What Running Start does

Running Start is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 that trains young women ages 13-25 to run for political office. The organization operates a portfolio of five core programs delivered sequentially across the participant lifecycle: the Congressional Fellowship (a paid fellowship placing college women and recent graduates in congressional offices), the Running Start Fellowship, Next Step (ongoing training and support for alumni), Elect Her (campus-based campaign training), and High School 1st Amendment 1st Vote (civic education for high school students). The organization is headquartered in Washington, DC (1763 Columbia Road, NW) with an operations support presence in Seattle managed through Panorama Global, and is led by CEO & Founder Susannah Wellford with a small staff of approximately five people including a Chief Impact Officer, Chief of Staff, Program Manager, and Staff Assistant.

The business model is donation- and grant-funded rather than revenue-generating in the commercial sense: programs are offered at low or no cost to participants, and the Congressional Fellowship provides a stipend to Fellows. Funding is diversified across three Founding Partners (Walmart Foundation, Kelson Foundation, Panorama Global) contributing $100,000+ annually, approximately eight Impact Partners (Duke Energy, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, Rocket Companies, CMS Energy, PG&E, The Asia Group Foundation, Home Depot, TECO Energy, Crimsonbridge Foundation) contributing $25,000-$50,000 annually, 85+ corporate sponsors including 15 Fortune 100 and 30+ Fortune Global 500 companies, and individual Influencer donors giving $2,500+ annually. Distribution occurs through direct program enrollment, campus and organizational partnerships (universities including CSU, CCSU, UC San Diego, UNC Charlotte, and HBCUs; organizations including She Should Run, The Links Incorporated, XCEL Energy), congressional office placements in DC and district offices nationwide, and virtual workshops delivered via standard video conferencing. Technology footprint is minimal — no proprietary platform, app, AI capabilities, or API is disclosed; programs are delivered through in-person trainings, summits, placements, and basic virtual tools.

Strategically, Running Start has positioned itself as the only organization exclusively focused on training young women to run for political office, and invests heavily in long-term alumni engagement through the Next Step community and Influencer Council. The 2025 strategic agenda includes co-branding the Walmart Congressional Fellowship, co-hosting the HBCU Women's Leadership Summit with XCEL Energy, hosting the Resilience Summit at Microsoft's Innovation & Policy Center, and deepening the She Should Run partnership — moves consistent with geographic and demographic expansion of a mature, partnership-driven nonprofit rather than technology-driven disruption.

Name

Running Start

Legal name

Running Start

Website

https://runningstart.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2007

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Running Start is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2007 that trains young women ages 13-25 to run for political office through fellowship, campus, and civic education programs, supported by a 30,000+ alumni network and Fortune-tier corporate sponsors.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Political Leadership Training

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (8134)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Leadership, Civic Education & Service-Learning Nonprofits (BPAGADAI)

Keywords

• Political leadership training
• Young women empowerment
• Civic education programs
• Congressional fellowship
• Campaign training

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Foundation Grants: Multi-year grants from founding partners ($100,000+ annually) and impact partners ($25,000-$50,000 annually) provide core program funding. The organization lists 25+ foundation grantors ranging from boutique family foundations to corporate philanthropy arms.
2. Corporate Sponsorships: 85+ corporate sponsors including 15 Fortune 100 companies and 30+ Fortune Global 500 companies provide annual support. Sponsors gain access to a pipeline of young women leaders trained through Running Start programs.
3. Individual Donations: Influencer donors (giving $2,500+ annually) act as thought partners and mentors. General donations from individuals support programming.
4. Fellowship Program Fees: The Congressional Fellowship provides a stipend to Fellows while helping them secure placements in congressional offices. Some programs offer scholarship opportunities for selected students.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Running Start is a nonpartisan nonprofit that trains young women ages 13–25 to run for political office through five core programs: the Congressional Fellowship (paid fellowship placing college women and recent graduates in congressional offices with a stipend), the Running Start Fellowship, Next Step (ongoing alumni training and networking), Elect Her (campus-based campaign training), and High School 1st Amendment 1st Vote (civic education for high school students). The organization also operates a Next Step alumni community providing continued mentorship, workshops, and professional networking.

