Bella Alvarez


  • Investing in a Shifting Food Supply System

    Investing in a Shifting Food Supply System: Addressing the Inefficiencies That Contribute to Food Insecurity

    November 16, 2022

    Political instability, poverty, limited access to adequate housing or employment are some of the factors that contribute to food insecurity around the world. Join IEN and a lineup of speakers from VegTech Invest, Project Drawdown, The Good Food Institute, the FAIRR Initiative, and Barclays for a discussion on the inefficiencies that contribute to food insecurity. This virtual, hour-long conversation also explored how investing in shifting the global food supply system to be more efficient can help to address our current inefficiencies and positively impact food insecurity.

    Participants learned:

    • Why our current food supply system is responsible, at least in part and in addition to political strife, for current food inefficiency and current and future food insecurity
    • How businesses in the alternative proteins, plant-based innovation, and food tech sectors are addressing food insecurity
    • What investible technologies are being developed to address food insecurity and food independence
    • How emerging and current investable technologies will be applied evenly across countries and economic tiers

    Our moderator Elysabeth Alfano, CEO of VegTech Invest, was joined by panelists Sharyn Murray of the Good Food Institute, Maria Lettini of the FAIRR Initiative, Matt Spence of Barclays, and Paul West of Project Drawdown. 

    Recording:

     

     

    Speakers:

     

     

     Elysabeth Alfano, CEO, VegTech Invest

     

     

     

     

     Matt Spence, Managing Director, Head of Food Technology and Alternative Protein, Barclays

     

     

     

     

     Maria Lettini, Executive Director, FAIRR Initiative

     

     

     

     

     Sharyn Murray, Investor Engagement Manager, Good Food Institute

     

     

     

     

     Paul West, Senior Scientist, Ecosystems and Agriculture, Project Drawdown

     

     

     

    Resources: 

    Paul West slides

    The national security case for lab-grown and plant-based meat.

    The 2021 State of the Industry: Cultivated meat and seafood

    The State of the Industry 2021: Fermentation for alternative proteins

    2021 State of the Industry: Plant-based meat, eggs, and dairy

    Industry Update: Alternative seafood

    • Investors may join GFI's Investor Directory to get inbound deal flow from alternative protein companies 
    • GFI’s Company Database allows investors to explore companies in the alternative protein sector and see which are raising rounds via our Fundraising Database
    • Sign up for our Quarterly Investor Newsletter for investment data and analysis, research, and tools, as well as a list of venture capital funds focused on alternative proteins that are fundraising,

    Leverage the GFI & FAIRR Alternative Proteins ESG Reporting Frameworks to assess and monitor the ESG characteristics of any company manufacturing alternative proteins. Simply download the framework and accompanying technical guide and request that your portfolio companies or investment prospects report via the appropriate framework.

     


  • Press Release: Climate Week Announcement: Colleges Pledge Sustainable Retirement Plans for Faculty & Employees

    CLIMATE WEEK ANNOUNCEMENT: COLLEGES PLEDGE SUSTAINABLE RETIREMENT PLANS FOR FACULTY & EMPLOYEES

    Arizona State, Lewis & Clark, Chatham University Among Colleges Endowments Committing to Sustainable Retirement Plan Options with Renewed Focus on Climate and Social Justice

    Read more


  • Sustainable Retirement Plans Pledge

    IEN’s Sustainable Retirement Plan pledge, drafted in support with Second Nature and The Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE), establishes that university “employees deserve a range of sustainable investing retirement fund options that consider environmental, social, and governance factors, consistent with the goals of reducing risk, protecting capital, and enhancing financial returns.”

    Please contact Chris Walker at [email protected] if you’re interested in learning more about the Pledge, and visit the Sustainable Retirements Initiative page to find out more about this work.

     

    Read the Pledge

     

    Sign the Pledge


    Pledge Signatories


  • Regenerative Food Systems Investment Forum

    Are you interested in deploying capital into the regenerative agriculture space?

    New IEN member, Regenerative Food Systems Investment (RFSI), is hosting their annual Forum in Denver, CO on October 12th & 13th.

    The RFSI Forum will bring together 300+ investors, capital activators, and critical stakeholders to drive increased investment in regenerative agriculture and food.

    Join us to gain unparalleled information, tools, and connections to support successful investment into regenerative food and agriculture systems.

