Info for Students (D&G Workshop)
The Capstone Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice (the D&G Workshop) is one of most exciting opportunities for students in the Development and Governance (formerly Economic and Political Development) concentration, and a limited number of students in other MIA/MPA concentrations and the MPA-DP program. Officially, it is a spring-semester course for second-year students, but workshop activities begin in the fall semester through the course on Methods for Sustainable Development Practice. Through the Workshop, students gain practical experience while assisting a diverse range of clients on a variety of assignments related to international development or humanitarian assistance, usually involving in-country meetings and data-gathering over SIPA’s winter and/or spring breaks. Working in teams with a faculty supervisor, students take a multidisciplinary approach to their work and learn extensively from each other as well as from the hands-on tasks of the workshop itself.
Another key strength of the D&G Workshop is that it allows students to explore the intersection of development concerns with human rights, corporate social responsibility, humanitarian affairs, conflict resolution, education, public health, gender, environmental policy, entrepreneurship and private sector development, and technology. Recent Workshop clients have included IOM, UNCDF, UNDP, UNICEF, UN Women and WFP; AIIB, IDB, and the World Bank; several national and local governments; development advisors such as DAI and TechnoServe; NGOs such as International Rescue Committee, Oxfam, Save the Children, and Transparency International; companies such as Natura Cosmetics; impact investors such as Enabling Qapital; and social enterprises such as One Acre Fund. Teams produce actionable final reports and make final presentations to their clients at the end of the Workshop, and several clients return each year to work with another team.
Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice 2025-26 Timeline
All applicants are strongly advised to attend one of the Information sessions for the D&G Workshop:
Friday, October 10 at 8:30 am in Room 407 and on Zoom
Friday, October 10 at 10:00 am in Room 407 and on Zoom
View Recording of D&G Workshop Briefing to learn more about the projects and application process.
Monday, October 13: Workshop Application is available online (Oct 13 to Oct 27 at 12 PM)
Monday, October 27: Workshop Applications must be submitted online by NOON.
Friday, November 7: at 8:30 am and 10:00 am Workshop Launch Session in Room 407 and on Zoom.
For more information, please refer to our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page for students.
Workshop in Sustainable Development Practice
(D&G Workshop) 2025-26
Proposed Projects (as of Oct. 12)
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| Client/Partner Organization | Working Project Title (and Link to Preliminary Terms of Reference) | Country Focus (if any) |
|---|---|---|
| AlphaMundi Foundation |
Building an Impact Measurement and Storytelling Framework to Support Small and Medium Enterprises |
Kenya |
| BRAVA Foundation | Brazil | |
| Climate Resilience for All | Ghana | |
| East-West Management Institute | ||
| Elea Data Centers |
Impact Assessment of Data Centers: The Case of Elea in the Rio AI City Project |
Brazil |
| Enabling Qapital |
Designing a Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL) Framework for EQ's ESG and Gender Initiatives |
Azerbaijan and African Country (English-speaking) |
| Fundacion Ronda |
The Impact of Caregiving: Public Policy and the Life Transformation Journey of Care Workers in Chile |
Chile |
| Grassroots Trading Network for Women (GTNfW) -- affiliated with the Self-Employed Women's Association (SEWA) |
Scaling Up the Green-Skilling Initiative of the Grassroots Trading Network for Women |
India |
| International Trade Centre |
AI Toolkit for Women-Led Small Businesses in Developing and Least-Developed Countries |
Ghana, India, Mexico and/or Viet Nam |
| Kumulus Water |
Optimizing the Supply Chain for a Leading African DeepTech/GreenTech Start-Up |
Tunisia |
| Ministry of AI and Digital Development (Kazakhstan) | Kazakhstan | |
| Ministry of Public Service (The Gambia) | The Gambia | |
| Mobility Worldwide | Sierra Leone | |
| One Acre Fund | Kenya | |
| Pencils of Promise | Ghana | |
| Rights CoLab | Indonesia | |
| Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centers (SPARC) |
Connecting Relocation and Transport: Improving Urban Resttlement Policy in Indian Cities |
India |
| Save the Children Jordan |
Assessing the Educational Environment in the North Jordan Valley and Its Relation to School Dropouts |
Jordan |
| UNDP Crisis Bureau/Nexus Academy | ||
| UNDP Digital, AI and Innovation Hub |
Safeguarding the Digital Age: Policy and Capacity-Building Approaches to Digital Scams |
|
| United Nations Resident Coordinator’s Office in Mongolia |
Supporting Mongolia in Fighting Desertification and Promoting Sustainable Land Management |
Mongolia |
| UN Women | ||
| WFP Regional Centre of Excellence Against Hunger and Malnutrition (CERFAM) | Cote d'Ivoire (CERFAM HQ); likely other SSA countries |