Meet the Grunin Prize Finalists

In this episode, Zvia Schoenberg, executive director of the Grunin Center, speaks with Sonal Rawat, NYU School of Law LLM '26.For the past academic year, Sonal has been part of the NYU Legal Changemakers Incubator, a program in its inaugural year. This initiative is designed to support a select cohort of LLM students as they undertake legal projects that address timely societal/environmental issues in sustainable development, impact investing, or social entrepreneurship – e.g., proposed reforms or analyses of issues (e.g., access to funding) in global health (e.g., vaccines), food security, education, conservation, or infrastructure development. The projects were developed by teams of LLM students in partnership with seasoned legal professionals who served as mentors throughout the academic year.Listen as Sonal discusses the details of her project, SheLeads Circles.To learn more about the Legal Changemakers, visit the Grunin Center website: https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/grunin-social-entrepreneurship/student-opportunities/nyu-legal-changemakers-incubator

In this episode, Zvia Schoenberg, executive director of the Grunin Center, speaks with Tessa van Soest, executive director of B Lab Benelux, Jacobien Viets, fractional general counsel for Alliance Business Counsels, and Alexandra Pimor, director of nature governance at the Earth Law Center, to discuss their project: Onboarding Nature Toolkit & Movement.This project galvanizes business as a force for good, through a nature governance practical toolkit to inspire organizations to evolve from human-centred decision-making to nature-inclusive governance. The toolkit showcases four models—Nature as Inspiration, Advisor, Director and Shareholder. 3 founding partners (B Lab Benelux, Earth Law Center, Nyenrode Business University) formed a collaboration grounded in care, community, and collaboration to champion nature governance in corporate life.To learn more about the project, you can visit the websites below:Grunin Prize Finalists: https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/grunin-social-entrepreneurship/grunin-prize/2026Onboarding Nature: https://www.onboardingnature.com/

In this episode, Zvia Schoenberg, executive director of the Grunin Center, speaks with Betty Francisco, CEO of Boston Impact Initiative, and Carl Valenstein, partner at Morgan, Lewis, & Blockius LLP,  to discuss their project: Boston Impact Initiative Fund II. BII Fund II is a $22M fund democratizing investment via a tiered note structure. It allows non-accredited individuals to invest $1,000 alongside accredited investors. Using integrated capital, it invests in social enterprises advancing inclusion, climate resilience, worker power, and community-owned and controlled New England real estate. The tiered approach enabled nearly 240 investors to participate. BII's model blends debt financing with flexible terms, patient equity, and grants.To learn more about the project, you can visit the websites below:Grunin Prize Finalists: https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/grunin-social-entrepreneurship/grunin-prize/2026Boston Impact Initiative: https://bostonimpact.org/

In this episode, Zvia Schoenberg, executive director of the Grunin Center, speaks with Marella Caramazza, board member for Cottino Social Impact Campus, and Emiliano Giovine, lawyer and scientific director of the legal impact pillar for Cottino Social Impact Campus, to discuss their project: Integrating social impact into public asset management. The project introduces a legally grounded framework that enables municipalities to integrate social, environmental, and economic impact into the management and regeneration of public real estate. Using a model embedded in public procedures and contracts, it allows cities to value public assets beyond market price, aligning urban regeneration, social entrepreneurship, and public policy to generate measurable public value.To learn more about the project, you can visit the websites below:Grunin Prize Finalists: https://www.law.nyu.edu/centers/grunin-social-entrepreneurship/grunin-prize/2026Cottino Social Impact Campus: https://www.cottinosocialimpactcampus.org/en/home-eng/