NYCLab is a key component of the Bard MBA in Sustainability curriculum. Working in teams, students engage in consultancies for businesses, government agencies, and nonprofits. Each consulting team is closely mentored by Laura Gitman and David Korngold, both of BSR, and leverages the Bard MBA's extensive resources and expertise.

We are currently soliciting proposals for the October 2022-May 2023 project period. In particular, we invite BIPOC-owned businesses, as well as social justice-focused nonprofits and government agencies to apply. To reinforce the Bard MBA's commitment to supporting BlPOC-led organizations, special consideration will be given in the selection process to projects from these organizations.

Projects can address any aspect of a sustainability-related challenge, and organizations can be at any stage of implementing sustainable practices. The most effective project proposals identify a discrete objective that can be addressed by a largely remote, external team. Past projects have included elements of market research, landscape analysis, business model and supply chain evaluation, and development of risk assessment models. For more information and examples of previous projects, see the NYCLab website (https://gps.bard.edu/academics/nyclab).

Projects will be selected by early September and kick-off meetings will take place that same month. These meetings will focus on finalizing the scope and initiating the research phase. Through regular delivery of components of the larger project, and frequent verification and validation by the client, the deliverables will evolve organically over the course of the year as the student team and client together come to understand what’s most valuable. Clients will need to identify a lead to provide feedback on deliverables and manage internal coordination within the organization. The approximate time commitment required from the organization is 6 hours per month.

The deadline for submissions is July 22, 2022. See entire application here: https://tinyurl.com/nyclab2022. Please refer any questions about the process to Cheyenne Dunham, Operations Manager, Bard MBA in Sustainability at nyclab@bard.edu.