Step Forward Global Initiative (SFGI)
Thank you for answering this call with us.
“Step Forward” is a global call to see, connect, and recognize women who step forward for public office. Despite a political system stacked against them - including online abuse, digital violence, unconscious and conscious bias and perception, and limited access to funding - women continue to lead and serve.
Realize that when you receive your ballot, you do not see the capable women who were forced to step back, step aside, or never step forward at all. SFGI seeks to educate you as to why.
“Step Forward” is also a global call for women who step forward for public office to recognize themselves as part of a global movement and community, united by shared purpose, common challenges, and collective strength. By speaking openly about systemic barriers, and supporting one another, women stepping forward transform individual acts of courage into collective strength. SFGI aims to connect and amplify women who step forward.
“Global” indicates the scope of SFGI’s activities. The movement of women stepping forward for public office transcends borders. While political systems differ, the experience of navigating systemic barriers, breaking expectations, and choosing to lead is shared by women everywhere. SFGI is committed to reaching women where they are by expanding its work across languages, regions, and cultures, ensuring that its resources, research, and networks are accessible to women around the world. SFGI strives to build a truly global presence.
“Initiative” signals SFGI’s role as a first-mover in women’s leadership civic tech. We are building infrastructure that includes a global database of women stepping forward for public office, integrated with a storytelling visualization component and country comparative tools. This reflects an entrepreneurial approach to advancing women’s public leadership through technology, research, and global collaboration. SFGI is opening new pathways for connection, visibility, and engagement that have not previously existed at this scale. SFGI is building the civic infrastructure needed to support the next generation of women leaders.