Forté Foundation

Forté Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing the representation of women in business leadership by supporting women through scholarships, mentorship, and recruitment initiatives with business schools and corporations. Founded in 1981 and headquartered in New York City, the organization partners with leading institutions in management education and global corporations to facilitate access, professional development, and career placement for women in graduate business programs. Forté collaborates with academic programs, corporate talent teams, and alumnae networks to create pathways to leadership roles across industries such as finance, consulting, technology, and healthcare.

History

Forté emerged in 1981 amid efforts by business leaders from firms such as McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, American Express, General Electric and IBM to address gender gaps in executive ranks. Early initiatives mirrored contemporaneous programs at Harvard Business School, Wharton School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Columbia Business School that sought to expand female enrollment through fellowship funding and outreach. Over decades Forté expanded partnerships with schools including Kellogg School of Management, Tuck School of Business, Yale School of Management, and MIT Sloan School of Management, and developed programs aligned with corporate partners such as JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Google, and Deloitte. The Foundation’s timeline intersects with policy debates in the 1990s and 2000s involving organizations like National Association for Female Executives, Catalyst (organization), and Lean In networks, adapting to shifts evident in reports from McKinsey & Company and Boston Consulting Group on women in leadership. Forté’s history also parallels trends in scholarship programs like the Rhodes Scholarship, Fulbright Program, and professional fellowships at Harvard Kennedy School and London Business School.

Mission and Programs

Forté’s mission emphasizes expanding leadership pipelines for women through fellowships, mentorship, and recruitment events with institutions such as INSEAD, Hult International Business School, ESADE Business School, and IE Business School. Core programs include the Forté Fellows Scholarship for students at schools like Chicago Booth School of Business and UCLA Anderson School of Management, mentorship initiatives linking students with alumnae from McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, Accenture, and PwC, and career accelerators modeled on executive education at Harvard Business School Executive Education and Wharton Executive Education. Forté runs events including career fairs and workshops combining practices from Conference Board programming, networking formats used by Women in Finance groups, and recruiting methods popularized by LinkedIn and Handshake (company). The Foundation also issues research and reports that employ methodologies similar to publications by McKinsey Global Institute, Boston Consulting Group, and Deloitte Insights to track outcomes and inform practices at member schools and corporate partners such as Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Partner Schools and Corporate Partners

Forté’s network encompasses dozens of MBA programs including Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, Wharton School, Kellogg School of Management, Tuck School of Business, Yale School of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia Business School, Chicago Booth School of Business, Duke Fuqua School of Business, NYU Stern School of Business, UCLA Anderson School of Management, IESE Business School, and Rotman School of Management. International partners include INSEAD, London Business School, HEC Paris, IE Business School, and ESSEC Business School. Corporate partners span financial services, consulting, technology, and healthcare, featuring firms such as Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, Bank of America, Morgan Stanley, McKinsey & Company, Bain & Company, Boston Consulting Group, Deloitte, Accenture, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, Facebook, Apple Inc., Pfizer, Johnson & Johnson, and Procter & Gamble. Philanthropic and foundation supporters include organizations like Rockefeller Foundation, Gates Foundation, and Ford Foundation that have historically supported leadership and scholarship initiatives.

Admissions and Eligibility

Admissions to Forté fellowship programs are coordinated with partner institutions and follow criteria similar to admission processes at Harvard Business School, Stanford Graduate School of Business, and Wharton School. Eligibility typically requires enrollment or application to participating graduate business programs such as Kellogg School of Management, Tuck School of Business, Yale School of Management, or demonstrated intent to pursue a career in fields represented by corporate partners like McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, Google, and Accenture. Selection factors mirror metrics used by admissions committees at Chicago Booth School of Business and Columbia Business School, including academic record, leadership experience, professional recommendations, and alignment with Forté’s mission. Fellowship selection also considers diversity priorities reflected in initiatives at United Nations bodies and nonprofit coalitions such as Catalyst (organization) and Lean In.

Impact and Outcomes

Forté reports increased enrollment and placement rates for women at partner schools and improved hiring pipelines for corporate partners including JPMorgan Chase, Goldman Sachs, McKinsey & Company, Google, and Amazon. Outcomes tracked by Forté are comparable to metrics published by McKinsey & Company, Pew Research Center, and Brookings Institution concerning representation and career progression. Alumnae networks formed through Forté connect graduates with mentors at Deloitte, PwC, Accenture, and Boston Consulting Group, contributing to career mobility documented in studies by Harvard Business School faculty and researchers at Wharton School and Stanford Graduate School of Business. The Foundation’s influence is evident in scholarship distributions, recruiting pipeline data, and collaborative research with institutions like INSEAD and London Business School that examine gender dynamics in corporate leadership and boardrooms.

Category:Non-profit organizations based in New York City