    Register to join us at the event here, and use code IEN for a special discount for the IEN community!

     


  • published Voting Your Values with As You Vote in Past Webinars 2022-09-07 15:50:52 -0400

    Voting Your Values with As You Vote

    September 29, 2022

    1 PM ET

    Join us for a brief presentation on a new ESG aligned proxy voting service -- As You Vote, to hear examples of colleges and universities currently using the service and the impact they're having through their votes, and to ask questions and engage in conversation on next steps.

    Shareholder voting is underutilized among higher education endowments, despite the fact that it is a viable way to make an impact. Proxy voting allows investors to influence corporate policy on a host of issues, including racial equity, climate justice, CEO pay, gender equality, and political spending.

    To raise awareness around the importance of proxy voting and encourage it among endowments, the Intentional Endowments Network has partnered with As You Sow, Confluence Philanthropy, and Broadridge to launch As You Vote. As You Vote is a rules-based ESG proxy voting system hosted on Broadridge’s ProxyEdge platform.

    Join Andrew Behar, Ben Linthicum, Daniel Stewart, Jaylen Spann, and Nico McCrossan to explore how the platform works and hear Linthicum, McCrossan and Spann illustrate use cases for endowments, foundations, and other asset owners looking to vote their values.

    Recording:

    View the Slides

    For more information on As You Vote, please refer to the following presentation:

    Speakers:

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     Andrew Behar, CEO, As You Sow

     Learn more about Andrew

     

     

     

     Ben Linthicum, ESG Advisory Committee Chair, Warren Wilson College

     Learn more about Ben

     

     

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     Daniel Stewart, Energy & Climate Program Manager, As You Sow

     Learn more about Daniel

     

     

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     Jaylen Spann, Head of Research and Development, Whistle Stop Capital

     Learn more about Jaylen

     

     

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     Nico McCrossan, ESG Analyst, ASU Enterprise Partners

    Learn more about Nico

     

     

     


  • Weekly News Round-Up: August 11, 2022

    We’ve opened registration for our Roundtable at the Nest Summit, taking place during Climate Week onSeptember 22, 2022. This convening will be an opportunity for deep conversations with your peers and leaders in the field. Register today!

    We’re also excited to announce that we’re starting to develop the program for the 2023 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit and are looking for your ideas on topics and speakers to include. Use this form to respond to our Call for Content!

    Finally, we’re hosting a learning cafe on mitigating climate risk with MSCI on Monday, August 22 at 12 PM ETRegister here to join Bruce Kahn, Ariel Nicholas, and members of their team in an informal, lunchtime conversation that will explore the strategies of leading institutions to mitigate climate risk.

    In this week’s news, Australian Pension fund NGS Super divests from fossil fuels and one of the most significant pieces of climate legislation in U.S. history is enacted

    Read more

  • Speakers Featured at IEN's Nest Summit Roundtable

    Intentional Endowments Network Climate Week Roundtable at the Nest Summit

     

    The Intentional Endowments Network will be joined by the following speakers at the Nest Summit Roundtable on September 22, 2022:

     

     

     Derrick Johnson, President & CEO, NAACP

     Learn more about Derrick

     

     

     

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     Miguel CuUnjieng, Associate Director for EOS, Federated Hermes

     Learn more about Miguel

     

     

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     Neda Nobari, Chair, San Francisco State University Foundation Board 

     Learn more about Neda

     

     

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     Jeff Jackanicz, President, San Francisco State Foundation

     Learn more about Jeff

     

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     Lazaro Tiant, Investment Director – Sustainability, Schroders

     Learn more about Lazaro

     

     

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     David Finegold, President, Chatham University

     Learn more about David

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     Marvin Owens, Chief Engagement Officer, Impact Shares

     Learn more about Marvin

     

     

     Dorien Nunez,Co-Founder and Director of Research, The OMNIResearch Group

     Learn more about Dorien

     

     

     

     Dinah Koehler, Senior Advisor, Ecolumix

     Learn more about Dinah

     

     

     

     Mike Pearce, Managing Director in Cambridge Associates

     Learn more about Mike

     

     

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     Angela Outlaw-Matheny, Director of Investment Staff & Diverse Manager Equity at Crewcial Partners LLC

     Learn more about Angela

     

     

     

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     Roberta Lobo, Director at Nuveen, a TIAA company

