MISSION INVESTING
We are a family foundation that is committed to spending out its resources. This means we must maintain enough liquid assets to make grants and cover administrative costs each year. But, we also have a sizable amount of capital and after careful research in 2012, decided to start deploying a large portion of it for mission investing (or impact investing). Mission investing gives us an opportunity to seek financial returns, growing our resources for further grantmaking benefit while addressing social challenges that further our mission.
We further our mission of creating positive and sustainable change by deploying capital into companies, organizations, and funds that generate or attempt to generate a measurable social and environmental impact in the U.S.
Our mission investing is guided by policies and practices that are aligned with our values and help us advance goals in our three grantmaking areas through our investment portfolio. It also ensures we have clear guidance on how to screen out investments that are in direct conflict with our mission, values, and program area goals (examples include private prisons, companies that discriminate against employees, or companies that generate more than 5% of revenue from fossil fuels, mountaintop removal, fracking, offshore drilling, and/or coal).
So far, our mission investments portfolio has generated measurable impacts. In the past 10 years, we have invested in companies developing solar power solutions for low-income communities, forest carbon markets for vulnerable regions, optimizing water usage, and using strategies to decrease landfill use by finding ways to lighten environmental footprint.
We have a diversified portfolio with investments in real assets, infrastructure, equity and debt funds. Just as we look for ways to support our grantee partners, we also enjoy trying the products of our portfolio companies and finding ways to help promote the good work these entrepreneurs are doing.
Here are some of the companies, organizations, and funds we are actively deploying capital into:
