Executive Program in Faith and Social Impact

We define ‘faith’ broadly, speaking to both formal and informal structures of community, practice, worldview, belief, and spirituality, including those individuals and communities who self-identify as spiritual, atheist, agnostic, secular, or non-practicing. For us, “interfaith” includes the exchange between people of differing religions, and between people who are religious and non-religious. In a world where religious and cultural groups are often siloed from one another, interfaith engagement provides a way to encounter and better understand different beliefs and worldviews without proselytizing. We believe that everyone, regardless of religious or spiritual orientation, benefits from self-knowledge, shared vulnerability, and community learning with people from religions, cultures, and worldviews different from their own.

We want to hear your story, your goals for society, and what you want to accomplish in your career. We are looking to learn about you, what you’re passionate about, what you want to learn and why. We hope that the application process might serve as a reflective practice for you to step back and articulate what you’re hoping to accomplish.

The essays are short but extremely important. This is where we learn your goals for the world and the program, and the best way we can assess whether you are at a stage in your venture or career to benefit from participating. We encourage concise, detailed responses.

In the first essay, tell us about the social impact issue area or initiative that you are most passionate about contributing to, and why. Each week of the Executive Program is designed for students to articulate some aspect of this issue, even if they are still ideating. We need to see that you can try ideas out, on paper, concisely and with specifics. You don’t have to pretend that everything is already figured out — actually, we hope you won’t. Instead, share your assumptions about this issue and the things you need to learn in order to take the next step in this work. 

In the second essay, help us understand why you think this program is right for you. What aspects do you most look forward to? What do you hope to accomplish professionally or organizationally in the 8 months of the Executive Program? Why is 2022 the right time for you to undertake our program? 

In the third essay, describe your prior actions to support a social mission. Volunteer work, sitting on a board, acting as an engaged funder, working in an organization that did good work either as its main business or on the side…there are many ways to help make the world a better place. 

If you have questions about admissions, please don’t hesitate to reach out at admissions@csis.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

No. Our program is designed to have the lowest tuition possible without losing the integrity of the educational experience. We’re proud to say it is the most affordable comparable executive program that we are aware of. Since the program tuition is already being offered at a discounted rate relative to similar programs, we’re unfortunately unable to offer scholarships. We can, however, offer students who would like additional time to complete their payment the option of an interest-free payment plan over the course of 3 months. Some students have received partial or full tuition from their employers or a donor. Feel free to use this template to calculate the program cost for you and to share with your employer if it is useful in your funding applications.  

If you have questions about finances, please don’t hesitate to reach out at admissions@csis.upenn.edu so we can discuss.

The $950 tuition deposit is not refundable. Refunds on balances paid will be made consistent with  the School of Social Policy and Practice OpenSP2* refund policy.

Refund requests must occur within 14 days of the start of the class or program (the first materials-release date, for on-demand classes or programs, or the orientation date, for structured programs). Programs that include live class sessions require cancellation and refund requests to be made at least 14 days in advance of the course start date. 

The school  may provide a transfer option to individuals who cancel beyond the limits of this policy, at the discretion of the program leader. 

Refund requests will be honored only if less than 25% of course materials have been engaged with (based on course data analytics). 

*OpenSP2 is a division of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) which reserves the right to change, alter, adjust this policy. OpenSP2 reserves the right to cancel any program for low enrollment or other extenuating circumstances at any time, before the start of the program. If SP2 cancels a program, all participants will receive a full refund. Please also note programs offered on 3rd party platforms (edX or Coursera) are subject to the policies of that platform.

Official communications may be sent to admissions@csis.upenn.edu.

There are no educational prerequisites to apply for this program — we are looking for leaders across all industries with a variety of perspectives. Applicants should be comfortable learning in the English language, and have the capacity to stream video.  

If you have questions, or if you think you might need a learning accommodation, please don’t hesitate to reach out at admissions@csis.upenn.edu so we can discuss your questions.

You will complete a total of six online courses and attend an in-person convening at the University of Pennsylvania. Required courses include: Social Impact Strategy, Business Models for Social Enterprise, Community and Collaboration, and Marketing for Social Impact. Students select two additional electives from among that year’s choices. In the past, we have offered: Impact Management, Research Design, Digital Media for Social Movements, Data Science for Social Innovation, Ethical Decision-Making in Social Organizations, Volunteer Management, and Unleashing Large Scale Social Movements. Download the viewbook for course descriptions.

Alumni are a critical part of the CSIS family, and they receive lifelong access to the CSIS community. We have a private Facebook group dedicated to conversations online for anyone in our network to share resources and support one another. Most years, we also host a free summit in Philadelphia to bring our diverse community together and offer one another a deep sense of community and connection. In 2020 and 2021, these summits have been virtual, and while we like welcoming alumni on campus each year, they have been wonderful opportunities to reconnect with curriculum and classmates. We expect to be back on campus in 2023! 

The Executive Program in Faith and Social Impact launched a soft pilot last year as an affinity group within the Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy. Students completed the Social Impact Strategy program as part of the larger cohort, and participated in monthly facilitated discussions from interfaith professionals, featuring guest speakers on key issues at the intersection of faith and social innovation. Topics included Religious Literacy, Interrupting Harm, Exploring Faith & Race, and Raising Funds in a Faith-Based Context. Throughout the program, students developed their social impact projects that were rooted in and/or designed for serving people from diverse faith backgrounds. In 2023, we are pleased to offer the Faith and Social Impact Executive Program as a stand-alone cohort, with a fully online Convening and robust faith and interfaith-oriented dialogues.

We strongly encourage all students to attend the online Convening during the live sessions. Please set aside the same time and attention as you would if you were learning in person. This will not be an online session during which time you can sit on your couch, do other professional work, take side calls, or fold laundry. 

Depending on your time zone, it might be challenging for you to attend our live sessions synchronously. Participants will have an opportunity to view recorded sessions and submit their work by the end of the week. 

To facilitate this opportunity, we will also ask you when you enroll the time zone from which you will learn.  Learning sessions will remain synchronous with the in-person event.