In this week’s episode of The Future of Finance, Georges Dyer sits down with Paul Herman, founder of HIP Investor (Human Impact + Profit). Paul shares how HIP uses a tech-enabled platform to turn vast amounts of real-world data—from companies, governments, nonprofits, and even satellites—into impact ratings on hundreds of thousands of securities. Listen or watch on your favorite platform! 

We’re partnering with Chief Investment Officer for its Influential Investors Forum 2025 in NYC, October 16th. Join Chief Investment Officer for insightful discussions for institutional investors of all types about how to navigate a new political regime, rebalance in a private-markets era and enhance portfolio discipline and fiduciary governance. View the agenda and register today!

In this week’s news, FIN News spotlights the Russell Family Foundation, the Education Department plans to end funding for minority-serving institutions, and Morgan Stanley finds that sustainable funds beat traditional funds in the first half of 2025.

In this week’s episode of the Future of Finance podcast, Georges Dyer speaks with Machel Allen, President & CIO of Metis Global Partners, and Brad Gretsch, Research Analyst at Metis. They dive into the critical role of real assets—including natural resources, real estate, infrastructure, commodities, and precious metals—in driving the energy transition and supporting sustainable investing. Listen!

Member asset owners, don’t forget to register for no cost for IEN’s Annual Forum, October 27-28th in Baltimore, MD. Reserve your spot today with your peers, and preview the agenda for both days on the event page.

In this week’s news, BlackRock loses a $17 billion mandate at Dutch pension fund PFZW, Bhakti Mirchandani writes about integrating human dignity into investment strategy, and allocators are adding AI to ESG concerns.

In this week’s episode of The Future of Finance, Georges Dyer hosts a powerful conversation with Philippe Bolopion (Managing Director at TOBAM) and Lauren Kaplan (Director of Governance and Risk Integration at Third Side Strategies) on why investors must pay attention to political risk and threats to democracy. Listen, or watch!

In this week’s news, the University of Mississippi Foundation returns 10.1% for the last fiscal year, a climate banking group pauses activities amid rising political pressure, and  a collaboration between First Peoples Worldwide and US SIF launched the Sustainable Indigenous Finance Initiative.

In this week’s episode of The Future of Finance, Georges Dyer speaks with Mitch Thomashow—author, educator, and former Unity College president—about the evolving landscape of environmental learning and sustainability in higher education. Drawing from his books Ecological Identity, Bringing the Biosphere Home, To Know the World, and The Nine Elements of a Sustainable Campus, Mitch explores how institutions can leverage their social, intellectual, natural, and financial capital to become hubs of sustainability innovation. Don’t miss this week’s episode!

In this week’s news, CalSTRS names its senior investment director for private markets, sustainable investments, and stewardship, corporate support for DEI continues among investors and companies, and Democrats tell asset managers that retirement dollars at risk from GOP’s anti-ESG approach.

Early bird registration for the Annual Forum closes tomorrow! Take action today to join us in Baltimore, MD, at Goucher College, October 27-28. Register with the code EARLYBIRD before rates increase to join 150+ endowment leaders, investment professionals, and sustainable investing professionals. 

We’re sharing two engagement opportunities from our broader network in this week’s newsletter – firstly, the New England Impact Investing Initiative’s 2025 Fall Fellowship, geared toward democratizing access to education in the field by diversifying and empowering the next generation of impact investing professionals. We’re also sharing the Sustainable Investing and Blended Finance Survey from Columbia SIPA, geared toward all capital providers, whether currently engaged in blended finance deals or not.

Finally, we express our sincere thanks to Tim Anderson, our Summer 2025 Sustainable Investing Fellow, for supporting this newsletter throughout his time with IEN. We were delighted to have him on the team this summer, and wish him all the best going forward!

In this week’s news, investors take aim at fossil fuel bond financing, the University Pension Plan Ontario speaks about staying the course to net zero by 2040, and with a focus on gender smart climate investing, Heading for Change launches its investment toolkit.

In this week’s special episode of The Future of Finance, we feature a compelling presentation from David Livingston, Chief Strategy Officer at Galvanize Climate Solutions and former senior advisor to U.S. Climate Envoy John Kerry. The presentation, originally made at IEN’s Virtual Forum in June, outlines how the global energy transition is unfolding within three sweeping macro shifts: from a G-7 to a G-Zero geopolitical landscape, from climate cooperation to climate competition, and from fossil fuels to a future dominated by electricity and data. Listen now!

