For 20 years, CP has invited applications and granted scholarships to one or more CT nonprofit leaders to attend the Harvard Business School’s Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management (SPNM) executive education program. This Executive Education course is an HBS Social Enterprise Initiative program that allows senior executives to examine their missions and develop strategies for the new global economy. It is an intensive six-day program taught by the HBS faculty. Over 150 nonprofit leaders worldwide, representing a wide range of nonprofit sectors, make up the student body. Over 33 of our state’s recognized best nonprofit leaders have attended this program and unanimously report that SPNM was the most “outstanding executive education experience of their entire careers.”

The 2024 Lee Barnes Memorial Scholarship for Nonprofit Leaders Recipients were Nancy Coughlin of Person to Person in lower Fairfield County, and Sarah Fox of the Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness in Hartford.

Person to Person (P2P), with a history of over 50 years, serves over 25,000 individuals annually with a range of programs including food, clothing, financial assistance and coaching, camping and scholarships. Nancy writes: “My mind is still on overdrive from my week in Boston. I am eager to put the skills I learned into use at P2P. There was a balance of peer and classroom learning. The HBS
SPNM staff were outstanding. I feel grateful to have spent time and learned from them. Our living/learning groups may well be the greatest gifts of the program. I now have colleagues in Australia, Rwanda, Canada, the US and UK to call upon for their expertise.”

The Connecticut Coalition to End Homelessness (CCEH) leads the charge in preventing and ending homelessness across Connecticut. Through strategic partnerships with local communities, advocacy efforts, and extensive support to our partners, CCEH is transforming the landscape for those experiencing homelessness. Sarah writes: “My experience at SPNM will have a lasting impact on our work at CCEH. Being able to step away, be surrounded by amazing leaders, and learn from HBS’s frameworks and practical applications for nonprofits was an outstanding experience. What I learned during the program is influencing CCEH efforts to prevent and solve homelessness.”

HBS Community Partners plans to invite scholarship applications for the 2025 SPNM program in February. Please direct your questions to our Awards Committee Chair, James Rulmyr ’78 ([email protected]).