about Ignite
Bringing the Next Generation of Political Leaders Closer to Power
Across the country, young women and gender-expansive youth—the very people closest to our nation’s most urgent challenges—face escalating threats to their safety, visibility, and voice. Political violence, rollbacks of rights, and exclusion from leadership aren’t isolated incidents; they are barriers designed to silence. Too often, they succeed.
Diverse young women are disproportionately affected by social problems while also being the most likely group to make politics work for everyone, not just the powerful few. At IGNITE, we believe a person’s proximity to social problems should be criteria for their proximity to power. That’s why we invest in diverse, young women and gender-diverse youth. We help them see that their lived experiences aren’t barriers to leadership—they’re qualifications for it. By embracing proximity to power, they discover that their perspectives and stories are their strongest assets.
VISION
We envision a world where the people closest to social problems have the power to solve them.
MISSION
IGNITE unleashes the political power in young women by developing their political influence and ability to navigate systems so they can transform the policies that affect their lives.
OUR Programs & Participants
Political Power in Every Young Woman
Our programs are designed to support the next generation of cis and trans women, as well as nonbinary people who are comfortable in spaces that center the experiences of young women. Today, we are focused on reaching Gen Z women between the ages of 15 and 28 and the oldest members of Generation Alpha. These women are an high school and colleges, they are employees in the workplace, and they are young moms.
Our goal is to ensure that they all know how to use their political power. We train, mentor, and support the them to advocate for policy change, run for office, and mobilize their peers to participate in the political process. When they engage in our dynamic trainings and leadership opportunities, we help them develop their political influence. As they develop their political influence, we teach them how to navigate systems. And when they navigate systems while practicing their political influence, they unleash their political power and shape the very policies that affect their lives.
Our impact
15 Years of Growth, 15 Years of Impact
Since our founding, we have inspired and empowered the next generation of women to become civic and political leaders. For 15 years, as IGNITE evolved, we’ve provided an unwavering commitment to their growth, voice, and power.
What started as a pilot program in the Bay Area, California, has grown to become the largest and most diverse political organization dedicated to training and mentoring young women and gender-expansive youth across the country. Our growth and results are the clearest testament to our success.
Our story
Dr. Anne Moses founded IGNITE with a passion for social justice and a clear understanding that achieving gender parity in political leadership begins early, by socializing young women to believe that they can and should lead. Her vision was both bold and practical, to center young people, especially those closest to community challenges, in shaping policy solutions, and to build a pipeline of young women prepared and motivated to become the next generation of political leaders.
In 2010, we piloted our signature high school and college curricula in three schools in California's Bay Area. Building upon the success of the pilot, we expanded to Texas in 2011 and Colorado in 2014. Then, in 2015, we digitized our programs, making them publicly available to young women across the country. Since then, we've scaled programming across 44 states.
In 2016, we expanded our programming by launching the Dr. Anne Moses Fellowship program. This program provides young women with intensive leadership training and connects them to elected women and professionals who coach them to embrace their civic and political aspirations. In turn, the fellows bring IGNITE to new campuses and communities across the country.
Dr. Anne Moses stepped down as CEO in 2021 and Sara Guillermo, a founding member of IGNITE, stepped up to lead the organization.
At IGNITE, we are making sure young women across the country are putting their beliefs into action by marching, volunteering, campaigning, running for office, and flooding the polls! Dr. Anne Moses, Founder
IGNITE helps young women understand why their voice matters. Sara Guillermo, Chief Executive Officer
Imagine if there had been an IGNITE when you were growing up… A place that told you, in no uncertain terms, that you were a leader with a valuable perspective. A place that knew you were capable of changing your community for the better and gave you the tools, knowledge, and network you needed to do so. Growing up in Northeastern Ohio, having IGNITE would have helped me step into my political power sooner and with more confidence. Crystal Patterson, Board Member
