Sustainable Finance Institute

Name

Sustainable Finance Institute

Legal name

Sustainable Finance Institute

Website

https://sfini.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Sustainable Finance Education and Certification

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

akta.pro primary industry

Finance, Accounting & Risk (CFA/CPA/FRM) Certifications (EDAAANAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Sustainability, ESG & Climate Finance Risk (EDABAJAO), Sustainability & ESG Consulting (BPAHACAK)

Keywords

• Sustainable finance certification
• ESG training programs
• Climate finance education
• Executive sustainability workshops
• Sustainability consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

New Haven

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices8 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. Professional Certification Programs: SFI generates revenue through CSFA certification programs including CSFA Standard ($2,390 per candidate for 28 credit hours) and CSFA Advanced ($3,990 program fee plus $399 certification fee). Programs include live online instruction, assignments, portfolio building, and thesis requirements with minimum class sizes required for enrollment.
2. Academic Course Delivery: Revenue is generated through university partnerships delivering undergraduate and graduate credit courses in sustainable finance. Partner universities offer SFI-developed curriculum (FINA 386, FINA 608-614) for academic credit, with tuition flowing through partner institutions. Students from partner universities can waive online courses and receive CSFA Standard certification for a $239 fee.
3. Corporate and Institutional Training: SFI directly offers customized executive training programs and workshops to corporations, governments, NGOs, and financial institutions. Pricing and engagement terms are customized based on client requirements and group size. Workshops are also offered for startups and motivated individuals.
4. Special Research and Consulting: SFI conducts special research projects for organizations ranging from United Nations agencies to Fortune 500 companies and climate tech startups. Engagements include perception studies, ESG benchmarking, ratings assessment, indices development, materiality assessments, and sustainability strategy development. Research engagements since the early 2000s.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion4 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

The Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) delivers the Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst (CSFA) certification program on behalf of the World Sustainable Finance Association, alongside graduate and undergraduate academic courses at partner universities. It also provides customized executive training and workshops for corporations, governments, NGOs, and financial institutions, and conducts sustainability research and consulting engagements for organizations ranging from United Nations agencies to Fortune 500 companies and climate tech startups.

Product overview

The Sustainable Finance Institute (SFI) operates as a platform-plus-modules educational and research organization, offering professional certification programs (CSFA™ Standard and CSFA™ Advanced), academic programs at partner universities, executive training, and consulting services. The portfolio includes distinct initiatives such as the Future of Private Equity (FPE), Resilience Finance Initiative (RFI), World Sustainability Museum (WSM), and Global Climate Innovation Hubs Initiative (GCIHI), alongside publications including the Leadership Series, Future of PE Series, and authored books. The CSFA™ certification program serves as the core credential offering, with Standard as the entry-level certification and Advanced as the advanced track requiring thesis work and specialization in Banking, Corporate, Fund Management, or Insurance. SFI also provides consulting services for organizations from the UN to Fortune 500 companies, and internship/work abroad programs across major financial centers globally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CSFA Standard Certification Entry-level Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst certification program providing 28 credit hours of online live classes covering ESG analysis, sustainable investing theory, macro trends, industry case studies, and portfolio building exercises. Open to finance professionals, executives, policymakers, and other individuals.
• CSFA Advanced Certification Advanced Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst certification requiring active participation in live instruction, ESG portfolio construction, and thesis writing across Banking, Corporate, Fund Management, or Insurance tracks. Designed for experienced sustainable finance professionals with at least six months of relevant work experience.
• Executive and Workshop Programs Customized executive training programs and workshops covering sustainable finance and ESG integration for corporations, governments, NGOs, financial institutions, startups, and motivated individuals. Pricing is customized based on client requirements and group size.
• Graduate and Undergraduate Academic Programs Academic courses in sustainable finance delivered through partner universities including Yale, Harvard, Brown, Columbia, NYU, HKUST, Tongji, and Edinburgh. Curriculum covers Theory of Sustainable Finance, ESG metrics, green finance, impact investing, social finance, and capstone projects for academic credit.
• Pre-College Programs Online summer pre-college programs tailored for high school age groups introducing sustainable finance concepts and ESG fundamentals.
• Internship Program Built-in internship placements with financial institutions including Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Barclays, Morgan Stanley, Calvert Investments, Impax Asset Management, MSCI, and Sustainalytics providing hands-on ESG and sustainable finance experience.
• Working Abroad Program Global work term placements in New York City, London, Shanghai, Montreal, and Mumbai providing international sustainable finance experience.
• Sustainability Consulting Services Special research projects and sustainability consulting for organizations from United Nations agencies to Fortune 500 companies and climate tech startups. Services include perception studies, ESG benchmarking, ratings and standards assessment, indices development, materiality assessments, ESG reporting, and ESG communications strategy.

