cost women their freedom. Representation alone is not enough. Getting women into public office who will fight for that freedom is how we protect what we have and push toward full autonomy over our bodies, our families, our communities, and our futures.
Local Leader Lab is where that work begins. We equip women to step into local leadership where policy gets made, where coalitions form, and where the pipeline to power starts.
What makes this program different?
This isn’t campaign training. It’s about helping women understand how local power works, identify where they can have influence, and take meaningful action in their communities. It’s leadership for real life, rooted in local impact.
And it works. After completing the program, 98% of participants reported increased confidence as civic leaders.
How much experience do I need?
The Local Leader Lab is designed specifically for women who are early in their leadership journeys, including those who may not see themselves as “leaders” yet. You don’t need political experience, civic experience, or any kind of formal leadership background to participate.
Whether you’ve been active in your community for years or are just starting to pay attention to local issues, the Lab gives you the tools, confidence, and structure to grow from wherever you are. If someone is willing to learn, reflect, and take small steps each week, they are absolutely ready for this program.
What does this program cost?
The Local Leader Lab is offered on a sliding scale of $25 to $250, a fraction of what this program actually costs to deliver. The remainder is made possible through philanthropic support, and your contribution helps She Should Run keep building the pipeline of women into public leadership. We ask those with greater financial capacity to contribute at the higher end so we can welcome women who need to contribute less.
What kind of support will I receive?
Confidence. Clarity. Community. Motivation. Strategy. These are the things our Cohort Members have gained from the Lab. We provide this support through interactive curriculum during the live sessions, such as mini-teaching segments, breakout group conversations, and self-reflection journaling. We also offer 1:1 project coaching to help you overcome blockers to whatever may be holding you back from taking action in your community. Last the support you receive from knowing you are not alone and completing the Lab’s transformative experience together.
When do we meet?
The next cohort is for the Fall of 2026. Live sessions will take place on Wednesdays on the following dates:
- September 16, 2026
- September 23, 2026
- September 30, 2026
- October 7, 2026
- October 14, 2026
- October 21, 2026
There are two time options available for the Fall cohort live sessions:
- Noon to 1:30 PM ET / 9 to 10:30 AM PT
- 7 to 8:30 PM ET / 4 to 5:30 PM PT
What if I can't attend the live sessions?
Live session participation is one of the most important components of the program. We understand life happens, planned and unplanned. We ask that Cohort Members strive to attend 100% of live sessions and allow for one excused absence. If the live sessions do not work for your schedule or you have a recurring conflict, such as a class or family obligation, you should decline your offer to participate in the program and apply again a future cohort that works for your schedule.
What if I can’t afford the contribution commitment?
The Local Leader Lab begins at a contribution of $25. If this poses a genuine hardship, please email us at [email protected].
What if I’m new to my community or planning to move in the near future?
You should join the Lab! If you are new to your neighborhood, the Lab will provide you with concrete steps and tools to help you learn about the landscape, building connections, and get involved. If you plan to move soon, that is ok too. Your research may focus on where you plan to move or the skills we share to help you recruit followers to your cause will be even more important so that you can make your work sustainable to continue when you leave.
What if I am currently running for office or plan to run soon?
The Local Leader Lab is not a traditional campaign 101 training program that provides the nuts and bolts of running a political campaign like fundraising, Get Out the Vote, or how to build a campaign team. Rather, the Local Leader Lab prepares leaders to define their purpose and develop concrete ways to take action in their community. So, if you are looking to deepen connections in your community and strengthen your civic leadership skills then the Lab is right for you, whether you are a current elected official, active candidate, or potential candidate. We have had all three participate in the program and grow tremendously. We also offer exclusive informational sessions for Cohort Members to meet with women elected officials to ask questions to explore if running for office is right for you.
What should I do if I am having trouble with the application?
If completing your application poses any obstacle, please email [email protected] to request accommodations.
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