In this week’s news, Arizona State University CIO Jeff Mindlin joins an elite group of endowment leaders with his NACUBO award, a new TIIP study shows RBF’s mission-aligned investing outperformed the market and shaped the field, and the university of Rochester names Geoff Berg as its next CIO.

In this week’s episode of the Future of Finance, Georges Dyer sits down with Grant Harrison, Vice President of Sustainable Finance and ESG at Trellis Group, formerly known as GreenBiz. Grant shares insights on the evolution of Trellis, the shift from reporting to implementation in sustainability, and how companies are navigating political headwinds, particularly in the U.S. Listen in!

In this week’s news, 75% of 401(k) participants want sustainable investing, but most don’t know it’s an option, according to Morgan Stanley, ten state universities in Germany have launched the Thuringian University Network for Sustainability, and a Bloomberg columnist argues AI should pay a price for its environmental damage.

Learn More!

This week’s episode of the Future of Finance features perspectives from Scott Hobart, who discusses the increasing demand from AI and data centers, the transformative role of tech giants in power generation, and the investment opportunities within nuclear, geothermal, and storage technologies. Listen in!

Registration opened for the Annual Forum last week! Early bird registration rates are available for IEN Member businesses, non-member businesses, and non-member asset owners with the code EARLYBIRD. IEN member asset owners can register free of cost with a separate code available upon request. Register!

In this week’s news, the McConnell Foundation supports the launch of the Amplifier Fund, a $50 million fund to build affordable, more sustainable housing in Quebec, Oregon’s State Treasurer speaks to the need for evidence-based investing, and asset owners to swap US managers for European in response to ESG retreats.

Early bird registration for IEN’s Annual Forum is now open! Firms, businesses, and non-member asset owners can use the code EARLYBIRD for 20% off of their registration for a limited time.

IEN asset owner and nonprofit members can receive complimentary registration with a separate code; please respond to this email directly if you are an asset owner to receive the code. 

This week’s episode of The Future of Finance features perspectives from Sean Penrith, founder and CEO of Gordian Knot Strategies. With two decades of experience in climate finance, Sean shares insights into the firm’s mission to mobilize $1 billion annually by 2030 through innovative climate investment strategies. Listen in!

In this week’s news, how DEI and ESG investing has changed under trump, OCIO adoption by institutional investors gaining in Canada, but lags behind the U.S., and the Intentional Endowments Network launches our Responsible Tech & AI Initiative.

We are excited to launch our Responsible Tech & AI Initiative this week, with support from the Omidyar Network. Learn more about the purpose of this initiative, and complete this interest form if you’re interested in being involved.

In this week’s episode of the Future of Finance, Georges Dyer speaks with Temple Fennell, Co-founder and Managing Director of Clean Energy Ventures, to explore the frontier of climate tech venture capital. Temple shares how his fund backs early-stage companies targeting the most difficult sectors to decarbonize—concrete, ammonia, cooling systems, battery recycling, and more—with the bold goal of mitigating 2.5 gigatons of CO₂ by 2050. Listen in!

We’re also highlighting Stanford Law School’s artificial intelligence education program, available until July 31, 2025. It’s a free, self-paced program with video lectures taught by Stanford faculty and lawyers and designed to help/ corporate investors and board members learn more about how AI systems work. Learn more about the program.

In this week’s news, clean energy fund managers rally to support for clean energy tax credits, DC schemes uphold net zero in spite of worldwide ESG backlash, and tax changes will upend investing at endowments and foundations.

In this week’s episode of the Future of Finance, Georges is joined by Dr. Ellen Quigley, Principal Research Associate at the University of Cambridge and Special Adviser to the university's CFO on Responsible Investment. Ellen breaks down the concept of universal ownership, the risks of climate change through the lens of systemic investing, and how endowments and other long-term asset owners can be powerful agents of change. Listen or watch!

IEN was featured in NACUBO’s The Solutions Exchange, spotlighting the EIB, which provides a framework for endowments to understand the extent to which they are implementing sustainable and impact investment best practices. You can receive a copy of The Endowment Impact Benchmark: Measuring Impact and Advancing Transparency here.

In this week’s news, the Sierra Club Foundation Announces its break from BlackRock/Aperio in favor of more financially responsible asset managers, SHARE publishes investor guidance on diversity, equity, and inclusion amidst the turmoil, and a new research report from Tideline, BlueMark, and Builders Vision presents a new narrative for impact investing via fixed income and offers practical guidance for investors.

