Forté Foundation

Forté Foundation is a US nonprofit that partners with business schools and companies to increase the number of women in MBAs and in management. Schools that join can name Forté Fellows — students who receive extra programming and, at many schools, a tied fellowship or scholarship.

It is a pipeline organization. It does not admit anyone.

How it works

You apply to the school. The school, if it is a sponsor, may designate you a Forté Fellow at or after admission. The designation can include tuition money, an MBA launch conference, and access to corporate partners. It can also be mostly the conference. Read the letter.

Men are not the target customer. Some events are open more broadly. Funding rules are school-specific.

Example: two admits at the same school. One is named a Forté Fellow with $25,000 a year and a conference ticket. The other has a generic $25,000 merit award. Cash is similar. The Fellow has a named network and an extra weekend on the calendar. That is the difference, not a second degree.

How it differs

The Consortium is a shared application plus a different eligibility frame. A generic women’s club on campus is not Forté. Forté is not an accreditor and not a ranking.

Common errors

Applying “to Forté” instead of to the school. Listing Forté on a résumé as if it were an employer. Assuming every women’s MBA scholarship is Forté.

Sponsor-school lists change. Confirm the current partners before you write a Forté sentence into an essay. The conference is useful for company access and is also a weekend you cannot give to a case competition. Funding attached to the Fellow title is a school decision; two Forté Fellows at two schools can hold very different dollar amounts.