Social Finance Lab 

Action-Research Fellowship 2025-2028

The Social Finance Lab Action-Research Fellowship is building the next generation of impact leaders. 

Through the Social Finance Lab Fellowship, we offer individuals exposure to emerging practices and tools for catalyzing inclusive growth through impact investments. It provides hands-on opportunities to work with government agencies, non-profit organizations, social ventures, and other engaged players in various strategic and operational roles.

Modeled after the Harvard Kennedy School's Government Innovation Fellowship,  the PPP Innovation Fellowship aims to align new sources of capital for public good. We are also growing and showcasing the talent pool interested in impact investing and social development careers. 

The Social Finance Lab, in collaboration with the Adaptive Leadership School and Bridging Leadership Institute of the Civika Asian Development Academy conducts action-research on the challenges of achieving inclusive growth through PPPs and other social finance instruments.  The Social Finance Lab is designed to support LGUs as they design PPP projects while providing the Fellows a community and support in which to develop their own research portfolio and professional networks. The Bridging Leadership Institute toolkit equips fellows to deploy ownership, co-ownership, and co-creation interventions so that their projects have institution-building effects in the real world.  

The Fellow will work on specific PPP action-research projects. This includes data-gathering, designing the PPP project, and developing the adaptive change roadmap introducing the concept of PPPs to institutions that are unfamiliar with these instruments. The Fellow should have experience in field research and a demonstrated commitment to goals aligned with the partner LGU or organizations. This is a great opportunity to work on an exciting, early-phase project with several compelling ongoing initiatives and faculty support (but limited resources) in an entrepreneurial environment.

The PPP Fellowship doesn't provide a stipend to Fellows. Fellows are encouraged to align their research with existing coursework as graduate students. The key reference for designing social impact bonds will be the Harvard GovLab Social Impact Bonds Guide for State and Local Governments and Social Impact Bonds: The Early Years.

As a member of this ten-month program, the fellow will be part of the intellectual community at the Civika Asian Development Academy will have the opportunity to attend workshops and other activities affiliated with Civika Asian Development Academy, as well as the opportunity to engage with and participate in the fellow's community at Civika. Fellows may work in teams of 3-5 in order to distribute the research load and foster collaborative learning. The Fellowship program aims to encourage and support fellows in an inviting and rigorous intellectual environment, with community activities designed to foster inquiry and collaboration.

 Candidates who are graduate students and professionals interested in social innovations in finance, economics, or development studies are encouraged to apply.

 Basic Qualifications:

For LGUs, any government employee involved in a sector related to the potential PPP project may apply. For academics, any student currently enrolled or completed a master's program — preferably in a relevant field of study such as economics, MBA, public policy, development studies, or any other graduate course may apply. 

Teaching Fellows

Any university instructor teaching an undergraduate or graduate course with some intersection with PPPs may become a PPP Teaching Fellow.    

Additional Qualifications:

A strong understanding of the field of interest would be advantageous.

Excellent writing and verbal skills, sound judgment, and proven ability in project management are essential. The fellow must be proactive and accountable, and capable of orchestrating the many goals of the project, including communications, research, networking, and community building. A successful candidate will be a highly motivated self-starter to drive the ambitious objectives of the research project.

Application

We have a rolling application for this fellowship. For interested applicants, please send your CV and an 800-word essay  on why you want to join this fellowship program to fellowships@socialfinancelab.com

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Project Options for Fellows

Fellows may also propose Impact Fund/Social Impact Bond projects of their choice. Advanced projects on tokenized and or tradeable impact investing instruments are encouraged.  

Fellows are encouraged to co-create impact investing instruments with other impact funds and incubators such as the following:

RPA-Impact-Investing-Handbook-1.pdf

Apply Now

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