2026 Chicago Climate Convening
Hello ⭐
Building on activities within the global communities of practice, the Obama Leadership Network will host its first in-person convening focused on collaborative leadership in climate. This event will take place in Chicago, Illinois from July 17 - 19, 2026, on the sidelines of Aspen Ideas: Climate (July 20 - 22, 2026).
The goal of our convening is to foster new cross-sector, issue, and cohort relationships that support values-based leaders in this Network, and to help participants catalyze new collaborative climate-related projects.
Space is limited, so please apply by April 25 at 23:59 GMT. Make sure to allow 20-30 minutes to complete the application. If you have any questions, please email [email protected].
We hope to see you there!
Event Overview
We’re hosting two simultaneous events that will intentionally overlap to create opportunities for intergenerational leadership collaborations across our growing network, which now includes our Voyagers - alumni just beginning their careers in public service.
We’re seeking applicants for :
- Friday, July 17: A one-day workshop for 10 Voyagers looking to begin their careers working in climate and learn from experienced alumni in this Network. Non-Voyager alumni will join the second half of the day to train and support these rising leaders. If you are a Voyager alum who would like to be considered to attend this workshop fill out this form.
- Friday, July 17 - Sunday July 19: A 2.5-day convening for 20-25 alumni to foster connections across sectors, issues, and cohorts to catalyze new climate collaborations within the Obama Leadership Network. This includes a half day of activities to train and support rising leaders in the Obama Foundation Network. All other (non-Voyager) alumni are invited to apply for this convening by filling out this form.
Keep reading to learn more about these events!
About the Voyager Workshop (Friday, July 17)
WHAT: Participants will get to hear from diverse global leaders about their experiences exploring different careers across a variety of sectors, issues, and countries. This workshop will give participants a meaningful opportunity to not only gain advice from experienced alumni in this community, but also make meaningful connections with potential mentors to help explore climate-related work at the beginning of their public service careers.
WHO: We’re looking to gather a small group of Voyagers with a strong interest in climate change work. This should include new and early career leaders who are looking to begin or deepen their professional work on climate-related issues, from a variety of contexts. This may also include young leaders who are looking to expand their both their professional and personal contributions to climate change-related work.
About the Climate Convening (Friday, July 17 - Sunday, July 19)
WHO: All program alumni interested in growing their Network connections and working on a practical climate change-related project with alumni after the event are eligible to apply. We will select attendees through this application based on the following criteria:
- Individuals who can serve as “force multipliers,” amplifying the impact of this gathering by sharing it with their communities and others not able to attend.
- Those committed to implementing small group collaborative climate projects 3-6 months after the event.
*Important* We seek applications not only from well-established leaders in this climate field, but also emerging ones, and from those with expertise in other areas who wish to now bring their expertise to help address this specific global challenge of climate change.
We also aim to prioritize creating a diverse group and candidates who have not attended an in-person Foundation Network event over the past year, and those who receive multiple peer recommendations from the application.
HOW: While the event program will be designed by Foundation staff, we will also work closely with the Climate Community of Practice to help make it a success.
As all participants will be required to implement joint projects together soon after this event, before this event staff will provide some “matchmaking” support, host follow-up conversations in Climate Community of Practice monthly meetings, and provide stand-alone office hours to help selected applicants brainstorm and identify mutually-beneficial group projects that they are excited about.
Aspen Ideas: Climate
Aspen Ideas: Climate is a large solutions-focused conference that will take place in Chicago July 20 - July 22, a few days prior to this Obama Leadership Network convening. The purpose of this event is to help the public interact with and learn from climate leaders whose ideas and actions are critical to addressing our collective future. It will gather global and local policymakers, scientific experts, corporate leaders, innovators and artists, young leaders and more to explore four themes together:
- Health
- Adaptation
- Infrastructure
- Trust
We are also exploring networking and possible speaking opportunities for some leaders for the Aspen event. If you are interested and able, we encourage you to arrive early to Chicago in order to be able to participate in the Aspen event. We will keep selected participants updated about the results of our partnership conversations.
Please note: The Foundation is not able to cover costs for additional nights of accommodations or other related expenses in order for you to participate in the Aspen event.
Travel Restrictions
We understand that some applicants may require a visa or other travel documents to travel to the United States. Selected participants are responsible for assessing the requirements for, applying for, obtaining, paying for, and ensuring the validity of any necessary travel documents, such as passports and visas, required to enter the United States and attend the convening.
The Obama Foundation can provide participants with a formal event invitation. However, the Foundation is unable to individually support applying for and obtaining visas. The Obama Foundation cannot provide assistance or advocacy with any government or any other organization to secure a visa or to secure entry into or exit out of any country (including the United States).
Additional Climate-Related Announcement
In addition to this Climate Convening in Chicago this July, we also plan to host a second similar convening on the sidelines of COP31 later this year in November.
You are welcome to apply for either or both events if interested and able to fulfill the commitment of completing a follow-up project after each event alongside fellow attendees within 3-6 months. Please just note that we will aim to select different leaders across these two events to help maximize their impact of these gatherings for more leaders in our large and growing global Network.
Have a question? Please reach out to [email protected] or use the comment section below!