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Environmental Finance and Impact Investing (EFII) Fellows Program

Through a series of courses, coupled with applied projects, EFII Program Fellows will be trained to invest in, manage, or regulate businesses or projects seeking financial, environmental, and/or social goals. Fellows will gain experience in a range of topics, including finance and analytics, markets and regulation, science and technology, and economic and political analysis. In addition, they will be required to engage in professional learning opportunities that will include internships and hands-on, applied projects with investors, industry, government, and the NGO community.

Application Requirements

General Cornell Admission:

Satisfaction of the general requirements for admission to the MPA Program or another Cornell graduate degree program, as outlined on the Cornell Graduate School website.

Prerequisites:

You must be in good academic standing in the MPA Program.

Application Process

Strategic Plan:

Submit an essay of up to 1,000 words demonstrating your interest in participating in the program, as well as the value-added perspective or experience that you will bring to the program and its faculty and students. In addition, you should discuss how you hope to incorporate the EFII program into your future academic and professional life.

Interview:

If selected as a finalist for the EFII Fellows program, you will be asked to participate in an interview with EFII program faculty and/or staff.

Application Deadline:

The deadline for applying to the EFII Fellows program is November 1, 2022.

Documentation:

To apply, please send the following materials to ajc93@cornell.edu (please indicate ‘EFII Program Application’ in the subject line of your email):

  • Statement of Interest
  • Résumé/CV
  • Transcripts (undergraduate and graduate, if applicable)

Academic Requirements

Required Coursework for EFII Certificate (12 credits):

  • NBA 6030: Strategies for Sustainability (Spring) – 1.5 credits
  • NBA 6380: Finance & Sustainability Colloquium (twice) (Spring) – 1 credit
  • NCC 5560: Managerial Finance (Fall/Spring) – 2.5 credits
  • PADM 5570: Corporate Responsibility (Fall) – 3 credits
  • PADM 5579: EFII Capstone Project (Spring) – 3 credits

An additional 9.5 credits of relevant electives are also required (a list will be provided).

Additional requirements for EFII Certificate:

  1. Meet with program directors and other EFII Fellows to discuss program requirements, exchange information, share intelligence about job opportunities, and discuss recent developments about environmental finance and impact investing.
  2. Join the SGE Club or the Energy Club
  3. Complete one content write-up for the website. This can be about an internship, speaker, conference, project, etc. relevant to environmental finance or impact investing.

The EFII program was one of the reasons I chose the MPA Program. My background is in international development and I was interested in learning more about the role of the private sector in achieving environmental and social development goals. The EFII program allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of the financial side of this equation.

– Elif Senvardarli, MPA 2017 ESG Research Analyst, Calvert Research and Management