Quantifiable outcome

• CSFA graduates work at leading banks, fund managers, consultancies, corporations, and climate tech ventures globally
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers18 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.

• ASEAN Capital Markets ForumflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025ASEAN Capital Markets Forum, Sustainable Finance Institute Asia, and UNEP Finance Initiative released white paper outlining methodological foundation for Adaptation for Resilience (mARs) Guide complementing ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance.
• UNEP Finance InitiativeflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025UNEP Finance Initiative partnered with ASEAN Capital Markets Forum and Sustainable Finance Institute Asia on white paper for adaptation finance guide supporting ASEAN Taxonomy. Guide addresses USD 310-365 billion annual adaptation finance gap.
• EU Sustainable Finance Advisory HubcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 November 2025EU Sustainable Finance Advisory Hub provided financial and technical support for the forthcoming Adaptation for Resilience (mARs) Guide that will complement the ASEAN Taxonomy for Sustainable Finance.
• UNITAR SDGs Singapore Center (Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 24 July 2025SFI and Global SDGs and Leadership Development Center (UNITAR SDGs Singapore Center) collaborated with Renmin University of China on SDG Youth Public Policy Innovation Challenge: Food Security and Poverty Alleviation, Beijing, July 24-28, 2025.
• World Sustainable Finance Association (WSFA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI is the only third-party provider for WSFA's Certified Sustainable Finance Analyst (CSFA) certificate program. WSFA creates class topics and research assignments for CSFA Advanced program. SFI delivers all WSFA-approved curriculum through its faculty and training infrastructure.
• Yale UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCary Krosinsky serves as Lecturer and Faculty Advisory Committee Member, Energy Studies, Yale College, teaching seminars on energy, climate and investing. Yale partnership is a flagship academic relationship for SFI with ongoing teaching involvement since 2015.
• Harvard UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI delivers Sustainable Investing course at Harvard Extension School convening professionals and policy leaders to examine how investment can drive climate and sustainability solutions. Course has inspired collaborative initiatives and informed international policy and practice.
• Brown UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI helped establish Brown University Sustainable Investment Fund in 2016 alongside The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing class. Students analyze and recommend strategies for the endowment. Cary Krosinsky has ongoing academic involvement at Brown.
• Columbia UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI delivers RFK Sustainable Investing Certificate program for professionals including $15T in assets among senior students from pension funds. Program designed for NY City Retirement, CalPERS, Apollo, Carlyle, Generation and similar. Also partnered with Columbia SIPA for World Bank case studies on pension systems and climate risk.
• NYU Stern Business SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI designed and teaches BSPA-UB 48: The Theory and Practice of Sustainable Investing for undergraduates and co-teaches Sustainable Finance and ESG Investing Executive program at NYU Stern School of Business.
• Bard CollegeflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI partnered with Bard's #1 ranked Green MBA to raise awareness about CSFA certification program. Bard MBA in Sustainability integrates mission-driven business and sustainability. CSFA designation helps meet growing employer demand for ESG expertise.
• Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI designed and teaches HKUST's ESG Investing and Green Finance Strategy for Portfolio Management program for DiMBA/MBA/EMBA students. Examines methods for incorporating ESG into investment practice from investor and corporate perspectives.
• Tongji UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI designed and teaches Tongji University's Introduction to Carbon Neutrality, Climate Change and Sustainability course covering scientific basis of climate change, dual carbon goals, economics, public policy, and sustainable investment.
• University of EdinburghcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI mentored the successful Prosper Social Finance student-run fund at University of Edinburgh which attracted significant interest and funding and gives back part of its profits to the local community.
