How Much of Foundations’ Money Is in Impact Investments? Just 5% Is Common, Says Report

How Much of Foundations’ Money Is in Impact Investments? Just 5% Is Common, Says Report

According to a survey by Bridgespan Social Impact, impact investing remains very far from the norm even among those foundations most likely to pursue it. What will it take for more funders to align money with mission?

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Six Questions with Ellen Dorsey, Who Helped Convince Philanthropies to Divest

Six Questions with Ellen Dorsey, Who Helped Convince Philanthropies to Divest

The former head of the Wallace Global Fund has been one of the most successful philanthropic organizers of recent years. Here’s Dorsey on the pace of change in the sector and why “in philanthropy, we're not just any investor.”

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“Going All In.” The California Endowment Will Shift All of its Assets Toward Impact Investing

“Going All In.” The California Endowment Will Shift All of its Assets Toward Impact Investing

After ramping up its impact investing for years, this major healthcare funder announced it will align its entire $4 billion endowment with its mission and values.

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Five Questions for Alice Pomponio, Head of the American Cancer Society's Impact Investing Arm

Five Questions for Alice Pomponio, Head of the American Cancer Society's Impact Investing Arm

The ACS is the largest nongovernment, nonprofit funder of cancer research in the U.S. We spoke with the head of BrightEdge, its venture capital team, which uses a for-profit model to advance the mission.

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How Philanthropic Funds Helped Mobilize Over $1 Billion in Investments for Sustainable Development

How Philanthropic Funds Helped Mobilize Over $1 Billion in Investments for Sustainable Development

There are enormous shortfalls in funding to advance the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. As part of its commitment to impact investing, MacArthur Foundation seeded a $1.1 billion fund for the cause.

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Nonprofits Are Uniquely Positioned to Harness the Oncoming Tidal Wave of Catalytic Capital

Nonprofits Are Uniquely Positioned to Harness the Oncoming Tidal Wave of Catalytic Capital

As philanthropists look to invest for impact, they’ll need strong, mission-centric infrastructure to help them do so. Guest author Sarah Kearney discusses the key roles nonprofits can play in building those systems.

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Owned by Movement Leaders, This Financial Firm Is Shaking Up Nonprofit Investing

Owned by Movement Leaders, This Financial Firm Is Shaking Up Nonprofit Investing

A little over a year since its launch, Just Futures is making moves. The firm is continuing its mission to put nonprofit retirement funds to good use, while expanding to manage nonprofit assets and community investment funds.

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A Foster Youth Activist Calls on Philanthropy to Invest Endowment Dollars in Affordable Housing

A Foster Youth Activist Calls on Philanthropy to Invest Endowment Dollars in Affordable Housing

Daniel Heimpel believes foundations’ invested assets are a deeply underutilized tool in their efforts to tackle the housing crisis. His path forward? Use grants and investments in tandem to ease the way for affordable housing.

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Spring Reading for a Cleaner Planet: Five New Resources on Climate Philanthropy

Spring Reading for a Cleaner Planet: Five New Resources on Climate Philanthropy

With spring in the air, here’s some recently released reading material on climate giving, with an emphasis on how funders can clean up their act when it comes to their investments.

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The Evolution of the Woodcock Foundation: A Progressive Family Funder Branches Out

The Evolution of the Woodcock Foundation: A Progressive Family Funder Branches Out

As this family foundation heads into its third generation, it’s backing social enterprises, taking on new issue areas, and exploring practices like impact investing and trust-based philanthropy.

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How Both ENDS Director Danielle Hirsch Is Using Philanthropy, Advocacy and More to Shift Power

How Both ENDS Director Danielle Hirsch Is Using Philanthropy, Advocacy and More to Shift Power

Both ENDS is a Netherlands-based organization that is challenging power dynamics in philanthropy in a number of ways. Director Danielle Hirsch talks about the group’s journey, its approach and why discomfort is a good thing.

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The Answer to Smarter Philanthropy Can Be Found in a DAF Intermediary

The Answer to Smarter Philanthropy Can Be Found in a DAF Intermediary

While more people are taking advantage of donor-advised funds, they could be making a greater impact. Casey van der Stricht of the Solve Innovation Future Fund at MIT offers a path for donors to invest in social innovators.

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Three Questions We Have About a Philanthropic Future Dominated by DAFs

Three Questions We Have About a Philanthropic Future Dominated by DAFs

As of last year, American donors are putting quite a lot more into donor-advised funds than they are into foundations. Even as calls for reform persist, we consider what the future might look like should this trend continue.

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Nonprofit Retirement Accounts Hold Over $1 Trillion. Could That Money Be Supporting Social Justice?

Nonprofit Retirement Accounts Hold Over $1 Trillion. Could That Money Be Supporting Social Justice?

The retirement accounts of nonprofit staff hold some formidable sums. A new impact investing outfit hopes to channel some of that money toward investments that align with workers’ values, while securing their savings.

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Nine Questions for Dana Lanza, President, CEO and Co-founder of Confluence Philanthropy

Nine Questions for Dana Lanza, President, CEO and Co-founder of Confluence Philanthropy

The head of a leading network of foundations committed to mission-aligned investing talks about the implications of the war in Ukraine and her belief that more foundations will soon make net zero pledges.

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Corporations’ Assets Have Huge Carbon Footprints. What About Foundations?

Corporations’ Assets Have Huge Carbon Footprints. What About Foundations?

Assets of companies like Microsoft and Alphabet have larger carbon footprints than all their other emissions combined, says a new report. Foundations may want to pay attention.

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Funder Spotlight: All About the Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program

Funder Spotlight: All About the Kresge Foundation’s Environment Program

The Kresge Foundation is one of the top environmental funders in the country—and one of the most focused on equity. We take a look at what it supports through its environment program and why.

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How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

How to Solve the Giving Pledge Bottleneck—and Fund Large-Scale Solutions

The U.S. has enormous unmet needs, while billions already pledged to philanthropy remain unspent. Guest author Sean Davis proposes a solution that would fund for-profit companies to take on large-scale infrastructure projects.

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As the COVID Fight Continues, Who’s Funding Surveillance for the Next Biological Threat?

As the COVID Fight Continues, Who’s Funding Surveillance for the Next Biological Threat?

COVID-19 was a wake-up call to the world that we are insufficiently prepared to identify and stop emerging diseases. It’s a niche cause in philanthropy, but here are a few funders backing early warning systems.

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Two More Major Funders Are Moving Assets Away from Fossil Fuels, in a Shift Years in the Making

Two multibillion-dollar funders, the Ford and McKnight foundations, became the largest foundations yet to publicly align their investments with their missions to fight climate change. It’s been a long time coming.

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