NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights

What NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights does

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights is a non-profit academic research center founded in 2013 within NYU Stern School of Business in New York City. It was established as the first center dedicated to human rights at a business school and is led by Director Michael Posner (former U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labor, 2009-2013) and Deputy Director Ralph Bunche (appointed July 2026). The Center operates as a lean 14-person organization focused on five research areas: global labor, technology and democracy, values-based investing, business education, and business and human rights leadership.

The Center's core offerings are research-driven rather than technology-based. Products include research publications (reports, white papers, quick takes, and books), educational programs (an MBA fellowship in sustainability and human rights, dedicated business and human rights courses for MBA and law students, and student research consultancies), teaching resources (case studies, toolkits, and research briefs), and events and conferences including the annual Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit. The Center has no proprietary technology platform; its "infrastructure" is its publication library, an events program, and a website (bhr.stern.nyu.edu) that serves as a free content distribution channel. It has no mobile app, no public API, and no SDK.

The Center's business model is donation-based and non-commercial. It sustains operations through financial donations from individuals and organizations, NYU institutional funding, and foundation grants (e.g., Knight Foundation collaboration on the Diversity of Asset Managers Research Series). It does not sell products or services, has no pricing model, and is not a publicly traded entity. Its "go-to-market" is event-driven and community-led: it engages audiences through academic conferences, research summits, an MBA fellowship, student research opportunities, corporate engagement, and a global network of business schools incorporating human rights education. Primary stakeholders are MBA and law students, business scholars, mid-career executives, corporate leaders, and governments/policymakers.

Name

NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights

Legal name

NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights

Website

https://bhr.stern.nyu.edu

Company type

Private

Founded year

2013

Operating status

Operating

Short description

Founded in 2013, the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights is the first human rights center at a business school. It produces research, educational programs, and convening events on global labor, technology and democracy, values-based investing, and business education.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Academic Research and Policy Analysis

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Research and Development in the Social Sciences and Humanities (541720), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADAGAK

Human Rights Monitoring, Documentation & Advocacy

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/Human Rights, Democracy & Governance

SECONDARYBPAGAFAA

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy

Business & Public Services/Nonprofit, NGO & Social Services/Civil Rights, Advocacy & Public Policy Organizations

SECONDARYEDAHABAD

Social Sciences & Public Policy Research Universities

Education/Higher Education (Colleges & Universities)/Private Research Universities

Keywords

• Human rights research
• Corporate responsibility
• Business education
• Supply chain labor
• Policy advocacy

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and philanthropy: The Center sustains its work through financial donations from individuals and organizations. They accept online donations, checks payable to NYU Stern with Center designation, and wire transfers to the NYU Office of Gift Administration.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights produces research-driven solutions on business and human rights challenges across global labor, technology and democracy, values-based investing, and business education. It operates academic courses, an MBA fellowship, student research consultancies, teaching resources, and convenes conferences and summits. The Center is funded by donations and NYU institutional support and does not sell commercial products or services.

Product overview

The NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights is a research and education center (not a technology product company) that offers research publications (reports, white papers, quick takes, books), educational programs (MBA fellowship, business and human rights courses), teaching resources (cases, toolkits, briefs), and convenes events and conferences. The center focuses on global labor rights, technology and democracy, values-based investing, and business education, providing practical solutions-oriented research rather than software products.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research Publications

Quantifiable outcome

• Reforming garment manufacturing practices after Rana Plaza tragedy
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and major.

• Global Business School Network (GBSN) for BHR Impact CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2024The Center is taking the lead in forming an international network of business schools that include human rights in their curricula. The GBSN for BHR Impact Community holds annual meetings and provides FAQ resources for joining.
• Geneva Center for Business and Human RightscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2024Co-hosts the annual Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit and collaborates on research initiatives including cobalt mining studies. The Geneva Center and NYU Stern CBHR co-founded a network of allies at business schools working on human rights integration.
• Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St.GallencoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2024Co-organizes the annual Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit, bringing together young scholars in the field.
• Business and Human Rights Journal (BHRJ)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 29 August 2024Co-organizes the annual Business and Human Rights Young Researchers Summit, providing academic publication pathway for emerging scholarship.
• Knight FoundationmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Knight Diversity of Asset Managers Research Series examining endowment investments with diverse-owned asset management firms at top U.S. colleges and universities.
• Center for Democracy & TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted September 2025 symposium on Trust & Safety in online gaming, examining how governance in online gaming compares to social media and what the games industry's experience can teach policymakers.
• American University's Center for Security, Innovation, and New TechnologymajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted September 2025 symposium on Trust & Safety in online gaming, contributing expertise on security, innovation, and new technology governance.
• Working Group on Gaming and RegulationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMulti-stakeholder working group launched September 2024 bringing together industry, civil society, and regulators to advance constructive global regulation of the online gaming industry.
• World Economic ForummajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPublished white paper 'Making Mining Safe and Fair: Artisanal Cobalt Extraction in the Democratic Republic of the Congo' assessing approaches to formalizing artisanal and small-scale mining of cobalt.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Geneva Center for Business and Human Rights: The Geneva Center is the most direct peer: a Geneva-based academic center focused on business and human rights, co-hosting the annual Young Researchers Summit and collaborating on cobalt mining research with NYU Stern CBHR.
• Institute for Business Ethics at the University of St. Gallen: A European academic center co-organizing the Young Researchers Summit and working at the intersection of business ethics and human rights; closely aligned mission and academic delivery model.
• Institute for Human Rights and Business (IHRB): Independent UK-based think tank working on business, human rights, and just transition; comparable outputs (reports, policy frameworks, convening) and similar stakeholder base of corporations, governments, and civil society.
• Shift (formerly Business Leaders Initiative on Human Rights): Specialist non-profit focused on UN Guiding Principles implementation in business; highly comparable mission in translating human rights standards into corporate practice.

Broad incumbents

• Business and Human Rights Resource Centre: Larger, established global hub tracking corporate human rights performance with news, reports, and company rankings; broader scope but overlapping audience of policymakers, companies, and advocates.
• Harvard Kennedy School Carr Center for Human Rights Policy: Elite university-based human rights research center producing policy-relevant work; broader than business and human rights but adjacent in mission, prestige, and academic delivery model.
• Oxford Business and Human Rights Programme: University of Oxford programme within the Faculty of Law focusing on business and human rights scholarship; comparable academic research and policy engagement.
• Human Rights First: Established US-based human rights organization previously led by Director Michael Posner; broader civil liberties and refugee advocacy focus with overlapping networks and policy access.

Emerging players

• Center for Democracy & Technology: US-based advocacy organization working on technology policy and democratic integrity; partner on the September 2025 Trust & Safety symposium, with overlap on the Center's Technology & Democracy research vertical.
• B Lab Global: Global non-profit certifying B Corporations with social and environmental standards; adjacent mission of redefining corporate responsibility and a potential referral or standards partner for Center research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cbhr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights