Leadership Council for Women in National Security

What Leadership Council for Women in National Security does

The Leadership Council for Women in National Security (LCWINS) is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 2019 to advance women's leadership at the highest levels of U.S. national security and foreign policy decision-making. The organization serves a deliberately narrow persona: women at or above the Deputy Assistant Secretary level, plus the federal agencies, think tanks, and private employers that recruit them. Its core offerings include the LCWINS Database, a confidential registry of qualified women candidates used for political appointments and executive placements since 2020; the LCWINS Tracker, an annual analytical product that monitors 500 senior national security and foreign policy positions across defense, diplomacy, intelligence, the NSC, and adjacent agencies; Help@LCWINS, a confidential advisory service supporting nominees through vetting, disclosure, and Senate confirmation; the Opportunity Board, a curated job distribution channel; and a recurring program of webinars, panels, and an annual gala.

Underlying technology is lightweight and operationally focused rather than productized: a public website (lcwins.org), a confidential online database and candidate registration portal, an annual Tracker report published as content, and standard event/webinar infrastructure. The organization does not develop proprietary AI, models, or platforms; its differentiation rests on network curation, data collection, and human advisory services rather than technology.

LCWINS is funded through donations and charitable contributions collected via a OneCause-powered donation portal, individual giving, and event-based fundraising, with no fees charged to beneficiaries or employers for database access, advisory support, or event participation. Revenue is not publicly disclosed. The organization is governed by a board and operates with a small staff (1-10 employees) supported by an invitation-only Leadership Council, an Advisory Council, and an Alumnae network of more than 100 distinguished senior women. There is no parent company, no equity funding, and no commercial product roadmap; growth is expressed through programmatic expansion rather than headcount or revenue scale.

Name

Leadership Council for Women in National Security

Legal name

Leadership Council for Women in National Security

Website

https://lcwins.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

LCWINS is a Washington, D.C.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit, founded in 2019, that promotes women's leadership in U.S. national security and foreign policy through a confidential candidate database, an annual Tracker of 500 senior positions, advisory support for political appointees, an Opportunity Board, and member events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

National Security Leadership Development

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392), Religious, Grantmaking, Civic, Professional, and Similar Organizations (813), Business Associations (813910)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600), Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPAGAFAD

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYBPAHAGAH

People Analytics, Assessment & Psychometrics Consulting

Business & Public Services/Professional Services (Legal, Accounting, Consulting)/Human Capital & Organizational Consulting

SECONDARYEDABANAJ

DEI, Inclusive Leadership & Cultural Intelligence Coaching

Education/Corporate Training & Professional Development/Executive Coaching Services

Keywords

• Women leadership development
• National security policy
• Professional network building
• Gender parity advocacy
• Talent pipeline development

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Donations and Charitable Contributions: LCWINS operates as a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organization that relies primarily on financial contributions from individuals and organizations who support the mission of advancing women's leadership in national security. The website provides a donation portal through OneCause platform.

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LCWINS operates as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that promotes women's leadership at the highest levels of U.S. national security and foreign policy. It delivers this through a confidential database of qualified women candidates, a confidential Help@LCWINS support service for political appointees, the annual LCWINS Tracker analytical report on gender representation in senior positions, an Opportunity Board for senior national security jobs, educational events and webinars, and an invitation-based Leadership Council membership network of senior bipartisan women leaders.

Product overview

LCWINS operates as a single unified non-profit organization offering a suite of services focused on promoting women's leadership in U.S. national security. The core offerings include: the Help@LCWINS support service for women navigating political appointments; the LCWINS Database of qualified women candidates; the LCWINS Tracker analytical tool tracking gender representation in senior government positions; the Opportunity Board for career advancement; and LCWINS Events providing educational webinars and networking opportunities. These services work together to reduce barriers to leadership, surface top talent, and support women leaders in national security and foreign policy.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Women represent 46% of 500 tracked senior national security leadership positions as of September 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Open Society FoundationsminorOthersOpen Society Foundations posted a senior advocacy position on the LCWINS Opportunity Board, indicating a recruitment partnership for foreign policy roles.
• Rand CorporationminorOthersRand Corporation posted a senior research position on the LCWINS Opportunity Board for Associate Director of National Security Research Division.
• Council on Foreign RelationsminorOthersCouncil on Foreign Relations posted Director of Media Relations position on LCWINS Opportunity Board.
• Atlantic CouncilminorOthersAtlantic Council posted Project Assistant position for Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center on LCWINS Opportunity Board.
• Amazon Web Services (AWS)minorOthersAWS posted Global Lead for Federal Civilian and Defense Partners position on LCWINS Opportunity Board.
• U.S. Development Finance Corporation (DFC)minorOthersDFC posted Vice President and Chief Performance & Innovation Officer position on LCWINS Opportunity Board.
• George Mason University - Mercatus CenterminorOthersMercatus Center at George Mason University posted Managing Director position on LCWINS Opportunity Board.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Women in International Security (WIIS): WIIS is the most direct peer: a membership-driven organization advancing women's leadership in international peace and security, with chapters, mentoring programs, and policy events. It mirrors LCWINS's mission at the global level and competes for similar donor and member mindshare.
• CSIS Smart Women, Smart Power Initiative: An established CSIS program (formerly led by Beverly Kirk, now on LCWINS's Leadership Council) that promotes women's leadership in foreign policy through research, podcasts, and events. Operates as a direct competitor and occasional collaborator in the same content and convening space.

Broad incumbents

• Council on Foreign Relations: CFR is a broad incumbent in the foreign policy talent and thought-leadership space; it posts roles on LCWINS's Opportunity Board and shares the same member network. It overlaps on women-in-foreign-policy programming but does not specialize in the women-in-national-security niche.
• Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS): CSIS is a major national-security think tank with deep ties to LCWINS leadership and uses LCWINS for senior recruitment. It is comparable as a hub for senior national-security talent and policy research but operates at vastly greater scale and across all topics.
• RAND Corporation: RAND is a comparable organization in the national-security policy and research space and actively recruits via LCWINS's Opportunity Board. While much larger and research-focused, it draws from the same senior talent pool LCWINS curates.
• Atlantic Council: Atlantic Council is a foreign-policy think tank that has used LCWINS's Opportunity Board for recruiting and participates in the same senior talent ecosystem. It competes for donor attention and member engagement in the women-and-foreign-policy conversation.

Emerging players

• New America: A public-interest think tank with active women-in-leadership and national-security programs. It overlaps with LCWINS on talent development and policy research but is broader in scope and more research-product oriented.
• International Women's Forum (IWF): IWF is a global membership organization advancing women leaders across sectors, including government and policy. It overlaps with LCWINS on leadership development but does not specialize in national security.

Regional players

• Foreign Policy for America: A U.S.-focused foreign policy advocacy and talent organization that convenes early- and mid-career professionals. It competes for the same candidate and donor audience as LCWINS at a slightly earlier career stage.

Others

• National Women's Law Center: A leading women's rights advocacy organization in Washington, D.C. that operates in adjacent advocacy and policy circles. It does not focus on national security but shares donor networks and convening spaces, making it thematically related rather than directly competitive.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/leadership-council-for-women-in-national-security
• Facebookfacebook.com/lcwins

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Leadership Council for Women in National Security