     Learn more about Roberta

     

     

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     Mark Campanale, Founder and Executive Chairman of Carbon Tracker

     Learn more about Mark

     

     

     

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     Pedro Henriques da Silva, Impact Investment Professional at Global Endowment Management

     Learn more about Pedro

     

     

     

     

     Jeff Gitterman, Partner, Gitterman Wealth Management

     Learn more about Jeff

     

     


     

     David Loehwing, Vice President, Sustainable Investing at Impax Asset Management LLC

     Learn more about David

     

     

     

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     Ian Monroe, President and Chief Investment Officer, Etho Capital

     Learn more about Ian

     



     

     Bob Van Heuvelen, Principal, The Vogel Group

     Learn more about Bob

     

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     Bahiyah Yasmeen Robinson, CEO & Founder, VC Include

     Learn more about Bahiyah

     

     

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     Taun Toay, Senior Vice President Chief Financial Officer, Bard College

     Learn more about Taun

     

     

     

     Ethan Powell, Founder, Impact Shares

     Learn more here

     

     

     

     Moya Connelly, Chief Operating Officer, Etho Capital

     Learn more about Moya

     

     

     

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     Max Messervy, Head of Sustainable Investment, Americas, Mercer

     Learn more about Max

     

     

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     Kirsten Spalding, Senior Program Director, Investor Network, Ceres

     Learn more about Kirsten

     

     

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     Cara Early, Senior Investment Strategist, Breckinridge

     Learn more about Cara


  • published Impact Summit America 2022 in Past IEN Events 2022-08-08 17:45:13 -0400

    Impact Summit America 2022

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    Impact Summit America 2022

    Register

    The Intentional Endowments Network is excited to announce its strategic partnership with Impact Summit America 2022, hosted by Phenix Capital. Impact Summit America is an annual institutional investor conference that brings together thought leaders and pioneers in the impact investing space. The one-day Summit will cater to the needs of institutional investors through a mix of interviews, keynote speeches, panels, workshops, and Chatham House-rule sessions.

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    The program will also include a networking space, in which asset owners are invited to share knowledge and best practices, co-create, learn from their impact pioneering peers and grow their global network. The Impact Summit will include InvestorConnect Sessions, an efficient system of speed meetings created especially for asset owners to learn more about available sustainable strategies, across all asset classes, impact themes & SDGs.

    Georges Dyer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Intentional Endowments Network, will be one of the Summit's moderators on September 28th, 2022 at the Yale Club of NYC. Learn more and register above.

     

     


  • Weekly News Round-Up: August 4, 2022

    We invite you to join the third webinar in our unconscious bias series on August 17, 2022 at 11 AM ET. This interactive workshop will foster a conversation about impediments to hiring for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and more importantly how to mitigate against our inherent biases.

    There is also still time to register for our learning café with the Southern Reconstruction Fund (SRF) on Monday, August 8! Join SRF to learn about their efforts to grow Black and brown fund managers through FundONE and their first major initiative, the FundONE Prize.

    In this week’s news, the NYC Comptroller criticizes BlackRock’s fossil fuel holdings, a Cambridge University student examines how its ties with arms and fossil fuel companies abandon the global majority, and JPMorgan Chase invests in a fund to boost Latino entrepreneurs.

    Read more

  • Weekly News Round-Up: July 28, 2022

    We invite you to join us on August 8th at 12 PM for a learning cafe with the Southern Reconstruction Fund! More details and a link to register can be found here.

    Thank you to those who were able to join us for Tuesday’s webinar on decarbonizing the maritime industry and global supply chain with EnTrust Global. Registrants and IEN Members can view the recording here.

    Sponsorship opportunities are available for our upcoming Nest Summit Roundtable on September 22nd, a part of Climate Week NYC, and for our 2023 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit. Please contact Georges Dyer for more information on sponsoring either of these events.

    In this week’s news, The University of Northampton divests from fossil fuels, Wellcome Trust sells shares in a number of fossil fuel companies, and Senators Chuck Schumer and Joe Manchin appear to reach a deal on a significant bill with implications for U.S. emissions targets.

