About the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise

Columbia Business School has long been committed to advancing the practice and understanding of social enterprise having trained leaders with a commitment to solving social and environmental issues for over three decades. By supporting new ideas from faculty and industry leaders, as well as the curricular and extracurricular opportunities of students, the Business School is increasing the understanding of how management can contribute to society while developing the next generation of social enterprise leaders.

In 1981 Professor Ray Horton founded the Public and Nonprofit Management Program, which was renamed the Social Enterprise Program in 2000, and widened to include social entrepreneurship, corporate social responsibility, and international development. The mission was to advance the understanding of how business can contribute to society and the environment, by emphasizing the vital role that social enterprise plays in transforming communities.

In 2015, The Tamer Center for Social Enterprise was established by a generous gift from Sandra and Tony Tamer, which expanded the existing Social Enterprise Program at Columbia Business School. The new funding allowed for the launch of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures, expansion of the existing Loan Assistance program, extension of the Social Enterprise Summer Fellowship Program to Columbia students beyond the Business School, funding for social ventures at the Columbia Startup Lab and further development of the advisory network for Columbia’s social entrepreneurs.

Read more about this transformative gift online.

About Columbia University’s Social Enterprise Conference

Social Enterprise topics are embedded in various student conferences at Columbia Business School. The first conference at the beginning of each academic year is the Annual Social Enterprise Conference, jointly organized by the Social Enterprise Club (a chapter of Net Impact), Green Business Club, and the Tamer Center for Social Enterprise. This event brings together industry leaders, professionals, academics, students, and alumni to share best practices and engender new ideas surrounding the intersection of business and society.

Other MBA students groups that have offered conferences with social enterprise content include: Columbia Women in Business, Latin American Business Association, the Energy Club, and South Asian Business Association.

In addition, students attend conferences held by other areas of Columbia University including the Earth Institute and the School of International and Public Affairs, as well as external conferences organized by Net Impact, and Business for Social Responsibility to name a few. Social Enterprise-related clubs are also an important part of student life across the University. The Conference unites graduate and undergraduate students from many clubs at this headline event, including a selection of student clubs: Social Entrepreneurship Club, Columbia Impact Investing Initiative, Columbia University Coalition for Sustainable Development, Barnard and Columbia Student’s Design for America, SEBS, Columbia Entrepreneurs Organization, Columbia Law School’s Environmental Law Society, Columbia FinTech, Students for Environmental Action, and Community Impact at Columbia University.

Read more about the Social Enterprise Conference.