LT Project LEAD: Your Perspective Belongs at the Board Table
You already bring valuable experience, insight, and perspective. LT Project LEAD helps you bring those strengths into the boardroom.
LT Project LEAD (Leadership, Effectiveness, and Diversity) is a one-month cohort-based training program that equips Black, Indigenous, and other people of color with the nonprofit knowledge, board leadership skills, and confidence to serve effectively on nonprofit boards. Through practical learning and applied experience, participants strengthen their board readiness and prepare to advance more inclusive governance and make a lasting impact in their communities.
If you're ready to bring your perspective and leadership to the board table, LT Project LEAD is a place to start. Applications are due January 11, 2027, by 8 p.m.
How You’ll Grow:
Deepen Your Nonprofit Expertise: Build a strong understanding of the nonprofit sector, including its landscape, challenges, and opportunities.
Practice Board Leadership: Apply your learning through mock board exercises and gain firsthand fundraising experience by raising $300 for LT Project LEAD.
Develop a Practical Board Toolkit: Build your confidence and learn the essentials of effective board service, including board structures, roles and responsibilities, financial oversight, fundraising expectations, and the legal duties and liabilities of board members.
Strengthen Core Leadership Skills: Cultivate clarity, reflection, and collaboration while strengthening your ability to think creatively and strategically, make informed decisions, and work effectively across diverse perspectives.
Join a Vibrant Leadership Network: Connect with leaders across sectors and backgrounds through Leadership Tomorrow’s extensive alumni network, creating opportunities for collaboration, mentorship, and relationships that extend well beyond the program.
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We anticipate a cohort of 30-40 leaders. LT Project LEAD seeks to increase BIPOC representation on nonprofit boards and is open to applicants who identify as BIPOC. We look for candidates who demonstrate:
Previous or current volunteer service that reflects a meaningful commitment to others or the community.
Strong interest in the curriculum and commitment to the program.
Curiosity and willingness to explore other viewpoints.
Demonstrated readiness for board service. Please review “Are You Ready to be a Board Member?”
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Tuition for LT Project LEAD is tiered to encourage broad participation and support our commitment to equity and access. We strongly encourage participants to seek employer sponsorship, as many organizations invest in their employees’ leadership development. Tuition is due upon acceptance into the program.
The standard tuition is $900, with reduced rates available based on income:
Tier 1: $900 – For individuals or households earning over $110,000 annually
Tier 2: $600 – For household incomes between $70,000 and $109,999
Tier 3: $300 – For household incomes below $70,000.
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Because each session covers a significant amount of material, participants are expected to arrive prepared and on time and remain for the entire session. Please review the class dates carefully before applying to ensure you are available to attend all sessions.
Wednesday, March 3, 2027, 6:00 p.m.- 8:00 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Saturday, March 6, 2027, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Wednesday, March 10, 2027, 6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Saturday, March 13, 2027, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Wednesday, March 17, 2027, 6:00 p.m.-8:30 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Saturday, March 20, 2027, 9:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Wednesday, March 24, 2027, 6:00 p.m.- 8:30 p.m. | Location: LT Office
Wednesday, March 31, 2027, 6:00 p.m.- 9:00 p.m. | Location: Downtown Seattle
Board Networking Fair & GraduationWe are finalizing the program schedule and will update this page once it is confirmed. Participants can expect the program to cover topics such as:
The Nonprofit Landscape and Issues Facing Nonprofit Organizations
Board Operations and Protocol
Collaboration and Conflict Resolution
CEO and Board Partnership
Fiscal Management: What Board Members Must Know
Strategic Fundraising with a Racial Equity Lens
Managing Risk: The Legal Implications of Board Service
How to Build a Competent Board
Equity Leadership: How to Get your Board to Do the Right Thing
Making the Connection: Learning from Experience
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Participants are expected to:
Attend and actively participate in all program sessions, helping create a consistent and engaging learning experience for the cohort.
Commit to serving on a board and/or committee of their choice after completing the program.
Raise $300 for LT Project LEAD as part of the learning experience, with tools and resources provided by LT to support their fundraising efforts.
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To support a strong cohort and a positive experience for all participants, admission is based on a competitive selection process. Applications are due January 11, 2027, by 8 p.m. Applicants will be notified of admission decisions on January 18, 2027.
LT Project LEAD Testimonials:
“Project LEAD was a profound experience. I gained practical skills that I’ve been able to integrate as I serve on the board of a nonprofit, started my own, and continue to actively engage and support causes that I deeply believe in.”
“Project LEAD is an amazing opportunity to grow my knowledge of how to be a responsible and effective leader in my community. It is also a great way to meet like-minded people that want to help their communities as much as I do.”
“Project LEAD has been so instrumental in my personal journey on so many levels from connecting with someone with whom I share my nationality, a rarity for me, to connecting with some brilliant people from all spectrums of the profit, nonprofit and public sectors. I can honestly say I left with much more than I brought.”