• CECEP ESG AcademycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCECEP Environmental Consulting Group leads China's ESG Information Disclosure Guidelines for listed SOE companies. Its ESG Academy is one of Asia's top training institutions with programs certified by SFI; graduates eligible for CSFA credentials.
• World BankflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI partnered with Columbia University SIPA to provide case studies for World Bank on Pension Systems and Climate Risk. Research intended to understand how pension funds craft sustainable investment strategies within climate risk frameworks.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCary Krosinsky recently developed the Clean Energy theme for the Global Impact Investing Network (the GIIN). SFI has worked with GIIN on impact measurement including AAFC EASE program case study.
• Climate Tech VCcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCary Krosinsky serves as Founding Mentor to Climate Tech VC. SFI supports climate tech venture ecosystem through mentorship and the Global Climate Innovation Hubs Initiative.
• Carbon Tracker InitiativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCary Krosinsky is Co-founder of Carbon Tracker Initiative alongside SFI co-founding. Carbon Tracker provides independent financial analysis of climate risk for capital markets.
• African Asset Finance Company (AAFC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI partnered with AAFC on case study measuring impact of Equipment As-A-Service (EASE) program on healthcare provision and equity in Africa. Found potential to improve equipment access fivefold and productivity returns of $31.30 per $1 invested.
• Renmin University of ChinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSFI collaborated with Renmin University of China alongside UNITAR SDGs Singapore Center for SDG Youth Public Policy Innovation Challenge addressing food security and poverty alleviation.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• CFA Institute: Issuer of the CFA designation and a growing portfolio of ESG/sustainable investing content. Directly comparable to SFI as a global professional finance credentialing body whose candidates increasingly demand sustainability content.
• Impact Investing Institute: UK-based organization advancing impact investing through research, education, and policy engagement. Comparable to SFI for its focus on impact-investing training and asset-owner advisory.
• Bard MBA in Sustainability: Bard's #1 Princeton Review-ranked Green MBA, a formal academic partner of SFI for CSFA delivery. Comparable as a sustainability-focused graduate program whose curriculum and credentials compete for the same student and executive audience.
• GARP (Global Association of Risk Professionals): Issuer of the FRM and the Sustainability and Climate Risk (SCR) Certificate. SCR is the closest direct competitor to CSFA for climate-risk and sustainable-finance credentials among finance professionals.
• Climate Bonds Initiative: Standards body and market education organization for green and sustainable debt. Comparable to SFI's RFI and ASEAN Taxonomy work in defining market infrastructure and producing practitioner training and policy guidance.
• Ceres: Investor and corporate sustainability advocacy network running the Investor Network on Climate Risk. Comparable to SFI as a sustainability-finance advocacy and capacity-building organization engaging asset owners and policymakers.

Broad incumbents

• PRI (Principles for Responsible Investment): UN-supported network of institutional signatories committing to incorporate ESG into investment practice. Comparable as a sustainability-finance capacity-building and standards-setting organization operating at global scale.
• UNEP Finance Initiative: UN-convened partnership of banks, insurers, and asset managers developing sustainable finance frameworks. Direct counterparty to SFI on the mARs Guide and a comparable standards/training body at significantly larger scale.
• Global Reporting Initiative (GRI): Multi-stakeholder standards organization for sustainability reporting. Comparable as a sustainability-standards and capacity-building organization whose training programs overlap with SFI's ESG methodology offerings.
• IFRS Foundation (ISSB / SASB): Host of the International Sustainability Standards Board (ISSB) and consolidator of SASB standards. Comparable to SFI's ESG methodology and consulting work in setting and disseminating sustainability disclosure frameworks.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sustainablefinanceinstitute

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Sustainable Finance Institute