    Read more

  • Workshop: Unconscious Bias in Hiring and Belonging

    October 6, 2022

    1 PM ET

    Register

    This highly interactive 90-minute workshop on unconscious bias in hiring and belonging fostered a conversation about what gets in our way when it comes to hiring for diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging and more importantly how to mitigate against our inherent biases. We readily acknowledge that it would defy human nature to rid ourselves our biases because as humans are wired in that way. The Workshop was a “laboratory” in which participants learned how to:

    • Understand what unconscious is and where it stems from
    • Be mindful of the potential impact of unconscious bias
    • Understand the different types of biases that can show up in a candidate’s hiring process
    • Utilize tactics to mitigate the impact of unconscious biases
    • Ask your questions: what works, what doesn’t
    • Avoid common interviewing pitfalls
    • Apply a sense of belonging by aligning uniqueness and belonging
    • Understand what belonging is and why it’s important to foster

    The purpose of this workshop was to

    • Gain insights into the impact of inclusion and the extent to which one is inclusive (or exclusive)
    • Foster a sense of belonging where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and thrive
    • Learn practical skills and tools for being more inclusive and identify how these can be used in one’s own work context
    • Practice the skills in a diverse and safe environment
    • Craft a plan of actionable steps based on the Inclusive Leadership Behaviors that fosters psychological safety work, and inclusive work environment

    Slide Deck

    Speaker:

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     Demetriouse Russell, CEO, Venn Diagram Partners, LLC

     Learn more about Demetriouse

     

     

     

     

     


  • published Learning Cafe with MSCI in Past Webinars 2022-07-12 09:26:32 -0400

    Learning Cafe with MSCI

    August 22, 2022

    12 PM ET

    The urgency of preventing the worst extremes of a changing climate is spurring investors, companies, financial intermediaries and policymakers across the world to sharpen their focus on efforts to drive down greenhouse gas emissions to net-zero. Investors are monitoring whether companies have credible plans to reduce their emissions and tracking the alignment of portfolios with the Paris Agreement, which aims to limit global temperature rise to well below 2 degrees Celsius (2°C), preferably no more than 1.5°C, to prevent the worst extremes of a warming world.

     

    Reaching net-zero will demand extraordinary action. Ninety percent of listed companies are currently on an emissions pathway that would put global temperature rise above 1.5°C. It also will demand intuitive, forward-looking tools that help investors differentiate which companies in every sector will help them achieve net-zero and which will get in the way of that goal. Join us as we share some of the solutions that several of the world’s leading institutions have leveraged to both minimize climate risk while capturing solution based opportunities which are poised to provide a potential risk premia as we transition to a low carbon economy.

    Slides

    Recording:

    Speakers: 

     

      

     

     

     Ariel Nicholas, Vice President, ESG Client Coverage Group | Climate Solutions Specialist, MSCI

     Learn more about Ariel

     

     

     

     

     


  • published Endowment Progress 2021 in Endowment Progress By Year 2022-05-24 13:51:29 -0400

    Endowment Progress 2021

    Columbia University does not hold any direct investments in publicly traded oil and gas companies and has recently formalized this policy of non-investment by revising their investment policy. 

    Creighton University announced it plans to phase out all investments in fossil fuels from its $587 million endowment within the next 10 years and target new investments in sustainable energy.

    Amherst College Board of Trustees has announced it would officially divest from fossil fuel interests and phase out the remaining investments in directly held, long-term fossil fuel funds by 2030.

    Babson College Board of Trustees voted to integrate ESG factors while making investment decisions for its endowment. The board voted to incorporate DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) principles into its endowment investing as well.

    Cornell University Assembly passed a resolution calling on one of the main pension fund suppliers for Cornell faculty and staff to divest from fossil fuel companies and certain agribusiness practices associated with deforestation and human rights abuses.

    Canadian Universities Unite as Investors to Help Address the Climate Crisis

     A coalition of Canadian university endowments and pension plans is launching a new initiative through SHARE, a non-profit investor advocacy organization, to engage investee corporations on climate change risks.

    Canada’s Public Sector Pension Investment Board (PSP) pledged to fully divest from US private prison companies amidst public pressure.

    King’s College London has fully divested from all fossil fuels almost two years ahead of schedule.

    Newnham College has announced that it will divest from all meaningful exposure to fossil fuels by 2030, in line with the University’s commitment to full divestment in the same timeframe.

    Southern New Hampshire University reassigned part of its endowment to address structural racism by investing in venture funds and start-ups founded and managed by Black and brown executives.

