B8234: Financial Empowerment Lab NYC | Columbia Business School

New course for Spring 2025!

Financial Empowerment Lab NYC is a new "hands-on" course at Columbia University for business and law students, being developed by Professors Stephen Zeldes and Ed Morrison that will launch in Spring 2025 (running mid-January through late April). The course will focus on financial health and empowerment in underserved NYC communities, including Harlem and Washington Heights. Teams of 3-4 students each will partner with local non-profits and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) on a semester-long project that will culminate in a pre-specified deliverable. In the process, students will be exposed to clients of the organization, develop a better understanding of the financial and legal challenges facing underserved populations, and work on a project that will help the organization better fulfill its mission. This course emphasizes practical learning, innovative problem-solving, and strategic collaboration, enabling students to apply their skills in a meaningful context that contributes to economic justice and positive social change.

The class will be taught on Wednesdays, 9:00 am - 12:15 pm on the Manhattanville campus (either Geffen or Kravis Hall), from January 29, 2025 through April 30, 2025. No classes will be held on March 12 or March 19 (exam period and spring break).

Students are accepted into the course by application only. See application page for more details.

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11/7/24 update: The application deadlines (see below) have now passed. However, it is possible we may have a few open seats and are keeping a waitlist. If you are interested in joining the class, please use the link above to apply and we will let you know as soon as we can.

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MBA applications were due Monday October 28, 2024 (decisions by Friday Nov 1)
Law School applications were due Monday November 4, 2024 (decisions by Friday Nov 8)

B-school course information session: Monday, October 21, 12:30 - 1:30 (lunch provided with signup).
Law school course information session: Monday, October 28, 12:15 - 1:15, WJW 310 (lunch provided with signup)

Syllabus: TBA soon.

Questions? Feel free to reach out to faculty (see links above) or course assistant Joy Botros.

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