At Columbia World Projects, we provide emerging and aspiring social impact leaders from diverse backgrounds with tools, education, and training in how to achieve impact.
These leaders range from young people who are at the beginning of their careers to emerging social impact leaders and experienced professionals. They are Columbia students and faculty, public sector leaders, nonprofit founders and social entrepreneurs, activists, and corporate social responsibility leaders. All are passionate about making a positive difference in their communities and around the world.
Our Programs
Obama Foundation Scholars
In 2018, we launched the Obama Foundation Scholars Program at Columbia University, a partnership between Columbia and the Obama Foundation to support rising leaders the world over who are driving change in their communities.
Early Career Faculty Impact Fellowship
Launched in 2022, the Early Career Faculty Impact Fellowship: Advancing Research and Scholarship to Action is designed for faculty in the early stages of their careers who are committed to translating their research and scholarship into programs, policies and interventions that address community needs.
Social Impact Fellowship
We also recently launched the Social Impact Fellowship for rising juniors and seniors who aspire to engage in challenges in their communities and around the world.
Our Approach
Our programs take a collaborative, experiential, and cohort-based approach to learning to support the development of practical and adaptive leadership skills for social impact. Tapping into Columbia University’s immense faculty expertise, we develop and teach a unique curricula of seminars and workshops. We also invite social impact leaders and policymakers from around the world to share their expertise and leadership journeys.
Our workshops give participants the opportunity to develop key capabilities to help advance their work, including:
- Storytelling to advocate for change
- Public speaking
- Problem solving and conflict resolution
- Program monitoring and evaluation
Our Guiding Principles
Effective and sustainable impact depends upon a collaborative, multi-sectoral, and interdisciplinary approach to problem-solving that centers empathy and inclusion. The design and goals of our leadership development programs reflect our core values, which include:
- Empathetic leadership that listens deeply and actively to understand and appreciate the experiences and perspectives of others
- Acting with humility to enable us to be open to learning from others and to ensure that people feel seen, heard, and valued
- Inclusive, equitable, and collaborative engagement that values diverse perspectives, expertise, and lived experiences that will enable us to unlock the potential to solve complex problems
- Reflection and continuous learning to gain new insights for the ongoing development and direction of our work