    Trinity College commits to net zero carbon emissions before 2050, in line with the spirit of the Paris Agreement.

    University of Cape Town Council has approved the Responsible and Sustainable Investment Policy, which sets out the approach to be taken by the university regarding its financial endowments stewardship.

    University of Michigan announced a plan to achieve “net zero” carbon footprint status for its $12.5 billion endowment by 2050 through measures including shifting away from investment in fossil fuels and toward renewable energy.

    University of PennsylvaniaThe Office of Investments has established the goal of reducing the net greenhouse gas emissions from Penn’s endowment investments to zero by 2050.

    University of Southern California Board of Trustees’ Investment Committee voted to halt new investments in fossil fuels, the university announced. The university will also liquidate its existing fossil fuel investments over the next several years.

    University of Victoria announced that it is transferring $80 million to a short-term bond that reduces the “carbon intensity” of its investments. That follows the approval of a policy last year to lower carbon emissions, represented in the entire $225-million portfolio, by 45 per cent by 2030.

    Arizona State University Foundation commits to transition its investment portfolio to at least Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2035.

    District of Columbia Retirement Board saw legislation being introduced by Washington Councilmember Robert White requiring the District of Columbia Retirement Board to have diverse asset managers and investment consultants.

    New York State Pension Fund's New York State Comptroller Tom DiNapoli announced that the $246 billion New York State Common Retirement Fund completed a review of its oil sands holdings and has divested from seven tar sands companies.

    Princeton University Board of trustee has announced it will divest and disassociate from the fossil fuel industry, as well as companies currently involved in climate disinformation. The University will equally work towards making its $26.6 billion endowment carbon neutral.

    Thrift Saving Plan will begin offering ESG funds in 2022. The ESG funds will be available in a new “mutual fund window,” similar to a brokerage option, for the plan. 

    University of California has reported that 60% of the investment firms they partnered with in 2020 are Black- and/or women-owned, according to a progress report on the managers the Oakland-based university invests with.

    University of Toronto joined more than 450 investors, representing US$41 trillion in assets, in signing a joint statement to world governments, urging leaders to accelerate action to address climate change.

    University of Sydney adopted a Sustainable Investment  Strategy to increase investment in sustainable solutions and exclude fossil fuel companies with inadequate transition plans from investment. 

    University of Utah's Academic Senate has approved an ad hoc committee’s proposal to realign the university’s endowment “toward positive sustainability investment”.

    University of Waterloo has committed to reducing the carbon footprint of its pension and endowment investment portfolios by 50 per cent by the year 2030 and is committing to achieving full carbon neutrality by 2040.

    Yale University Board of Trustees recently approved a new set of ethical investing guidelines for the university’s $31.2 billion endowment.

    Aberdeen University: Aberdeen became the 90th university in the UK to commit to complete divestment from fossil fuels.

    Boston University: The University’s Board of Trustees voted to immediately end all direct investment in fossil fuels.

    Cal State System: CSU Chancellor announced that no future investments in fossil fuels will be made by any of the system’s three investment portfolios.

    California State University Monterey Bay: The University’s investment committee is in the process of analyzing how a potential full divestment from fossil fuels would impact their returns.

    Dartmouth: The Trustees of Dartmouth have pledged to end all holdings in fossil fuels in addition to making new investments in the clean energy industry.

    Ford Foundation: Announced no future investment in assets related to the fossil fuel industry.

    Grand Valley State University: The Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy at GVSU started an equity endowment for small Michigan-based nonprofits.

    Harvard University: The Harvard Management Company built on its previous termination of direct investment in fossil fuels, adding that it will not make new investments in the fossil fuel industry in the future. It also pledged to ensure its own operations are “greenhouse gas neutral” by June 30, 2022.

    Lancaster University: The University has transferred all of its investment portfolios to new ESG-aligned funds.

    Loyola University Chicago: Loyola has released a new sustainable investment policy, which includes divestment from fossil fuels and integration of ESG considerations.

    Macalester College: The College pledged to divest all dedicated, publicly traded oil and gas assets, including all shares of Enbridge, Inc. It also adopted a college investment policy that prohibits any new direct investment in oil and gas assets.

    McKnight Foundation: The Foundation has pledged to convert its $3B endowment to a net-zero portfolio by 2050.

    Mount Holyoke: Mount Holyoke shared updates on their fossil fuel divestment strategy and carbon neutrality pledge established in March 2021.

