Aspiring wealth managers and investment advisors: Build on classroom fundamentals and learn more about Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) investing.
As a Challenge participant, you will work with your team of fellow graduate students from your university to construct an ideal portfolio for an ESG-conscious investor—and compete for the opportunity to pitch your presentation to industry professionals.
You will have access to cutting-edge products in the impact investing market and will put your skills to the test to meet a client’s impact and financial goals.
“I have been blown away by the students that go through this program. Students partake in a real life scenario, building a portfolio from the ground up.”
– Sarah Norman, Head of the Chief Investment Office’s ESG Thought Leadership team at Bank of America
The Details
Who is eligible to participate?
The challenge is open to teams of graduate students currently enrolled in US universities.
A team can have a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 5 members, all of whom must be enrolled in a full-time graduate program at the time of the submission. The team members can be from different school years across graduate schools of the same university. We encourage students to form teams drawn from different graduate programs to ensure a balanced mix of expertise and skill sets. Teams cannot include PhD students or students enrolled in executive programs.
A degree or background in finance is not a necessary requirement to participate in TIPC. However, an understanding and interest in the modalities of how capital can be better aligned to social impact is crucial. The Challenge is designed to marry the rigor of investment management to high, positive impact. Philanthropic and development institutions are increasingly partnering with the “mainstream” private capital markets to find innovative and sustainable financial solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. This Challenge is for constituents of both worlds.
What are the steps involved to compete?
Step 1: Form a Team and Submit an Application
Form a team of 3-5 graduate students at your university to work together to construct your portfolio.
Step 2: Accept Invitation to Online Learning Management System (Canvas)
If you are accepted into the TIPC program, you will be invited to join Canvas, our online TIPC platform. Canvas will provide resources to help guide your TIPC experience. This includes informational videos, webinars, school resources, and access to various data sets. Live webinar sessions with industry leaders will also be conducted throughout the year, and participating teams are expected to attend at least one webinar session.
Step 3: Create the First Draft of Your Portfolio Recommendation
Once you are invited to join the program, you will receive a detailed institutional investor profile. You will need to respond with your strategy for allocating their assets, in line with their risk profiles, returns expectations, and their specific issue areas and values. You will be provided with resources and tools to help you look for investment opportunities across asset classes.
Step 4: Refine and Report Your Portfolio
Use your chosen tools and metrics to measure and report the financial and ESG performance of your portfolio. Teams will also have the opportunity to request to work with an industry coach who can help refine your asset allocation strategy. Students are welcome to develop their proprietary tools to supplement existing industry tools and frameworks.
Step 5: Submit for Judging
Submit your final portfolio and your rationale narrative for review by expert judges. Teams will be evaluated on their execution capabilities across asset classes and across targeted impact areas and on their ability to capture and communicate the projected financial and social outcomes.
The Challenge is designed to encourage students to transit portfolios to a greater degree of sustainable investing. We want students to be creative in choosing different frameworks to report the ESG impact of their portfolios.
Step 6: Join Us for the Finals
Up to four finalist teams will be selected to present their portfolios and their selection rationale to a group of expert judges at the final event on April 4, 2025, at the Wharton School.
What are the application deadlines/submission instructions?
The application will open on August 30, 2024, and close on October 8, 2024, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Late applications will not be accepted, nor will supplemental materials sent separately from the formal application. There is no fee for students to participate in this program.
What are the important dates I should know?
2024
- Aug. 30 – Application opens
- Oct. 8 – Application deadline, Canvas launches
- Mid-Oct. – Virtual kickoff
- Dec. 15 – First deliverable: investment policy statement due
2025
- Feb. 17 – Portfolios and rationale due
- Early Mar. – Finalist teams announced
- Apr. 4 – Finalist presentations in Philadelphia at the Wharton School
The Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge is dedicated to:
- Enabling students to embed impact into overall strategic asset allocation
- Exposing students to real-world investing opportunities
- Replicating the complexities of execution and reporting
- Putting classroom theory into practice
Questions? Email us.
THE SUPPORT AND VISION OF IMPACT INVESTOR BOBBY TURNER, W’84, enhanced the Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge.
As a longtime supporter of social impact activities at Wharton, Turner – CEO of Turner Impact Capital – is an example of, as Joseph Wharton said, harnessing the power of business to “solve the social problems incident to our civilization.” He also helps inform the ongoing priorities and future direction of the Wharton School as a member of the board of overseers. The ESG Initiative is very grateful to Lauren Golub Turner, W’85, and Bobby Turner, W’84 for their support.
Thank you to our founding corporate sponsor whose support also makes TIPC possible:
