The CCSR course I took with Pete Dignan was monumental in helping me find and excel at my current role leading employee engagement and fundraising with the Western Union Foundation. It has served as my north star in many ways and I always refer back to my notes and different classes we took to remind myself of why our work matters. The best part of our class was getting to network with different people from different industries every Wednesday and discuss CSR topics and implementation. I rate I Course 15/10 and wish I could take it again.
- Mazza FarajAllah, Western Union Foundation, Spring 2021 Cohort
Certificate in ESG Strategy Program Structure, Learning Environment and Core Topics
The Certificate in ESG Strategy is collaborative, interpersonal and experiential, with dialogue-based learning involving cohort members and subject matter experts. Through knowledgeable instructors and guest speakers, you’ll get practical, applicable best practices that can help you deliver maximum value back to your company, organization and the communities you serve.
Certificate – Upon completion of the program, students receive a non-credit, professional Certificate in ESG Strategy from the Leeds School of Business at the University of Colorado Boulder.
Instructors – The course has two instructors. Tuesday and Thursday cohorts are led by Pete Dignan, a 3-time CEO of Certified B Corps, and features guest speakers with deep expertise and practical experience in ESG. The Wednesday cohort is led by Jennifer Forman, ESG Program Lead at Splunk, former Director of Corporate Citizenship at PopSockets and an aluma of the program. The curriculum was developed by seasoned CSR professional Geri Mitchell-Brown.
Format – The course will be collaborative and experiential, with dialogue-based learning involving the instructors, cohort members and ESG experts.
Tuition – Tuition is $2,500. Since this is a non-credit course, no financial aid is available from the University of Colorado. Scholarships are available to support access for diverse leaders. Scroll down for more information.
How to Apply – Please fill out the interest form by clicking "Apply" below to set up a telephone interview with the instructor. This interview will serve to answer your questions and determine whether or not the course is a good fit for your background and needs.
Instructor Pete Dignan facilitating dialogue and discussion
Fall 2023 applications are now open.
We offer three online cohorts.
Schedule – All courses will comprise approximately 28 hours of interactive class time, and will require up to 4-5 hours of outside reading and preparation each week.
This class is not self-paced, but rather meets via Zoom video conference weekly throughout the semester with 2 weeks off during the session. All sessions are recorded.
Tuesday Cohort
Tuesdays, starting 8/29/2023 - 12/12/2023 at 6:00-8:15 p.m. (MST)
Wednesday Cohort
Wednesdays, starting 8/30/2023 - 12/13/2023 at 6:00-8:15 p.m. (MST)
Thursday Cohort
Thursdays, starting 8/31/2023 - 12/14/2023 at 5:00-7:15 p.m. (MST)
Students – To preserve an interactive class environment, each group is capped at 25 students.
View our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) page
The program’s core topics include:
- ESG alignment with business purpose and strategy
- ESG strategy models and frameworks
- Diversity, equity and inclusion
- Human rights and sustainable supply chain
- UN Sustainable Development Goals and the Global Compact
- Community engagement, corporate philanthropy, and social impact
- Employee engagement, volunteering, and donation matching
- Environmental sustainability
- Financial perspectives and creating a CSR budget
- Reporting, including GRI, TCFD, SASB, and CDP
- Certified B Corps, Public Benefit Corporations, and the B Impact Assessment
- The role of marketing and storytelling in stakeholder relations
- Regulation, governance and policy advocacy
Fall 2022 Guest Speaker Companies




























Scholarships
Diversity in ESG Leadership Scholarships
We are committed to making ESG education accessible for professionals from diverse backgrounds. Several $1,000 scholarships are available each semester for diverse professionals interested in developing skills in ESG and CSR. Additionally, Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado (ULFC) alumni can access $1,500 scholarships thanks to a generous matching gift from ULFC. The purpose of these scholarships is to increase diversity in the field of ESG, corporate social responsibility and sustainability, and to connect social impact work to the training in business, politics and community leadership provided by ULFC.
Details:
- Scholarships are awarded on a rolling basis.
- Recipient must submit a statement of need.
- To receive the $1,500 scholarship, recipient must be an alum of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado's ULF Connect program.
Applications are now open for the Fall 2023 semester.
Thank you to our partners for making these scholarships possible.
B:CIVIC Scholarship
One Colorado recipient is granted a needs-based partial scholarship by B:CIVIC for participation in the Certificate in ESG Strategy. The purpose of the B:CIVIC scholarship is to increase the engagement of community leaders in the field of corporate social responsibility bringing direct experience to inform their social impact work.
Requirements:
- Recipient must demonstrate financial need.
- Recipient must have 4 years of professional work experience.
- Nonprofit leaders are eligible to participate in the program, however, this scholarship is targeted toward individuals with a financial need who are working to advance social responsibility in a business setting (in a current or future role).
- Recipient must live in Colorado and/or be in process to relocate to Colorado.
Preferences:
- Preference given to individuals who have demonstrated interest in the areas of business ethics, social responsibility and/or sustainability in their career to date.
- Preference given to individuals with experience working in community to advance social justice issues.
Applications are now closed for the spring semester.