Finance research, mentored by people who've done it.
GRF is a finance research program for high-school students who want to do real analytical work, not collect another line for a list. You work across the parts of finance that actually move things: macro, credit, currencies, private capital, policy, and risk.
You're mentored by people who have built and defended research in the field, not just read about it. The aim is direct: ask a sharper question, build an argument that survives scrutiny, and finish with work you can stand behind in a room full of people who know more than you.
Two tracks. One standard of work.
Some students want a focused, lower-cost way into finance research. Others are ready for an independent paper with a mentor's full attention. Both tracks run on the same thing: honest feedback, and revision until the work is actually good.
Research Desk Cohort
An eight-week, fixed-date cohort where you work under one mentor on a shared desk theme: macro, credit, FX, geopolitics, banking stress, or private markets. You learn how research actually gets built, in a small group held to a real standard.
- Small cohort, capped at eight students
- A shared desk theme, set before the cohort begins
- Mentor-led research sessions and guided source work
- A final cohort report with named contributor credit
Private Research Mentorship
One-on-one mentorship for the student building an independent finance paper. You're matched with a mentor around your own question, and you stay the author the whole way, from first draft to a piece that can stand on its own.
- A private mentor match based on your interests
- An original research question, thesis, and evidence base
- An independent paper with you as primary author
- Publication support where the venue is genuinely a fit
From a real question to a piece you can defend.
The process is simple to describe and hard to fake. Start with a question worth answering, find the evidence that matters, build the argument, and revise until nothing in it sounds vague.
Question
You start with something you're actually curious about and work with your mentor to turn it into a finance question you can research.
Source base
You learn what to read, what to ignore, and how to work through sources without drowning in forty open tabs.
Thesis
The project moves from "interesting topic" to a clear argument with a point of view you're willing to hold.
Revision
Weak claims get challenged, thin evidence gets replaced, and the work gets sharper with every pass.
Final output
You finish with a paper, report, or research product you can explain and defend on your own.
Students work inside focused finance themes.
Good projects usually start with a question that sounds almost too simple. Why is this market moving? Why is this country under stress? Why is capital flowing here and not there? From there, your mentor helps you get past the headline and into the part that's actually hard.
What students can build.
What you finish with depends on the track, the student, and the quality of the work. The point is to build something with real substance, not another activity for a list.
Independent papers
Student-led finance papers with a clear question, a thesis, and an evidence base that holds.
Cohort reports
Group research reports built around a shared finance desk theme.
Competition material
Research strong enough to carry essays, investment competitions, and academic submissions.
Publication support
Honest guidance on journal fit and submission strategy once the work is genuinely ready.
Apply to the program.
GRF is built for students who are serious about finance, open to hard feedback, and ready to do work they can explain without hiding behind big words.