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Fifteen women leaders from the social service sector will receive a fully-funded scholarship to maximise their leadership potential, thanks to a new collaboration between the NSW Council of Social Service (NCOSS) and Chief Executive Women (CEW). The scholarship will be open to NCOSS members working in small-to-medium sized community services organisations in NSW.
NCOSS has today announced the Harrison-Church Women’s Leadership Scholarship, which aims to elevate leadership capability in the social service sector and tackle the stark gender pay gap between male and female senior leaders in the not-for-profit sector.
NCOSS CEO Cara Varian said there is an urgent need to invest in women’s leadership in the NSW social sector – which is chronically under-resourced despite delivering more and more services to address some of the state’s most pressing issues.
“The social service sector is overstretched and underfunded. With community organisations prioritising their scarce resources to meet the growing needs of the community, it often means that investment in professional development is taking a backseat. To meet the future needs of our sector we must prioritise developing our leaders,” said Ms Varian.
“The CEW Leaders Program provides an invaluable opportunity for women leaders to take a step back from their day-to-day responsibilities, re-evaluate their goals and develop professionally. It presents an opportunity for leaders in the social sector to collaborate with leaders from other industries and maximise their impact.
“Women comprise the majority of our sector yet face a persistent pay gap at senior levels. Leadership programs are often out of reach which, combined with limited cross-sector networking opportunities, restricts women’s professional advancement.”
The scholarship will provide places in CEW’s Leaders Program for 15 women in senior leadership roles over three years, with five participants each year. The scholarship is being funded through a very generous philanthropic donation, made possible by a legacy from Chris Harrison-Church.
“Access to this program will unlock the potential of fifteen women working across community and social services whose careers and organisations are often held back from thriving because of systemic gender inequality.
“Ninety-eight percent of CEW alumni from the previous year’s program said they have new tools to enhance their executive presence. We’re so excited that we can deliver this opportunity to the women leaders in the NSW social sector who deserve it most,” added Ms Varian.
The scholarship’s first intake will be in June/July 2026. Applications opened today and will close on 1 February 2026. For more information visit click here.