The Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) is a Harvard Business School-based organization that produces research publications focused on nonprofit management, MBA courses, and open-enrollment executive education programs that teach various business and management principles. ¹

Created in 1993, the Social Enterprise Initiative is housed at the Harvard Business School and was founded with $10 million from New York philanthropist and former Reagan administration Deputy Secretary of State John C. Whitehead. Amelia Angella is the director of SEI, and Shawn Cole is its faculty chair. ²

History

The Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) was co-founded by James Austin and V. Kasturi Rangan in 1993. ³ SEI was founded with $10 million from John C. Whitehead who, in 1991, wrote to the Dean of the Harvard Business School (HBS) to encourage him to start a nonprofit management program. ⁴ Whitehead attended HBS and was a New York philanthropist, the Deputy Secretary of State under President Ronald Reagan, ⁵ and a long-time member of the Brookings Institution’s board of trustees. ⁶

Initiatives

The Social Enterprise Initiative (SEI) has several research initiatives including “nonprofit strategy and governance” and “business for social impact.” SEI’s nonprofit strategy and governance initiative produces publications to help nonprofits increase operational efficiency. ⁷ Publications include assessments of an organization’s approach to a specific goal, such as “Nourishing Communities: Brighter Bites Approach to Childhood Nutrition,” ⁸ and publications can also include information on the logistics of creating a non-profit, such as “Should Your Start-up Be For-profit or Nonprofit?: A Guide for Social Entrepreneurs.” ⁹

SEI’s “business for social impact” initiative explores the role that businesses have in creating social value. ¹⁰ As part of the initiative, SEI created a research forum in 2005 about business solutions to global poverty, leading to the development of an MBA elective course at Harvard Business School and an executive education program on microfinance. ¹¹ MBA courses discuss how business approaches can address low-income populations, as well as courses that encourage “social purpose and ‘stakeholder capitalism’” in business considerations. ¹² The initiative also features case studies examining the business practices of individual companies including Nike, Walmart, and Nestle. ¹³

SEI also offers executive education programs which are open enrollment programs teaching various business and management principles to nonprofit and business executives. ¹⁴ As of 2019, SEI claims to have had more than 1,200 total participants in the public education program, more than 4,300 total participants in the business focused program, and over 7,400 in the nonprofit programs. ¹⁵ Additionally, SEI has offered custom executive education programs and, in 2003, it worked with Habitat for Humanity International to create a custom, one-week program. ¹⁶

Leadership

The Social Enterprise Initiative was co-founded by James Austin and V. Kasturi Rangan. ¹⁷ Austin has been a member of the Harvard University faculty for more than 40 years. ¹⁸ He is the Eliot I. Snider and Family Professor of Business Administration, emeritus, at Harvard Business School. ¹⁹ Rangan is the former chairman of HBS’s marketing department, a professor of marketing, and has taught a number of MBA courses at HBS. ²⁰

The director of SEI is Amelia Angella. Before working at SEI, she was the executive director of the community action partners program of the HBS Association of Boston. ²¹

Shawn Cole is the faculty chair of SEI. ²² He is a professor at HBS in the finance unit and teaches courses on financial services and impact investing. ²³

Cole has supported a number of Democratic political campaigns and causes. In 2008, Cole contributed $2,800 to Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign. Since 2017, Cole has contributed $10,000 to U.S. Rep. Josh Harder’s (D-CA) campaign and to President Joe Biden’s presidential campaign in 2020. ²⁴

1. “Business for Social Impact.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/business-for-social-impact/.
2. Leo, R. Alan. “Business School Gains $10M GIFT: News: The Harvard Crimson.” Business School Gains $10M Gift. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1995/10/2/business-school-gains-10m-gift-pthe/.
3. “History.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/about/history/.
4. Rep. Understanding Our Social Impact: 25 Years of Social Enterprise at HBS. Social Enterprise Initiative, May 2019. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SEI25-Impact-Report.pdf.
5.  Leo, R. Alan. “Business School Gains $10M GIFT: News: The Harvard Crimson.” Business School Gains $10M Gift. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.thecrimson.com/article/1995/10/2/business-school-gains-10m-gift-pthe/.
6. “Brookings Announces the John C. Whitehead Senior Fellowship in International Diplomacy.” Brookings, January 8, 2012. https://www.brookings.edu/news/brookings-announces-the-john-c-whitehead-senior-fellowship-in-international-diplomacy/.
7. “Nonprofit Strategy & Governance.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26,2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/nonprofit-strategy-governance/.
8. Bell, David, Ai-Ling Jamila Malone, and Forest Reinhardt. “Nourishing Communities: Brighter Bites Approach to Childhood Nutrition.” Harvard Business School, November 2023. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=64988.
9. Brumme, Cait. “Should Your Start-up Be for-Profit or Nonprofit?: A Guide for Social Entrepreneurs.” Harvard Business School, May 2023. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/item.aspx?num=63918.
10. “Business for Social Impact.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/business-for-social-impact/.
11. ^[1] “Business for Social Impact.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/business-for-social-impact/.
12. “Business for Social Impact.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/business-for-social-impact/.
13. “Business for Social Impact.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/impact/business-for-social-impact/.
14. “Executive Education.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/executive-education/.
15. Rep. Understanding Our Social Impact: 25 Years of Social Enterprise at HBS. Social Enterprise Initiative, May 2019. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SEI25-Impact-Report.pdf.
16.  Rep. Understanding Our Social Impact: 25 Years of Social Enterprise at HBS. Social Enterprise Initiative, May 2019. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/SEI25-Impact-Report.pdf.
17. “History.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/about/history/.
18. “James E. Austin.” Harvard Business School. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6413&view=research-summary.
19. “James E. Austin.” Harvard Business School. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6413&view=research-summary.
20. “V. Kasturi Rangan.” Harvard Business School. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=6535.
21. “Q+A with New Social Enterprise Initiative Faculty Chair Shawn Cole and New Director Amelia Angella.” Harvard Business School, August 2, 2023. https://www.hbs.edu/news/articles/Pages/sei-faculty-director-q-a.aspx.
22. “Faculty & Research.” Social Enterprise. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/socialenterprise/faculty-research/.
23. “Shawn A. Cole.” Faculty & Research – Harvard Business School. Accessed April 26, 2024. https://www.hbs.edu/faculty/Pages/profile.aspx?facId=340064.
24. “Shawn Cole – Browse Individual Contributions.” FEC.gov. Accessed April 28, 2024. https://www.fec.gov/data/receipts/individual-contributions/?contributor_name=Shawn%2BCole%2B&contributor_employer=Harvard&two_year_transaction_period=2024.