CSI Teaching & Curriculum

Stanford GSB offers a diverse and cutting-edge portfolio of social innovation courses.

CSI supports both tenure-line and adjunct faculty in developing courses that are grounded in the fundamentals of social innovation: impact measurement, human-centered design, systems thinking, and cross-sector approaches.

The Stanford GSB social innovation curriculum is part of a holistic social-innovation learning model that builds off of the management core curriculum and leverages academic frameworks, students’ and professionals’ experiences, and hands-on discovery.

Course Highlight

Design for Extreme Affordability

Apply engineering and business skills to design product or service prototypes, distribution systems, and business plans for entrepreneurial ventures that meet the challenges faced by the world's poor.

Social Innovation Case Studies

Case studies developed for the Stanford GSB social innovation curriculum are available for purchase by other teaching institutions.

King County: Creating a Culture of Outcomes

SI150

Paul Brest, Debra Schifrin

2019

Despite its overall prosperity and booming economy, King County in Washington state faced persistent inequities in poverty, homelessness, and unemployment based on race and place. This case covers the period 2014 to 2019, during which the county developed…

Social Impact

King Philanthropies: Intentional Choices for Maximum Impact

SI151

William Meehan III, Sheila Melvin

2019

King Philanthropies (KP) was a grant-making organization that employed a highly intentional and carefully targeted approach to philanthropy. It was guided by relentless pursuit of its mission: to alleviate extreme poverty by magnifying the impact of high…

Social Impact

The F.B. Heron Foundation: 100 Percent for Mission - And Beyond

SI140

Charles Ewald, Heidi Krauel Patel, Jaclyn Foroughi

2018

In late March 2017, Clara Miller, director and president of the F.B. Heron Foundation (“Heron”), a philanthropic institution focused on helping people help themselves out of poverty, sat down to put the finishing touches on her President’s Letter. In…

Social Impact

Leila Janah

SM291

David Dodson, Cameron Lehman

2018

Case follows Leila Janah, a Harvard-educated social entrepreneur, on her mission to “give work” – provide jobs, rather than just money, clothes or food – to those in impoverished communities overseas and in the United States. Case profiles Janah’s…

Social Impact

Beneficial State Bank: Benefit to All, Harm to None

SI146

Charles Ewald, Heidi Krauel Patel, Jaclyn Foroughi

2018

In the fall of 2017, Beneficial State Bank, a triple bottom line community development bank serving areas of California, Oregon, and Washington, had completed its fourth successive year of normalized profitability while continuing to fulfill its mission…

Finance , Social Impact