American Express Relaunches Leadership Academy in Partnership With Common Purpose, TED Foundation, and Taproot Foundation

December 05, 2022 at 12:30 PM EST

Applications are now open for the 2023 class

American Express (NYSE: AXP) today announced the return of its American Express Leadership Academy, with a new curriculum to help nonprofit leaders innovate and meet the rapidly-changing needs of communities around the world. The Leadership Academy will be implemented by Common Purpose, with programming support from community partners, the TED Foundation and Taproot Foundation. Funded by American Express, the six-month program focuses on providing nonprofit leaders with dynamic skills required to innovate and inspire their organizations to support their communities.

“Nonprofits are facing high leadership turnover and burnout at a time when their services are needed the most,” said Jennifer Skyler, Chief Corporate Affairs Officer and Chair of the American Express Foundation. “We transformed the Leadership Academy to help nonprofit leaders accelerate their development and build new skills to meet the unique challenges of this moment.”

The American Express Leadership Academy’s 2023 class will consist of 75 underrepresented nonprofit leaders from the United States, Canada, and Latin America. The Leadership Academy will begin online in February with the in-person program happening March 20 - 23 in New York City and continuing online through June.

The program is focused on the theme of “Resilient Changemakers,” and recognizes that leaders today require different skills to help inspire action within and outside of their organizations. The curriculum will include:

Ground-breaking talks and panel discussions with cultural, governmental, and philanthropic leaders from around the world.
Essential skills training for successful leadership in the non-profit sector.
Hands-on training in communication and storytelling, showcased on a TED Talk-style stage; and
Peer coaching and one-on-one professional coaching, with a focus on leadership resilience to combat burnout.

To review the application criteria and apply, visit commonpurpose.org/amex-academy. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. ET on January 4. Participants for the Leadership Academy will be announced in late January. Additional Leadership Academy programs are being planned in Europe and Asia-Pacific for later in 2023.

“Common Purpose is delighted to continue our longstanding partnership with American Express, in designing and delivering a re-shaped and re-imagined leadership experience for the not-for-profit sector. One that will not only strengthen the sector by building the capacity of its leaders, but also inspire resilient changemakers to address some of the sector’s most complex challenges,” said Adirupa Sengupta, Group Chief Executive, Common Purpose Charitable Trust.

Logan McClure Davda, TED, Senior Director of Impact shared, “Storytelling and communication skills are critical to sharing new solutions and building movements. That's why TED — as a nonprofit dedicated to sharing ideas worth spreading — is excited to partner with the American Express Leadership Academy to bring our public speaking tools to the next generation of social impact leaders."

American Express has invested approximately $100 million in the Leadership Academy since launching it in 2007 and has helped more than 165,000 social purpose leaders around the world reach their potential. In 2021, the company hosted 11 virtual programs for over 500 leaders from 11 countries. As part of its Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) commitment to promote diversity, equity and inclusion, American Express has pledged to increase Leadership Academy participation of individuals from underrepresented groups in the U.S. from 50% in 2019 to 75% by 2024 and has already exceeded this goal, achieving 76% participation by individuals from underrepresented groups in 2021.

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