Women LEAD

What Women LEAD does

Women LEAD Nepal is a Kathmandu-headquartered nonprofit organization founded in 2011 that delivers leadership development programs for young women and adolescents in Nepal. The organization runs three flagship programs — the LEAD Course for Class 12 students, the Young Women's Political Leadership Course (YWPLC) for women aged 18-25, and the annual OWN IT Nepal summit — supplemented by short-term programs (Rise to Lead, Feminism Now), provincial outreach programs (Y4Y, YWLP), and alumni engagement offerings including Changemaker Awards grants of NPR 70,000 and a Chautara Resource Center. Since inception, it has reached 8,458+ direct beneficiaries across all 7 Nepalese provinces and maintains a 447+ member active alumni network. Governance is split between Women LEAD Nepal (operational entity, headquartered in Lalitpur) and Women LEAD U.S. (Washington, DC), a 501(c)(3) governing entity that enables tax-deductible donations.

The business model is hybrid nonprofit: program fees are nominal (NPR 10,000 ≈ $75 for year-long courses; Rs. 1,000 for short-term programs, with partial/full scholarships broadly available), supplemented by individual donations (including via GlobalGiving), grants from partner foundations (Connecther, Tides Foundation, FRIDA, With and For Girls Collective, Matthaley Trust, Conscious Connections), and annual fundraising events (Women LEAD the Night). The organization employs 1-10 staff and relies on a volunteer/intern-supported delivery model. There is no proprietary technology platform; program delivery is conducted in-person across Kathmandu, Gandaki Province, and Madhesh Province, with digital channels (30,000+ online community) used for marketing, alumni engagement, and advocacy rather than as the core product. Recent strategic activity has emphasized geographic expansion to under-served provinces, alumni lifecycle deepening, and a 2024 launch of the YEC feminist fundraiser campaign.

Name

Women LEAD

Legal name

Women LEAD Nepal

Website

https://women-lead.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Women LEAD Nepal is a nonprofit founded in 2011 that runs year-long and short-term leadership development programs for young women and adolescents across all 7 provinces of Nepal, supplemented by alumni engagement, provincial outreach, and public events.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Leadership Development

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Civic and Social Organizations (8134), Professional and Management Development Training (61143)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment (BPAGABAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Gender Equality & Women’s Rights (BPADAGAF)

Keywords

• Youth leadership development
• Women empowerment programs
• Political leadership training
• Nonprofit education programs
• Feminist leadership programs

Headquarters

HQ city

Kathmandu

HQ country

Nepal

HQ region

Asia

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Program Fees: Revenue generated from program fees for the LEAD Course (NPR 10,000), YWPLC (NPR 10,000), and short-term programs (Rs. 1,000). Partial and full scholarships are available for those needing financial assistance.
2. Donations and Fundraising: The organization conducts year-end fundraising campaigns and accepts donations. Women LEAD is a registered United States 501(c)(3) organization, making donations tax-deductible for US donors. The 2025-2026 campaign goal is $5,000.
3. Grants from Partner Organizations: Women LEAD receives funding and programmatic support from organizational partners including foundations and nonprofits focused on gender equality and youth empowerment.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Women LEAD Nepal is a nonprofit organization that runs year-long and short-term leadership development programs for young women in Nepal. Its core offerings are three flagship programs: the LEAD Course (for Class 12 students), the Young Women's Political Leadership Course/YWPLC (for ages 18-25), and the OWN IT Nepal summit. Supporting programs include short-term courses (Feminism Now, Rise to Lead), provincial outreach (Youth for Youth/Y4Y, Young Women's Leadership Program/YWLP), public engagement events, alumni Changemaker Awards grants, and the Chautara Resource Center.

Product overview

Women LEAD is a nonprofit organization providing educational programs for young women in Nepal, not a technology company. The core offerings are three flagship programs: the year-long LEAD Course (for Class 12 students), the Young Women's Political Leadership Course (YWPLC, for ages 18-25), and the annual OWN IT Nepal summit. Supporting programs include short-term flagship-based programs (Feminism Now, Rise to Lead), provincial outreach programs (Youth for Youth/Y4Y and Young Women's Leadership Program/YwLP), and public engagement events (WOW conference, Women LEAD the Night, professional workshops). Alumni engagement includes Changemaker Awards grants, conference opportunities, and the Chautara Resource Center. The 2024 launch of YEC – Rising Voices: The Feminist Fundraiser added a new fundraising campaign to the portfolio.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• LEAD Course Year-long after-school leadership development program for young women entering Class 12. Includes a two-week Leadership Institute, 300+ hour School Leadership Program applying skills in real schools, mentorship, field visits, advocacy training, professional development workshops, and graduation ceremony. Program fee: NPR 10,000 with partial/full scholarships available.
• Young Women's Political Leadership Course (YWPLC) Year-long program introducing young women aged 18-25 to political leadership fundamentals, including a Politics Institute, mentorship, internship placements with political organizations, field visits to local government, follow-up sessions, advocacy training, fellow-led projects, and graduation. Program fee: NPR 10,000 with scholarships available.
• OWN IT Nepal Summit

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,458+ young women and youth positively impacted since 2011
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor, core and major.

