We surveyed 250 foundation leaders and conducted more than a dozen in-depth interviews to assess how the sector is changing in three ways: resourcing, priorities, and internal operations. Across all three, we found shifts in practices yet few examples of increases in power sharing.
Impact Investing
Whether called impact investing, mission investing, program-related investing, or sustainable and responsible investing, foundations increasingly seek to leverage financial markets for social gains. These resources help your foundation explore the emerging strategies and diverse options available.
In-Depth knowledge on Impact Investing
This Strategy Guide invites you to reflect more deeply on how your foundation chooses to balance the four factors of Purpose, Conditions and Trends, Time Horizon, and Assets for Mission, especially in times of greater crisis or opportunity. It leaves the final decision to you, without judgment for your payout amount, lifespan, or mission.
The Council on Foundations-Commonfund Study of Responsible Investing, believed to be the largest of its kind, provides foundations with invaluable insights into how the sector and individual portfolios are being shaped by responsible investing practices, potential hurdles to their adoption, and what the entry points are for those interested in fully engaging these practices in their endowment strategies.
On April 25, 2016, the Treasury Department officially published final regulations providing nine new examples of permissible program-related investments (PRIs). The new examples were first drafted as foundations came to sense that the existing regulations were too narrow and did not adequately address the full range of investment opportunities available to foundations.
The Council on Foundations, in collaboration with Mission Investors Exchange, invites you to attend a one-hour webinar discussing the implications of the new U.S. Department of Treasury guidance on mission-related investments.
Governments, multinationals, businesses, and individuals are increasingly organizing to take action in response to climate change. Foundations can play an active role in this growing movement. View this webinar to hear from leaders in the Divest/Invest Movement about how you can take part.
Foundations looking to leverage more impact from their charitable dollars are increasingly looking to mission related investments as a key tool. But how can this powerful strategy be deployed alongside the place-based mission of a community foundation?
This flow chart was designed by the Community Foundation of Louisville to describe the process of evaluating, processing, and making impact investments in their community. It follows a similar model developed by the Greater Cincinnati Community Foundation, which is discussed in the Community Foundation Field Guide to Impact Investment.
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Investing In The Future: Mission-Related And Program-Related Investments For Private Foundations
Helpful article published by Adler & Colvin summarizing the key differences between Mission-Related and Program-Related Investments for Private Foundations. The article also lays out many of the necessary legal and regulatory questions when determining if an impact investing strategy is appropriate for a given situation.
This guide, published by Confluence Philanthropy, focuses on how a foundation can leverage its assets in service of its mission by investing cash locally through community-based financing. It reviews the different types of depositories, as well as the steps on how to get started carrying your cash, and also features two foundation case studies.