Product overview

Running Start is a nonpartisan nonprofit that operates as a single unified program portfolio rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The organization offers five distinct training programs: the Congressional Fellowship (a paid fellowship placing young women in congressional offices), the Running Start Fellowship, Next Step (alumni support and ongoing training), Elect Her (campaign training workshops), and High School 1st Amendment 1st Vote (civic education for high school students). These programs are designed to provide confidence, capabilities, and connections at different stages of a young woman's political development journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Congressional Fellowship: A paid fellowship program for college women and recent graduates that provides placements in congressional offices, hands-on leadership and civil discourse training, and a stipend.
• Running Start Fellowship
• Next Step
• Elect Her
• High School 1st Amendment 1st Vote
• Next Step Community

Products and services

• Congressional Fellowship A paid fellowship program for college women and recent graduates that provides a stipend and helps Fellows secure placements in congressional offices, along with hands-on leadership and civil discourse training.
• Running Start Fellowship A fellowship program that trains young women in political leadership and provides opportunities for hands-on experience in government settings.
• Next Step A program designed to provide Running Start alums with ongoing training and support to navigate the political and professional world, featuring workshops and networking events.
• Elect Her A program that trains and empowers young women to run for political office through workshops and mentorship.
• High School 1st Amendment 1st Vote A high school program focused on First Amendment rights and civic engagement, helping young women develop leadership skills and civic confidence.

Quantifiable outcome

• 80% of summit participants now see themselves running for office
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• She Should RuncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership providing opportunities for Running Start alums and facilitating women's leadership through joint events like the National Summit. Organizations collaborate on workshops and programming.
• The Links, IncorporatedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Dayton Chapter to deliver Elect Her programming at CSU and underwrite full scholarships including travel for HBCU students at leadership summits.
• XCEL EnergyminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosting HBCU Women's Leadership Summit with Running Start to strengthen professional development and leadership skills at Ohio HBCUs.
• MicrosoftminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHosting partner for Running Start Resilience Summit 2025 at the Microsoft Innovation & Policy Center in Washington DC.
• Women's Congressional Staff FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership supporting women's leadership development and political engagement.
• LinkedInminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for professional development workshops featuring LinkedIn executives as speakers on topics like professional branding and networking.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• She Should Run: She Should Run is a nonpartisan nonprofit encouraging women of all ages to run for office through its incubator and community programs. Named explicitly as a Running Start partner, it operates an adjacent pipeline of women candidates with overlapping alumni and programming (e.g., joint summits).
• Close Up Foundation: Close Up Foundation runs civic and government education programs for high school and middle school students in Washington, DC. Comparable in its high school civic-engagement programming (similar to Running Start's 1A1V) and government-immersion experience model.
• New American Leaders: New American Leaders prepares first- and second-generation Americans to run for office through nonpartisan training and fellowship programs. Comparable in nonpartisan candidate training model and emphasis on underrepresented communities.
• Barbara Lee Family Foundation: The Barbara Lee Family Foundation works to increase the number of women in American politics through research, candidate programs, and pipeline-building. Comparable in focusing on electability research and supporting women candidates, though focused on research and grantmaking rather than direct cohort training.
• Higher Heights for America: Higher Heights builds the political power and leadership pipeline of Black women through leadership programs, voter engagement, and candidate support. Comparable to Running Start in mission and pipeline-building approach, with a more demographically targeted focus.
• IGNITE: IGNITE trains young women (college-age) to run for political office through fellowship and campus-based programming. It is the closest direct competitor to Running Start's Congressional Fellowship and Elect Her programs, targeting the same demographic with a similar hands-on, nonpartisan model.
• Vote Run Lead (VRL): Vote Run Lead trains women to run for office through nonpartisan programming and campaigns. Directly comparable as a nonpartisan women's candidate-training nonprofit operating in the same space as Running Start's Elect Her and fellowship programs.

Broad incumbents

• EMILY's List: EMILY's List is a major political organization that recruits, trains, and funds pro-choice Democratic women candidates. While not nonpartisan, its training and PAC infrastructure overlaps with Running Start's candidate-development mission and represents an adjacent talent ecosystem.
• National Women's Political Caucus (NWPC): NWPC is a multipartisan political organization that recruits, trains, and supports women candidates at all levels of office. Comparable candidate-recruitment and training mission, with a broader age focus and longer historical track record than Running Start.
• Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP): CAWP at Rutgers is a university-based research and education center that tracks, trains, and studies women in American politics. Comparable research/education mission and candidate-data work, though it is primarily a research institution rather than a direct-training operator like Running Start.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/runningstart
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/groups/4677679
• Instagraminstagram.com/runningstart
• Xx.com/runningstart

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Running Start