Currently being taught Spring 2025; Next offering Fall 2025
Financial Empowerment Lab NYC is a "hands-on" course at Columbia University for business and law students, developed and taught by Stephen Zeldes (Business school professor), Ed Morrison (Law school professor), and Daniela Tisch (managing director of the Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy). The course first launched in January 2025 and is currently running mid-January through late April 2025. We will be teaching the course again in Fall 2025 (likely Wednesday mornings, 9 am - 12:15 pm) on the Manhattanville campus. Acceptance is by application only (click here to apply for Fall 2025). See below for upcoming information sessions.
Our course focuses on financial health and empowerment in underserved NYC communities, including Harlem and Washington Heights. In Spring 2025, students were placed into 10 teams of 3-5 students, with each team including at least one MBA and one law student. Each team was paired with one of our 10 partner NYC non-profit organizations and Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) and worked together on a semester-long project that will culminate in a pre-specified deliverable. We will have a similar structure in Fall 2025. During the semester, students will be exposed to clients of the organization, develop a personal 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.
We are grateful for support from the Richard Paul Richman Center for Business, Law, and Public Policy and the Tamer Institute for Social Enterprise and Climate Change.
4/16/25 Update: We will be having two information sessions for the Fall 2025 class.
1) Monday April 21, 12:30 - 1:30 pm (Kravis 1040). Signup here (lunch provided with signup)
2) Tuesday April 22, 12:15 - 1:15 (William and June Warren Hall Room 311). Signup here (lunch provided with signup)
Syllabus: TBA soon.
Questions? Feel free to reach out to faculty (see links above) or course assistant Joy Botros.