    Selwyn College: The College will divest from all “meaningful” investments in fossil fuels by the end of this year.

    Trinity College: Trinity’s Investment Committee will be moving its shares out of the MSCI World ex-Fossil Fuel, ex-Tobacco Index and into the ILIM Climate Conscious Fund Index.

    University of Minnesota: The University will divest all of its funds currently supporting fossil fuel-related companies over the next 5-7 years, largely to the credit of its students’ activism.

    University of San Diego: Alongside other Catholic universities, University of San Diego is seeking to eliminate its endowment’s exposure to fossil fuels in alignment with Laudato Si’. Laudato Si’, or “Praised Be To You” is a line from The Canticle of the Sun by St. Francis.

    University of St. Thomas: Over the next five years, the University will divest from public securities of companies involved in the exploration and extraction of fossil fuels. In the next 10 years, it will do the same for private investments alongside a pledge to not create any new investments in fossil fuel companies.

    University of Toronto: In addition to an announcement of divestment from fossil fuel, the University communicated a goal of a net zero portfolio by 2050. It will also allocate 10 percent of the endowment portfolio to sustainable and low-carbon assets by 2025 – an estimated $400 million worth of investments.

    University of Virginia: A new Advisory Committee on Investor Responsibility has been established at the University to supplement the addition of ESG criteria into the management of their endowment.

    Vassar College: The Board of Trustees announced the explicit addition of environmental and sustainability concerns to their endowment management guidelines.

    Virginia Union University: The University’s new endowment policy makes them the first HBCU to have the majority of its portfolio managed by firms with minority owners.

    Worcester Polytechnic Institute: WPI has signed the UN’s Principles for Responsible Investment.

    Sewanee: The University of the South: The Board of Regents has committed to investing $10 million dollars of the University endowment in the Sewanee Village development plan.


  • Leading with Justice: Net Zero Investing & Conversations on Climate Justice


    Download the full report

    Roadmaps to net-zero have often been ill-defined and miss the importance of justice in mitigating climate change and reversing the harm it has had on communities, especially communities of color. The Intentional Endowments Network's Net Zero Endowments Initiative has recognized the tendency to silo these issues and has created a subcommittee that focuses on the intersectionality of climate and racial justice. This paper is a result of that subcommittee's efforts to explore climate justice and aims to do three things: provide a background and working definition of climate justice; argue that climate justice is central to reaching net-zero goals; and provide practical methods to implementing climate justice. 

    Author: 

    Pedro Henriques da Silva, GEM

    Contributors: 

    Georges Dyer, IEN
    Renee Morgan, Adasina
    Tracy Gray, The 22 Fund
    Paul Rissman, Rights CoLab
                                                                  Kaede Kawauchi, Ceres
                                                                  Lindsey White, Ceres
                                                                  Kelly Major Green, Graystone
                                                                  Madeline Clark, Cambridge
                                                                  Carol Jeppesen, UNPRI

     

    This paper was supported by: 

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    IEN's Net Zero Endowments Initiative is supported by:

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    With special thanks to the sponsors of the IEN Net Zero Endowments Initiative:

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    Read the Full Report


  • Leading with Justice: Net Zero Investing & Conversations on Climate Justice

    In partnership with The 22 Fund (The 22) Adasina Social Capital, and Global Endowment Management (GEM)

    Join us on the “The 22 Fund Day", 2/22/22 at 12:30 PM PT for a conversation around climate justice with the release of the report:


    "Leading with Justice: Net Zero Investing & Conversations on Climate Justice"

    Sessions Recording

    In partnership with The 22 Fund (The 22), Adasina Social Capital, Global Endowment Management (GEM) and Intentional Endowments Network (IEN), please join us on the “The 22 Fund Day," 2/22/22, at 12:30 PM PT for a conversation around climate justice with the the release of the paper Leading with Justice: Net Zero Investing & Conversations on Climate Justice.

    Climate Justice IS Social and Economic Justice
    Today, there is extensive evidence demonstrating how climate change disproportionately affects low-income people and populations of color who are at the frontlines of higher risks of heatwaves, extreme weather events, environmental degradation and subsequent labor market dislocations. For investors, our choices of where to invest and how to invest have meaningful ramifications for these communities. Frontline communities, who are hit first and hardest, are the best positioned to effectuate change, but are consistently overlooked as a source of solutions.


