Info for Clients

Clients include public agencies (from the local to national level), international NGOs and multi-national organizations, and major firms in the private sector—recent examples include Citi Private Bank, Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Mercy Corps, New York City Mayor’s Office, the United Nations and the World Bank Group. Student teams, working under the supervision of a faculty expert, answer a carefully defined problem posed by the client. Each team produces an actionable report and an oral briefing of their findings at the close of the workshop that is designed to translate into real change on the ground.

For the full directory of projects, please see the Capstone Workshop directory here.

We seek to partner with organizations that can offer a project that is timely, but not urgent, which can be completed within a four-month period, that is of value both to the organization itself and to the learning experience of students.

Potential applicants are strongly encouraged to discuss project ideas with Suzanne Hollmann, the Capstone Program Director, before submission of a proposal. Applicants will be notified by the end of September about whether their proposal has been selected for further development. Applications received after August 31 will be considered on a rolling admissions basis. Priority will be given to applicants who have submitted before the July deadline.

During the summer, we will match the orrganization with an expert faculty advisor who will work with the client organization to further refine the project scope and deliverables. In October, students submit a formal application to the Capstone program, rank ordering their top choices. Students are selected by the faculty advisor and are matched with projects based on their demonstrated skill sets and interests. The actual workshop is conducted in late January to early May.

Returning Client and Faculty Preliminary Timeline for Spring 2023 Capstone Projects

Supported by a Columbia faculty advisor, each student team starts work by late January on a draft work plan. Based on their desk and field research, each team prepares a report and actionable recommendations for review by the client in late April. Students work on average 8-12 hours per week on their project.

1. Define goals and deliverables. Clients work with the faculty advisor in the late summer/early fall to define the project goals and deliverables.
2. Participate in meetings. Over the course of the project, clients are asked to participate in three standard meetings—these are: an initial “kick-off” meeting, mid-term presentation, and final presentation. Beyond these meetings, the client should be available for periodic calls over the course of the semester with the team for status updates (generally twice a month throughout the project).
3. Provide appropriate support. When there are costs associated with the project, such as international travel, clients are asked to provide financial or in-kind support for the project, which is determined during the completion of the project agreement in the fall.

EPD Workshop clients include national and local governments, NGOs, development agencies, corporations, research institutes and others. Past clients have found the workshop extremely valuable, and several have partnered with SIPA over a number of years. Previous EPD Workshop projects have included needs and sector assessments, program evaluations, strategies for expanding existing projects, development of mobile apps, dashboards, tools, case studies, mapping exercises, facilitation of workshops and conferences, and other activities.

The EPD Workshop process begins over the summer (June–August), when possible project ideas are discussed with clients.  By September, preliminary terms of reference are developed.  In late October, teams of students are matched with projects based on their language proficiency, skill sets and interests.  Supported by a faculty advisor, each student team starts work by early November on a draft work plan.  Depending on the needs of the project and available budget, students can travel to carry out field work over Columbia's winter and spring holidays (in early January and in mid-March). 

Based on their desk and field research, each team prepares a report and recommendations (or other deliverables) for review by the client in April.  The student teams present their final reports during a two-day workshop at SIPA at the end of April.  For clients who cannot attend the workshop, other arrangements can be made to present the students’ findings and recommendations to the client and other stakeholders. 

The only costs associated with the EPD Workshop are the costs of the students' field travel.  SIPA provides a limited budget to cover some of these expenses, and clients are asked to share a portion of the costs.