In this week’s episode of the Future of Finance, host Georges Dyer sits down with Bob Smith, Co-Founder, President, and Co-Chief Investment Officer at Sage Advisory. Bob shares his firm’s evolution since its founding in 1996—from two people and a Bloomberg terminal to managing $30 billion in assets—driven by a mission to align investments with purpose. Listen to the episode or watch on Youtube!

IEN’s offices will be closed tomorrow, June 19th in observance of Juneteenth. We are grateful for the time to reflect on the root of systemic racism in the United States and the progress that still needs to be made to create a more equitable society.

In this week’s news, Kathleen Simpson and Stacey Faella explain why the time to embrace impact investing is now, asset owners with $9.5 trillion call for stopping deforestation, and the Senate panel’s newest proposal would hike the endowment tax less than the House bill.

The 2025 Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) Virtual Forum convened thought leaders, investment professionals, and mission-driven institutions over four dynamic days to explore how endowments and asset owners can advance systemic solutions through investment.

MAIN EVENT PAGE   •   REGISTER   •   AGENDA   •  SPEAKERS • RECORDINGS

2025 IEN Virtual Forum: Session Recordings

Thank you for joining us at the 2025 Intentional Endowments Network Virtual Forum — a three-day event that brought together endowment leaders, asset managers, academics, and advocates to explore how we can align investment practices with long-term sustainability, equity, and fiduciary responsibility.

Below you’ll find recordings of each session, organized by day and topic. Whether you’re revisiting a conversation or catching up on what you missed, we hope these recordings spark continued learning and action across your investment practice.

Featured Topics Included:

• Systemic Risk & System-Level Investing
  Why long-term value depends on market-wide health, not just firm-level returns.

• Responsible AI & Investor Governance
  How asset owners can shape ethical innovation in an era of rapid technological change.

• Political Risk, Democracy, & Fiduciary Duty
  Understanding how governance affects markets—and what investors can do about it.

• Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Asset Management
  Performance, fairness, and the business case for inclusive investing.

• Carbon Markets as an Asset Class
  How emissions trading systems are shaping a new frontier for climate-aligned investment.

• Reimagining Stewardship
  Moving from short-term profits to long-term systemic stability.

Day One: June 2, 2025 

Keynote: Systemic Risks & System-Level Investing

• • Jon Lukomnik, Adjunct Professor, Columbia University 

Keynote & Panel: Responsible AI & The Role of Investors

• • Mike Kubzansky, CEO, Omidyar Network

• • Chris Jurgens, Senior Director, Programs, Omidyar Network
  • Lauren Compere, Managing Director & Head of Stewardship and Engagement, Boston Common Asset Management
  • Ananya Mukherjee, Project Manager, Whistlestop Capital
  • Hilary Irby, Chief Sustainability Officer and Head of Impact Strategy, Soros Fund Management

Day Two: June 3, 2025 

Fireside Chat: Addressing Political Risk & Threats to Democracy

• • Lauren Caplan, Director of Governance and Risk Integration, Third Side Strategies
  • Philippe Bolopion, Managing Director, Co-Head of Long-Term Investing, TOBAM

Fireside Chat: Diversity in Asset Management and Advancing Equity in Society

• • Kenneth Jones, SVP, COO, & Chief Equity Officer, MacArthur Foundation
  • Robert L. Greene, President & CEO, National Association of Investment Companies

Keynote: Compliance Carbon as an Attractive Alternative Asset Class

• • Michael Azlen, CEO and CIO, Carbon Cap Management LLP

Day Three: June 4, 2025 

Keynote: Investing in Climate Solutions

Visionary Voices

• • Jaylen Spann, Lead Research Associate, Whistle Stop Capital
  • Kathryn Hopkins, Chief Learning Officer, Investature
  • Julianne Zimmerman, Co-CEO, Adasina Social Capital
  • Heather Smith, Head of Stewardship, Impax Asset Management

Panel: Benchmarking Progress & Continuing Momentum with the Endowment Impact Benchmark 

• • Alexandra Chamberlin, Impact Investment Manager, McConnell Foundation
  • Emily Philpott, Associate, BlueMark
  • Georges Dyer, Executive Director, Intentional Endowments Network (IEN)

Day Four: June 5, 2025 

Keynote: Board Diversity Language Toolkit

Panel: Climate, Capital, and Fiduciary Duty

• • John Adler, Chief ESG Officer, NYC Officer of the Comptroller
  • Machel Allen, President & Chief Investment Officer, Metis Global Partners
  • Kirsten Spalding, Vice President, Investor Network, Ceres

Keynote: Portfolios over Companies: The System Stewardship Imperative

• • Sara Murphy, Chief Strategy Officer, The Shareholder Commons

The peer-learning network will support investors in driving responsible governance and guardrails for safe application of AI technologies.