    Hear from a panel of experts on the impact and interdependence of climate, social and economic justice.

    The Panel:
    Taj Ahmad Eldridge, General Partner, Include Ventures 
    Tracy Gray, Managing Partner, The 22 Fund
    Pedro Henriques da Silva, Associate, Global Endowment Management
    Renee Morgan, Social Justice Strategist, Adasina Social Capital
    Vanessa Roanhorse, Co-Founder, Roanhorse Consulting, LLC 

    Sessions Recording


    About The 22 Fund
    The number 2 is auspicious in numerological circles and we believe that 2/22/22 is an auspicious day for The 22 Fund. The 22 was named after The 22 pobladores, the men and women of color who founded and built Los Angeles to become a vibrant and prosperous city of multi-diversity embracing technology and leading climate justice.

    The 22 invests in women and people of color who are typically overlooked by traditional sources of capital, yet who are leading companies at the forefront of climate solutions and social and economic justice. By investing in clean tech, high growth manufacturing, we are not only providing climate solutions in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods most directly damaged by the climate crisis, but we are also providing high paying jobs in these communities. Our holistic approach to impact investing embraces Climate Justice, as well as Social and Economic justice, while providing high returns to our investors.

    About Adasina Social Capital
    At Adasina Social Capital, we're committed to making large-scale, systemic change through investments in public markets. Our diverse team of people from non-traditional backgrounds works closely with the communities we intend to impact – aligning investors with social justice movements. Beyond creating our own investment criteria, Adasina mobilizes investors to drive long-term impact through industry campaigns and education.

    We believe in bold, decisive action. Adasina’s commitment to social justice movements centers the voices of communities most impacted by injustice as we leverage investments to pursue racial, gender, economic, and climate justice.

    About Global Endowment Management
    Founded in 2007 by former executives from the Duke University Management Company and The Duke Endowment, Global Endowment Management (GEM) is a leading endowment-style investment office, providing institutional investment capability and comprehensive impact investment solutions for mission-driven clients. After more than a decade of investing for mission-driven clients, we know that "one-size" does not fit all. We meet clients where they are, and design portfolios to meet their needs. By doing our job effectively, we empower our client investors to further advance their organizational missions.


  • Community Conversation for New Members: February 17, 2022

     

    We invite you to join us on Thursday, February 17, 2022 at 1pm ET for a special Community Conversation for new members of the Intentional Endowments Network. We are pleased to have you as a new leader in this network and want you and your team to have space to connect with other new members, share your priorities for engagement with the network, and hear more from the staff about upcoming opportunities.

    IEN Community Conversations are designed as an opportunity for informal, open online conversations amongst leaders in our field, to build community, and strengthen connections within our peer network. As with many of our events, Chatham House rules apply. 

    Please register and share this invitation with other staff at your organization who are interested in participating in network activities.

    We hope that you can join us and look forward to hearing your goals for co-building the field of sustainable investing together!

     


  • Weekly News Round-Up: January 14, 2022

    We’re excited to announce that sponsorship opportunities for our Virtual 2022 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit are now available here. Contact Georges at [email protected] to become a partner or sponsor. 

    We also invite you to join us for an informative webinar next Tuesday January 18th at 12pm ET on The DOL’s New Approach to ESG in Relation to the Investment Community to get a deeper understanding of the DOL's rules impact on ESG investment opportunities. Learn more and register here.

    In addition, IEN's Communications and Media Associate, Gwladys Ngatchou will from now on go by her middle name Sorelle Ngatchou. Do not be surprised if our weekly news roundup is signed by Sorelle Ngatchou going forward. Lastly, our office will be closed on Monday January 17th, 2022 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr day. 

    Read more

  • Weekly News Round-Up: January 7, 2022

    We hope you’ve all had a safe and enjoyable break and are feeling energized for 2022!

    We will be holding a webinar on January 18th to explore an exciting topic: the DOL’s latest ESG guidance for retirement plans. More details will follow, so stay tuned!

    And save the date for our virtual 2022 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit on April 5-8, 2022, registration will open soon.

    We’re saddened to announce that Julia Parker, Managing Director at IEN, will be moving on from the IEN team this week and returning to the community investing space. We look forward to keeping in contact with her.

    Read more

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