• Nepal Institute of Research and CommunicationminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 April 2020Conducted Research Paper Writing Online Training that Women LEAD alumni attended in April 2020.
• Girls Empowered by Travel-Nepal (GET-Nepal)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 8 March 2020Organization empowering girls through travel and exposure. Women LEAD alumni attended the 'Trave-Yeller' event in March 2020.
• SaathiminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2020Organization co-organizing National Youth Conference on Generational Equality with Women LEAD in January 2020.
• Jagriti Child and Youth Concern NepalminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 January 2020Organization co-organizing National Youth Conference on Generational Equality with Women LEAD in January 2020.
• Human Rights Funders NetworkminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 October 2019International network of funders. Women LEAD alumni attended the conference in Mexico in October 2019.
• World BankminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 June 2019Conducted Nepal Data Literacy Program that Women LEAD alumni attended from June-July 2019.
• EMERGE (Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform and Gender Equality)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 April 2019Nepal-based organization focused on gender equality. Conducted The Cup Conservation event and mindfulness webinar for women entrepreneurs that Women LEAD alumni attended.
• Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 9 March 2019Organizer of Young Entrepreneurs' Summit. Women LEAD alumni attended the 5th Young Entrepreneurs' Summit - Women in March 2019.
• ConnecthercoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization supporting women's leadership initiatives. Logo displayed on Women LEAD Nepal's current partners section.
• GlobalGivingcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerOnline charitable giving platform used for fundraising campaigns and donations. Women LEAD is featured on GlobalGiving for donor support.
• CREAmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerFeminist human rights organization based in New Delhi, India. Women LEAD alumni work at CREA, and Women LEAD alumni have attended CREA conferences. Alumni Rajina Shrestha works in Resources, Impact, and Learnings at CREA.
• Global Shapers Kathmandu HubminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPart of the World Economic Forum's global network. Alumni Mega Maskey serves as a Shaper, connecting Women LEAD to global youth leadership networks.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• CREA: CREA is a feminist human rights organization based in New Delhi that focuses on gender equality, sexual and reproductive rights, and building feminist leadership across South Asia. It is a strategic Women LEAD partner and shares the same mission of advancing young women's rights and leadership.
• SAATHI: SAATHI is a Nepal-based organization working on gender equality and youth empowerment that has co-organized events with Women LEAD including the National Youth Conference on Generational Equality. Operates in the same country and shares a youth gender-equity focus.
• EMERGE (Enterprise for Management, Economic Reform and Gender Equality): EMERGE is a Nepal-based organization focused on gender equality and women's economic empowerment. It has co-hosted events attended by Women LEAD alumni and operates in the same Nepal gender-equity ecosystem.
• With and For Girls Collective: With and For Girls is a collective of girl-led organizations focused on evaluation and funding. Women LEAD alumni participated in its girl-led evaluation project, and the organizations share a girl-led organizational model.

Regional players

• Jagriti Child and Youth Concern Nepal: Jagriti is a Nepal-based child and youth-focused organization that co-organized the National Youth Conference on Generational Equality with Women LEAD. Comparable in its youth-development mission within Nepal.

Broad incumbents

• FRIDA The Young Feminist Fund: FRIDA is a global young feminist fund providing grants and capacity support to girl-led organizations. Women LEAD alumni serve on its Asia and Pacific Advisory Committee, making it both a peer funder and ecosystem partner.
• Global Fund for Women: Global Fund for Women is a large international foundation that funds gender equality and women's rights organizations globally. It is comparable as a larger, established player in the same gender-equity grantmaking space that Women LEAD could approach as a funder or be benchmarked against.
• Equality Now: Equality Now is an international human rights organization working to end violence and discrimination against women and girls through legal advocacy and partnerships with grassroots organizations. Comparable as a larger incumbent in the women-and-girls empowerment space.

Emerging players

• Connecther: Connecther is a partner organization supporting women's and girls' leadership initiatives globally. It is a current partner of Women LEAD Nepal and shares the mission of advancing girls' leadership worldwide.

Others

• Conscious Connections Foundation: Conscious Connections Foundation is a foundation partner supporting women LEAD's leadership and empowerment programs. Functions more as a funder than a programmatic peer but operates in the same impact ecosystem.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/womenleadnepal
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCvqLMKT2VcXIPZsH3PStC-g
• Facebookfacebook.com/womenLEAD
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/women-lead
• Instagraminstagram.com/womenleadnepal

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Women LEAD