Yi Zhao

Yi Zhao is Associate Director of Research for the Civic Life of Cities (CLC) Lab at the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society. At CLC, Yi works with the faculty director in planning and implementing research agendas and supporting the research team to advance the Lab’s research programs and paper-writing projects. In his research, Yi is interested in the relationship of organizations to their local community, particularly in the setting of social entrepreneurship, impact investments, and corporate social responsibility. His dissertation about the influence of local community in the market for impact investments received the 2022 Best Dissertation Award from the Public and Nonprofit Division of the Academy of Management. His work has been published in journals such as Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, and Global Perspectives.