Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) North America

What Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) North America does

CSP North America (Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth North America) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and training organization founded in 2022 to mobilize private capital toward sustainable development outcomes. The organization targets ultra-high-net-worth individuals, next-generation inheritors, self-made entrepreneurs, family offices, foundations, endowments, and financial institutions. Its core offering is the ACCELERATE program series — a portfolio of immersive, limited-seat, three-day in-person training programs on topics at the cutting edge of impact investing, including Investing for Systems Change, Integrating Philanthropy & Impact Investing, and Designing Multicapital Strategies for Impact. Programs are delivered at prestigious academic venues (MIT Sloan, Stanford University, University of Zurich) with guest speakers, site visits, hands-on strategy work, and individual consultation. The business model is fee-based professional services training, supplemented by in-house custom training engagements with institutional partners; pricing is not publicly disclosed.

The organization does not operate as a technology company. Its technology footprint is limited to a WordPress website (cspnorthamerica.org), an Airtable registration form, and a LinkedIn presence. Its core competency is research-driven content production and high-touch experiential learning, with academic publications (including in the Journal of Business Ethics) used to inform program curriculum. CSP North America operates as the North American node of a global CSP network, working in collaboration with CSP at the University of Zurich (founded by Dr. Falko Paetzold, who sits on the CSP North America board) and CSP Singapore. The leadership team of four full-time professionals — Managing Director Seth Fleisher (Berkeley), Director of Programming & Engagement Erin Duddy, Director of Applied Research Kirsten Andersen, PhD, and Program Associate Vicki Maler (San Francisco) — is supported by a board and advisory council with representation from Harvard Kennedy School, MIT Sloan, and the University of Zurich. Total headcount is nine employees.

Name

Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) North America

Legal name

CSP North America, Inc.

Website

https://cspnorthamerica.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2022

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

CSP North America is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that delivers fee-based, in-person three-day training programs (ACCELERATE series) on impact investing and sustainable finance to ultra-high-net-worth individuals, family offices, foundations, and financial institutions, hosted at MIT Sloan, Stanford, and the University of Zurich.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco, California

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Training Program Fees: CSP generates revenue through fee-based training programs for wealth holders, their teams, and institutional partners. Programs include the ACCELERATE series featuring 3-day immersive sessions on impact investing topics. Additional revenue likely comes from in-house training engagements with foundations, family office networks, universities, and financial institutions.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

CSP North America delivers fee-based, immersive three-day in-person training programs (the ACCELERATE series) for high-net-worth individuals, family offices, foundations, endowments, and financial institutions, covering impact investing topics such as systems change, integrated philanthropy, and multicapital strategies. The organization supplements these programs with customized in-house trainings, applied research publications, and an alumni engagement network, operating as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in collaboration with CSP at the University of Zurich and CSP Singapore.

Product overview

CSP North America is a nonprofit organization offering a unified portfolio of research-informed training programs for wealth holders and impact investors. The core offerings include ACCELERATE: The Impact Investing Program for Entrepreneurs (immersive 3-day programs covering Investing for Systems Change, Integrating Philanthropy & Impact Investing, and Multicapital Strategies), Trainings for Wealth Holders (technical and soft skills development), In-House Trainings via institutional partners, Research and Knowledge Products, and Engagement/Alumni Network services. These programs bridge the gap between knowledge and practice in sustainable finance, targeting high-net-worth individuals, next generation inheritors, business founders, foundations, endowment managers, and financial institutions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• ACCELERATE: Science-informed training program for wealth holders, business founders, foundations, endowment managers, and financial institutions focused on impact investing topics. Features immersive three-day programs on key topics at the cutting edge of impact investing.

Products and services

• ACCELERATE: The Impact Investing Program for Entrepreneurs
• In-House Trainings for Wealth Holders, Family Offices, and Institutions
• Research and Knowledge Products in Sustainable Finance
• Alumni Engagement and Network-of-Networks Program

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core, key and foundational.

