In Pursuit of Deeper Impact: Mobilizing Capital for Social Equity
Authored by Katherine Pease and Sarah Thomas, this paper argues that conventional impact investment strategies do not have systemic impact, because they fail to incorporate an analysis of the root causes of inequality and still tend to prioritize the needs of investors over the needs of communities. This paper offers a new framework—“impact investing for social equity”—which is defined as investments that are made with the intention of achieving financial and social returns that result in fair access to livelihood, education, and resources; full participation in the political, economic and cultural life of the community; and self-determination in meeting the fundamental needs of the beneficiary community.
Expanding Philanthropy: Mission-related Investing at the F.B. Heron Foundation
Authored by Michael Swack, this paper documents The F.B. Heron Foundation’s evolution from a model of traditional philanthropic giving to aligning 100% of assets for mission-relating investing. Mission-relating investments, as defined by FSG Social Impact Advisors, are “financial investments made with the intention of (1) furthering a foundation’s mission and (2) recovering the principal invested or earning financial return.”
Since 2011, The F.B. Heron Foundation (Heron) has moved to align 100% of its assets for mission-relation investing. Heron’s website provides a number of resources for how other mission driven organizations can adopt this approach.
National Community Investment Fund’s Bank Impact Tool
Provides financial data and Social Performance Metrics on all US banks.
Supported by the nonprofit Blab and which aims to provide comprehensive and comparable ratings of a company or fund’s social and environmental impact.
Aims to provide the only comprehensive, third-party assessment of community development financial institution (CDFI) loan funds.
Designed to measure the social, environmental and financial performance of an investment.
Aims to provide the first global standards for sustainability reporting including on a range of economic, environmental and social impacts.
National Federation of Community Development Credit Unions
A leading resource for CDFI credit unions
The leading national network for community development loan funds.
The Community Development Venture Capital Alliance
A leading resource for CDFI venture capital and private equity funds.
An agency housed in the US Department of Treasury, which maintains a list of certified CDFIs throughout the country.