A six-month pilot programme supporting Diana Award Recipients across Africa and Asia to strengthen, sustain and scale their social action work.
The Development Programme brings together young changemakers who are already leading social action in their communities, providing practical learning, peer connection and personalised development support to help them take the next steps in their work.
The six-month programme is currently being piloted for Diana Award Recipients across Africa and Asia, with support from AGFUND, and has been shaped through engagement with young changemakers who highlighted a need for practical support around sustainability, partnerships, funding and growth.
Our first Development Programme cohort is currently bringing together Diana Award Recipients from across Africa and Asia for six months of learning, connection and development.
Follow The Diana Award on social media to keep up with the programme and hear more from our community of young changemakers.
Applications for Cohort 2 are now open!
COHORT 2 KEY DATES
Applications Close: 1 December 2026, 23:59 GMT
Programme Starts: January 2027
Programme Ends: July 2027
Up to 30 Diana Award Recipients will be selected to take part.
This pilot programme is open exclusively to Diana Award Recipients who:
The programme is designed for young people with existing social action work, rather than those who are currently at the idea stage.
The Development Programme combines practical learning with opportunities to connect, reflect and apply learning directly to participants' own social action.
Through the programme, participants will have the opportunity to:
Participants will also develop a Personal Growth Plan to identify their individual development goals, apply their learning and reflect on their progress throughout the programme.
Sessions are practical and interactive, with participants encouraged to apply what they learn directly to their own social action.
Topics include:
Sessions will be led by The Diana Award alongside experienced external partners and practitioners, bringing a range of expertise and perspectives to the programme.
The Development Programme is delivered virtually over six months and combines structured learning with personalised and peer support.
Participants will take part in:
The programme is designed to work alongside participants' existing social action, studies and work commitments.
Before applying, please read the eligibility criteria and FAQs carefully.
Complete the online application form by 1 December 2026 at 23:59 GMT.
The application will ask about you, your existing social action, the challenges you are currently experiencing, what you hope to develop and your motivation for taking part.
Applications will first be checked against the programme's eligibility criteria.
Eligible applications will then be reviewed based on applicants' existing social action and impact, development needs, motivation, potential to benefit from and apply the programme's learning, and ability to commit to the programme.
We will also consider the overall composition of the cohort, with the aim of bringing together a diverse group of Diana Award Recipients from different countries, communities, areas of social action and experiences.
All applicants will be contacted with the outcome of their application by 18 December 2026.
Up to 30 participants will be invited to join the January 2027 cohort.
Successful applicants will complete onboarding ahead of the programme beginning in January 2027.
This will include opportunities to meet the cohort, learn more about the programme, join the programme's online community and begin thinking about their individual development goals.
We are committed to expanding the Development Programme so more Diana Award Recipients can access this support globally. If you or your organisation would like to support this work, we'd love to hear from you.
Get in touchThe Development Programme is a six-month pilot programme designed specifically for Diana Award Recipients based across Africa and Asia who are already leading social action in their communities.
Supported by AGFUND, the programme combines expert-led learning, peer connection and personalised development support to help participants strengthen, sustain and scale their existing work.
To be eligible, applicants must:
No. Participation in the programme is completely free.
Up to 30 participants will be selected to join the January 2027 cohort.
The Development Programme is designed for Diana Award Recipients who are already involved in established social action and are looking to strengthen, sustain or scale their existing work.
If your project or initiative has not yet started, this programme may not be the right opportunity at this stage.
Participants will explore topics including:
The programme is designed to fit alongside participants’ existing commitments, including studies, work and social action.
Participants should expect to commit at least 6 hours per month over the six-month programme. This includes live online learning sessions, interactive workshops and peer learning, community engagement, reflection activities, two individual development support sessions and optional networking opportunities.
The programme will begin in January 2027 and run virtually for six months until July 2027. Successful applicants will complete onboarding activities ahead of the programme start.
Successful applicants will be invited to:
Applications will first be reviewed against the eligibility criteria.Eligible applications will then be assessed based on:
We will also seek to create a diverse cohort representing different countries, sectors and experiences.
Participants who complete the programme and engage fully in activities will receive a certificate of participation from The Diana Award.
Sessions will be delivered online via Microsoft Teams, and participants will also have access to a dedicated community space where they can connect with other Diana Award Recipients, access resources and continue conversations between sessions.
If you have any questions about the programme or application process, please contact:
We couldn’t do what we do without the support of our funding partner.
