Impact Investing for the Next Generation

Initiated by the Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) at the Harvard Kennedy School and run by the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at the University of Zurich this training program equips next generation members of ultra-high-net-wealth families with the technical and soft skills needed to align their investments with their values, creating positive change with their capital.

Impact Investing for the Next Generation is a unique program tailored to the needs of next-generation wealth holders (typically aged 20-55) seeking to make a difference with the resources they hold. The program supports participants in building knowledge, confidence and networks in the field of sustainable and impact investing together with a like-minded group of peers. We carefully foster a protected environment, enabling each small, yet diverse, cohort of selected participants (principals only) to share openly and learn both from top experts in the field and from one another, in a context that is free from conflicts of interest. 

Best of all, upon completing the program, participants become part of our exclusive alumni network, where they can continue to learn and connect with past participants, each at their own stage in the impact journey. 

Since its inception in 2015, the program has trained more than 250 alumni. The training cohorts consist of participants from the United States, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Middle and South America, who receive a deep dive into how to invest with meaning and impact.

According to our alumni:

1. 97% indicated that they would not have started their impact journey without the program or that the program played an important role in getting them started (The survey was carried out in 2022 and included 32 participants representing cohorts from 2015-2020.)
2. 72% indicated that they have increased the number of sustainable- or impact-focused companies/opportunities that their family approved for investment (The survey was carried out in 2022 and included 64 participants representing cohorts from 2015-2022.)

OVERVIEW OF THE TRAINING

The program is designed to help next-gen family members understand impact investing, meet peers from around the world, and start to develop an investment and engagement strategy. The program has been tailor-made to bring together a select group of Next Gens who wish to explore impact investing for their own and their family’s portfolios. 

A key goal of the program is to build and foster strong cohorts of wealth holders driven to move toward impact within their family context. 

ABOUT THE TRAINING PARTICIPANTS

Participants are members of ultra-high-net-wealth families from around the world. Cohorts are limited to a maximum of 30 participants.

CURRICULUM

This seven-month program combines intensive in-person learning with flexible online engagment. It begins with an immersive kick-off module in October featuring lectures, workshops and networking opportunities, and concludes with a similar Module in April. 

Between these bookend events, participants commit approximately half a day per week to online activities. The two in-person sessions take place at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, USA.

The curriculum is flexible enough to allow professionals who are working full-time to take the program. 

PEOPLE BEHIND THE PROGRAM

The program was initiated by the Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI) at Harvard Kennedy School and is convened by the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at the University of Zurich. The curriculum is purposefully curated and led by a group of global experts and program alumni. 

IMPORTANT DATES

The 11th cohort ('25 - '26) will be convened as follows:

    - Module 1: October 28-31, 2025, at MIT Sloan School of Management, USA
    - Module 2: April 28-30, 2026, at the University of Zurich, Switzerland 

INFORMATION AND SIGN-UP

To receive the brochure, find out if this program is for you, and sign up, please reach out to Marietta Chatzinota at marietta.chatzinota@df.uzh.ch

Our Personal Development Program developed for wealth holder program participants and alumni builds on the impact of our trainings by supporting personal transformation. Learn more about this program here.