Build yourself
No Connections? No Problem: Finding Mentors, Research, and Opportunities in Your First Year
A practical guide to making opportunities through campus resources, specific outreach, and follow-through.
GirlFuture team · 6 min read
Invest in her today. She'll build the economy of tomorrow.
GirlFuture puts mentors, money, and real-world exposure behind girls at the exact moment they decide what they're capable of — so more of them grow up to own, lead, and build.
She codesapps, games, AI
She buildsrobots, rockets, bridges
She healsmedicine, research, care
She startsbusinesses, clubs, causes
She creates
Why GirlFuture exists
Talent is spread evenly. Opportunity isn't.
Somewhere between middle school and her first job, a girl decides what kind of work is "for her." That decision is shaped less by ability than by who she sees, who believes in her out loud, and whether anyone puts real resources behind the first step. A laptop. A course fee. An introduction. Someone who has done the thing and will answer her questions.
Most girls don't miss out because they lack drive. They miss out because the first step costs a little money and a lot of confidence, and no one is there to cover either.
GirlFuture exists to close that gap early, when a small investment changes the trajectory the most. We think of it plainly as an investment: every girl who stays on the path to building, owning, and leading grows the economy for everyone. McKinsey Global Institute's Power of Parity research estimated that advancing women's equality could add trillions of dollars to global GDP. That growth starts with a girl who gets to try.
How we invest in girls
Four things, done together, because each one makes the others work.
- Mentorship
- Every scholar is matched with a working professional for six months of monthly conversations — the person who answers the questions she can't ask at home.
- Funding
- Small, fast, flexible grants for the first step: a course, a laptop, competition fees, a portfolio, a camp. No long forms, no strings beyond a short update.
- Connections
- Warm introductions to people, programs, and internships. We open the doors that usually open only through someone's parents.
- Exposure & role models
- Office visits, live conversations with women who built something, and stories of girls just a few steps ahead of her.
The 2027 scholarships
5 fields, one for each kind of dream. Applications open January 1, 2027.
She creates
Arts, Media & Storytelling
For writers, designers, filmmakers, musicians, journalists, and artists.
$500 + a mentorOpens Jan 1, 2027She starts
Business & Entrepreneurship
For girls starting something: a business, a nonprofit, a side hustle, a campaign.
$500 + a mentorOpens Jan 1, 2027She codes
Computer Science & AI
For girls who want to build software, games, data projects, or AI tools.
$500 + a mentorOpens Jan 1, 2027She builds
Engineering & Physical Sciences
For girls drawn to how things work: robotics, energy, space, chemistry, physics.
$500 + a mentorOpens Jan 1, 2027She heals
Health & Life Sciences
For future nurses, doctors, researchers, vets, and public-health leaders.
$500 + a mentorOpens Jan 1, 2027
Guides for building yourself
All stories and guidesBuild yourself
You Belong in the Room: Confidence, Imposter Feelings, and Finding Your Voice in College
How to stop shrinking yourself in new rooms, speak with substance, and respond to comparison without false bravado.
GirlFuture team · 6 min read
Build yourself
Your First 100 Days of College: How to Find Your Feet and Build Confidence
A practical first-semester playbook for belonging, classes, friendships, routines, and asking for help.
GirlFuture team · 6 min read