About the Center

NAS builds and supports a diverse community of cultural leaders who drive inspiring change for the future. NAS has trained and supported more arts and culture leaders than any other organization. With CSIS, NAS offers an 8 month hybrid Executive Program in Arts & Culture Strategy, and 8 day residential programs for arts leaders nationwide or regionally, such as the New England cohort.

The Stuart Weitzman School of Design is a graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania that prepares students to address complex sociocultural and environmental issues through thoughtful inquiry, creative expression, and innovation. Weitzman School of Design is committed to advancing the public good–both locally and globally–through art, design, planning, and preservation. With CSIS, Weitzman School of Design offers the Executive Program for Social Innovation Design, a 5-month hybrid program for design professionals who want to utilize their skill set for positive change, and professionals working in mission-driven organizations but needing design tools to achieve their goals.

AFS develops active global citizens who take action to make a positive difference where they live, study, work and volunteer. AFS’ study abroad, education and volunteer programs empower people of all ages and backgrounds with essential intercultural knowledge, skills and understanding. As a leading nonprofit international education organization, AFS believes global competence is fundamental to building just and peaceful societies. In partnership with CSIS, AFS offers a professional development Executive Program in Social Impact Strategy to Country Directors stationed worldwide. In addition, the AFS and CSIS teams recently collaborated to offer a multi-month, virtual social impact curriculum to high school students all around the world, culminating in students’ capstone presentations of a public narrative and working prototype.

Schoolyard Ventures helps teens launch businesses, non-profits and other real-world projects that are meaningful to them. By starting something real, teens develop skills that set them apart from their peers, confidence in their own abilities, and experience that guides their future pursuits. With CSIS, Schoolyard Ventures licenses social impact curriculum to schools in Pennsylvania.

The Annenberg School for Communication is a vibrant, diverse, and close-knit community of scholars at the forefront of engaging today’s media landscape and its impact on the major issues of our world. The Center on Digital Culture and Society (CDCS) at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication and the Center for Social Impact Strategy (CSIS) at the School of Social Policy & Practice (SP2) have come together to launch an executive program that will help changemakers not only master their digital tools but develop a digital practice that reflects their goals and values. The Executive Program in Digital Media for Social Impact (DMSI) combines training from scholars and practitioners at the forefront of today’s media landscape with action-oriented tools and frameworks to help you think strategically and creatively.