The peer-learning network will support investors in driving responsible governance and guardrails for safe application of AI technologies.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS (July 9, 2025) – The Intentional Endowments Network has launched the Responsible Tech & AI Initiative for endowments, foundations, and financial service firms as a key aspect of its work in 2025. This work, supported by Omidyar Network, will engage institutional allocators, managers, and subject matter experts to drive a more ethical and transparent tech ecosystem.

The initiative will build on previous and existing work in the responsible tech sector, centering experts’ work on proper governance, integrating climate risks into investment decisions, and engaging with managers on the climate, governance, and human capital risks associated with their technology & AI investments. The Intentional Endowments Network began broaching this subject during its June Virtual Forum, where experts across disciplines presented on ways asset owners can shape ethical innovation.

While AI holds tremendous promise to drive productivity, efficiency, and innovation, it also represents material risks to society and investors.  AI can drive or exacerbate problems related to a wide range of issues, including energy and water use, climate change, human rights, worker rights, mis/disinformation, political polarization, election manipulation, discrimination, gender and racial bias, privacy and personal data, deepfakes, and more.  These issues can create broad systemic risks for investor portfolios, as well as company-specific risks including reputational risk, litigation risk, and regulatory risk. 

“We’re excited to be integrating this critical subject into our workstreams in 2025,” said Georges Dyer, Co-Founder and Executive Director of the Intentional Endowments Network. “We continue to hear from members that AI & responsible tech are at the top of the agenda for investment committees and at board meetings. We look forward to engaging with experts to build awareness of the key issues for endowment & foundation teams as well as their service providers.”

The Responsible Tech & AI Initiative is supported by Omidyar Network, a philanthropic organization that invests in and collaborates with some of the world’s brightest visionaries and ventures to guide our digital future toward the greatest good for the greatest number of people. Under the leadership of CEO Mike Kubzansky, Omidyar Network has shown leadership in generative AI governance, the future of workers and jobs, and the concentration of power in tech markets.

“Generative AI and other digital technologies are having profound impacts on corporate performance, markets, and institutional investors’ portfolios,” said Chris Jurgens, senior director at Omidyar Network.  “Addressing the impacts of digital technologies on companies, their stakeholders and the planet is a critical next frontier in responsible investing, and we are excited to be partnering with IEN and its members on ways investors can learn and take action.”

About The Intentional Endowments Network

The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) supports higher education institutions to adopt investment strategies that create an equitable, low-carbon, and regenerative economy. IEN connects endowments, asset managers, investment consultants, nonprofit partners, and individuals to advance the field of mission-aligned, sustainable investing. IEN is housed at the Crane Institute of Sustainability (“Crane”), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Learn more at www.intentionalendowments.org

About Omidyar Network

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic organization with a mission to bend the arc of the digital revolution towards shared power, prosperity, and possibility. We envision a world where our shared humanity steers our digital future. So far, we have committed more than $1.94 billion to initiatives that share our vision.

Media Contact

Georges Dyer, Co-founder & Executive Director, Intentional Endowments Network
[email protected]

Alexis Krieg, Director, Omidyar Network 
[email protected] 

In this week’s episode of The Future of Finance, Georges welcomes Dr. Karl-Henrik Robèrt, a pioneering scientist and sustainability expert, to discuss the Framework for Strategic Sustainable Development (FSSD). They explore how businesses, investors, and policymakers can use a systems-thinking approach to address sustainability challenges and identify opportunities for innovation. Listen in (or watch!)

The dates of our Virtual Spring Forum have changed - we are looking forward to convening the Network from June 2-5, 2025! Our half-day sessions will explore the most pressing topics in sustainable investing, from responding to political backlash to responsible tech & AI. Don’t forget to register!

In this week’s news, Dartmouth President Sian Leah Beilock says an endowment tax hike threatens research, the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance calls on policymakers to support the CDFI Fund, and Impact Frontiers releases a Case study of the UBS Optimus Foundation.