Tory Burch was presented an award at a Georgetown ceremony Thursday by former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton. Burch was honored along with Muhammad Yunus, Reema Nanavaty, and Muna Sukhtian for their work to increase women’s economic opportunity.
The annual awards ceremony was hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security to recognize individuals who are creating a more peaceful and secure world.
During her introduction, Clinton said, “[Tory Burch] has spent years breaking down the barriers that women entrepreneurs face to make sure more women like her — more women with a good idea, more women with a good work ethic, more women who are in it and trying as hard as they can to demonstrate how effective and successful they can be — will be able to turn their ideas into thriving businesses.”
Burch received the 2026 Hillary Rodham Clinton Award for her leadership of the Tory Burch Foundation, which increases women’s economic power by supporting entrepreneurs to build businesses that last. Through access to capital, education and community, including its signature Fellows Program, the foundation helps women entrepreneurs grow. In partnership with Bank of America, the foundation helped 5,600 entrepreneurs access $100 million in low-interest loans. Last year, the foundation revealed a five-year goal to generate more than $1 billion in economic impact through women entrepreneurs by 2030.
During the ceremony, Burch said, “I had this idea 21 years ago that business and purpose could go hand in hand. I wanted to build a global lifestyle brand so I could start a foundation. For me, it’s my North Star.
“I know that women are the answer,” Burch continued. “When women are economically powered, they can transform everything.”
The ceremony demonstrated the link between women’s economic empowerment and the prosperity, stability and security of broader communities.
“We have more data today than ever that confirms what we’ve always known intuitively: when women have economic opportunity to participate, when barriers are lifted, they and their families can thrive, economies grow, and nations prosper,” said executive director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security Ambassador Melanie Verveer.