Supporting Leadership Scholarships

Supporting lifelong leadership

Leadership scholarships provide life-changing opportunities to emerging and established leaders from marginalised communities to undertake high-calibre personal and professional development.  It’s not just about the individual – our scholarship recipients utilise  their leadership  skills  for the ongoing benefit of their organisations and communities.

Ensuring a diverse range of voices in LV programs enriches every  participant’s experience, builds  enduring  networks across sectors and increases awareness, amplifying individual and collective leadership impact. 

Read more about the inspiring work of our scholarship recipients in our 2024 Yearbook and our 2023 Yearbook.

2023 Williamson Community Leadership Program Scholarship Recipients

View the LV Foundation Scholarship

View the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples Scholarship Fund

View the Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Women's Scholarship

View the Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership

“ Williamson gave me the skills to have open discussions, even when it’s not easy. I seek out people with views that challenge me, and I listen to understand where they are coming from.”

Rushda Halith (WCLP '20), General Manager - Community and City Services, City of Melbourne

Help support more lifelong leaders

Donate to the LV Foundation

Your donations help us provide scholarships for the Williamson Leadership Program and other LV programs. Donations over $2 are tax deductible. The LV Foundation has DGR1 status, so can accept donations from trusts, foundations and PAFs.

You can support LV Foundation Scholarship Fund, the Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership, the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples Scholarship Fund, or the Cultural & Linguistically Diverse Women’s Leadership Fund .

Donate to support the LV Foundation general scholarship fund

2024 Williamson Community Leadership Program Scholarship Recipients

Establish an LV scholarship

Organisations, individuals and giving circles – including Alumni groups – can also work with LV to set up a new scholarship to support leaders from a particular community or cause in alignments with LV’s purpose.

For example, the WCLP 2018 Fellows committed to raising money every year for an annual scholarship for an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander leader to undertake the WCLP. If you'd like to speak to us about establishing a scholarship, please reach out at ceo@leadershipvictoria.org.

Scholarship Funds

The Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership

Jeff Robinson was a driving force for sustainable building and precinct design work in Victoria, and widely recognised and appreciated as a leading light in the sustainability industry. He made huge personal and professional contributions before his untimely death in April 2024, and in memory of this great person, Jeff’s family, the WCLP ‘05 year group, and a group of Jeff’s friends and colleagues have come together to establish an ongoing Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership. Scholarships from the Fund will support upcoming and inspiring leaders in the field of sustainability in the built environment, and the environment more broadly, to access Leadership Victoria (LV) programs.

This fund aims to offer two scholarships annually – one for the Williamson Community Leadership Program (LV’s flagship 10-month program for mid-senior leaders) and one for the Igniting leadership Program (5-day program for emerging leaders).

• To be eligible for the Jeff Robinson Memorial Scholarship, applicants must be:

• An established or high potential leader in the field of sustainability in the built environment or the environment more broadly

• Able to demonstrate how their participation will shape their community participation

Read more about Jeff Robinson and the Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership Fund below.

Donate to support the Jeff Robinson Memorial Fund for Sustainability Leadership

The Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples Scholarship Fund

Leadership Victoria and the Williamson Community Leadership Program Alumni recognise Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples as the first sovereign Nations of the Australian continent and its adjacent islands and are supporting a dedicated Scholarship Fund in the Leadership Victoria Foundation.

Since 2020, the scholarship has reached its fundraising target and supported Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples representation in each year of the Williamson Community Leadership Program.

This Scholarship Fund will enable Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples to participate in the Williamson Community Leadership Program or other Leadership Victoria programs. By participating in LV programs, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders will have the opportunity to explore and expand their leadership, contributing to greater impact across communities and organisations. The funds raised for this scholarship through the Foundation can only be used for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples who wish to undertake LV leadership programs and not for any other purpose.

Thank you for your support in creating this leadership development opportunity for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander leaders to create positive impact in our organisations, our communities and society.

Donate to support the Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Peoples Scholarship Fund

Support the Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Women’s Scholarship Fund

Leadership Victoria and CALD2LEAD have partnered to raise funds to support Cultural & Linguistically Diverse (CALD) woman leaders to attend LV's Women's Leadership Program.

To be eligible for the scholarship, people must be:

• Able to demonstrate a financial need

• An establised or emerging leader

• Able to demonstrate how their participation in an LV leadership program will shape their community participation

• Able to demonstrate they are a member of the Cultural & Linguistically Diverse (CALD) community

• Identify as a woman

Donate to support the Support the Culturally & Linguistically Diverse Women’s Scholarship Fund

How are scholarships awarded?

Scholarships or part-scholarships become available for programs dependent on donations to the LV Foundation and/or contributions from LV partners for a specific community or cause.

Scholarship information opportunities are outlined on individual program pages when available and may include specific criteria instead of or in addition to criteria detailed below.

To be eligible for an LV Foundation scholarship applicants must be:

An established or high potential leader
Able to demonstrate that their participation in an LV leadership program will benefit their community

To be considered for a scholarship, applicants must meet at least one of the following criteria:

Living with a disability;
Member of a Victorian culturally and linguistically diverse community;
Identify as an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander person;
A member of another community that faces marginalisation;
Volunteer or work efforts focused on supporting individuals and communities experiencing marginalisation and/or disadvantage
Demonstrated financial need

Other criteria may be supported from time to time or as part of a specific scholarship supported by a partner organisation. To view all scholarships available for the Williamson Community Leadership Program in 2026, click here.

"As I embark on my journey, I hope to gain a deeper understanding of leadership, not just in theory but in practice, with a specific focus on empowering women from culturally and racially marginalised backgrounds. I aim to build on and hone the skills, knowledge, and networks necessary to become a more strong, empathetic, and vulnerable leader in a way that best serves those I have the privilege of leading. My goal is to harness this experience to drive positive change within my various communities"

Joanna Abraham, Lecturer, The College of Law Australia and Immediate Outgoing President, Victorian Women Lawyers