• CSP at University of ZurichcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSP North America is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit that works in collaboration with CSP at University of Zurich. The relationship involves sharing research, methodology, and program frameworks. Dr. Falko Paetzold, who founded and leads CSP at University of Zurich, serves on the CSP North America Board of Directors. The University of Zurich CSP originated from the Next Gen Impact Investing program co-initiated at Harvard in 2015.
• CSP SingaporecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSP North America works in collaboration with CSP Singapore as part of the global CSP network. This relationship extends CSP's reach across different geographic regions (Americas, Europe, Asia-Pacific) while maintaining shared research and educational frameworks.
• MIT Sloan School of ManagementkeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSP hosts its 'Designing Multicapital Strategies for Impact' program (November 3-5, 2025) at MIT Sloan in Boston. Jason Jay, Ph.D., Senior Lecturer and Director of Sustainability Initiative at MIT Sloan, serves on CSP North America's Advisory Council.
• Stanford UniversitykeyStrategic or Co-development PartnerCSP hosts its 'Integrating Philanthropy and Impact Investing' program (October 6-8, 2025) at Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. The program includes Bay Area site visits showcasing integrated capital approaches reshaping systemic inequities in local communities.
• Harvard Kennedy SchoolfoundationalStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe origin story of CSP traces to 2015 at Harvard Kennedy School, where the first 'Impact Investing for the Next Generation' research and training program was held. This program has been running continuously since 2015. David Wood, Ph.D., serves on CSP North America's Advisory Council as Senior Research Associate at Harvard Kennedy School's Social Innovation and Change Initiative.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Catalyst Miami (Family Office / Impact Investing convenings): South Florida-based nonprofit convening wealth holders and family offices around impact investing. Comparable niche focus on educating HNW individuals for impact, though regionally concentrated rather than national.

Direct peers

• ImpactAssets: Nonprofit financial services firm that works with HNW donors and family offices, providing donor-advised funds and impact investment education. Overlaps with CSP North America in equipping wealthy individuals with the knowledge and vehicles to deploy capital for impact.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): Leading global membership organization for impact investors, offering educational programming, research, and convenings for institutional and private wealth actors. Most directly comparable to CSP North America given shared mission of building impact-investing capability among wealth holders and family offices.
• Toniic: Global nonprofit community of HNW and UHNW impact investors focused on 100% impact investing across asset classes. Comparable to CSP North America in audience (wealth holders) and offering (peer learning and education), though more investor-network than training-led.
• US SIF: The Sustainable Investment Forum: US trade association advancing sustainable investing, providing research, training, and educational programs to financial professionals and institutions. Comparable to CSP North America as a non-profit training and research organization serving wealth managers and family offices on sustainable finance topics.
• Confluence Philanthropy: Nonprofit peer learning network for private foundations, families, and individual donors practicing values-aligned, mission-aligned investing. Directly comparable as an educational and convening organization serving the same wealth-holder audience around impact investing.
• CSP at University of Zurich: Sister CSP entity founded by Dr. Falko Paetzold, sharing research, methodology, and program frameworks with CSP North America. Most structurally comparable peer given identical mission, identical population, and shared board/advisory overlap.

Emerging players

• B Lab (B Corporation): Nonprofit network certifying and educating businesses on social and environmental performance. Adjacent to CSP North America in mission (mobilizing capital toward sustainable outcomes) but addresses corporations rather than investors directly.

Broad incumbents

• CFA Institute (ESG and Sustainable Investing content): Global association of investment professionals offering the Certificate in ESG Investing and broader sustainable investing training. Comparable to CSP North America as a credentialing and education provider for wealth-management professionals, though at much larger scale and broader remit.
• Harvard Kennedy School Initiative for Responsible Investment (IRI): Academic initiative within Harvard Kennedy School producing research and educational programs on responsible investment. Directly comparable research-to-training orientation; one of the original institutional anchors of impact investing education.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cspnorthamerica

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) North America