We’re excited to have Rachael Camargo (MSCI), Bob Bancroft (Nathan Cummings Foundation), and Mamadou-Abou Sarr (V-Square) to speak about Reconciling Funding Programs and Impactful Investment Portfolios on September 26 at 1 pm ET. Register to join us to learn how to leverage partnerships to drive multi-sector and real-world change. Register here!

In this week’s news, NYU commits to divest its $5 billion endowment of fossil fuels, California passes major climate disclosure rules for public and private companies, and AASHE releases its 2023 Sustainable Campus Index.

Our 2023 Fall Forum is fast approaching. Register to join 100+ higher education leaders on October 25 in Virginia Beach to network and engage in critical conversations on mission-aligned investing. Preview the 2023 Fall Forum speakers lineup, and remember to secure your spot today!

In this week’s news, FFI Solutions published a call-to-action for college endowments; climate risk drives home insurers to cut natural disaster coverage from policies; and Australia agrees to disclose the climate risks of sovereign bonds after a college student’s lawsuit.

September 26, 2023

Harmonizing Purpose and Profit: Navigating Impactful Investments for Mission-Driven Foundations

The world of philanthropy and impact investing is undergoing a profound transformation, with foundations and endowment at the heart of this change. We recognize the vital role they play in shaping our social and economic landscape, driving positive change for the communities they serve. However, the journey to balance funding programs that uplift these communities while generating sustainable investment returns remains a complex challenge.

Join The Nathan Cummings Foundation, MSCI, and V-Square Asset Management for an insightful webinar where we delve into the theme of aligning purpose with profit for investors.

Participants will:

- Better understand foundation dynamics
- Understand how to navigate dual mandates
- Explore the solutions implemented by V-Square and MSCI, respectively
- Analyze collaborative partnerships for the potential to drive multi-sector and real-world change

Recording:

We are looking forward to hosting a sustainable investing in endowments panel at AASHE 2023 Conference & Expo, and invite you to join us alongside other higher education stakeholders for this transformative event in Boston.

Also, IEN members are invited to register our next Investment Governance Initiative call on September 5 at 1 pm ET, featuring Jon Lukomnik, founder of Sinclair Capital. Join us for a conversation on systems-level investing and more next Tuesday!

Additionally, our 2024 Student Corporate Engagement Challenge interest form is open! Whether you’re a student, a sustainable investing professional interested in mentoring a student, or a firm interested in partnering, you can indicate your interest in learning more about this academic year’s Challenge. 

In this week’s news, Vanguard’s support for climate-related shareholder proposals fell this proxy voting year, Pro Mujer issues the first gender-focused bond in Argentina, and a new report provides suggestions for shareholder engagement on agriculture and biodiversity. 

November 6, 2023 | 3 pm ET

The IEN Community Roundtable was a unique event dedicated to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).This call provided an opportunity to engage with HBCU stakeholders and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) professionals as we explored mission-aligned investing strategies and other critical topics and emerging trends that will shape the future of HBCU investments.

Participants discovered the distinctive needs and hurdles faced by HBCUs in their sustainable investing journey, learned from peers and thought leaders, and explored how the Intentional Endowments Network can support along the way.

Registrants enjoyed an opportunity to connect and delve into critical topics related to endowment management to make positive social and environmental impact with investments.

Recording:

Transcript

HBCU Roundtable Notes

Speakers:

 
 Charles Prince, Chief Transformation and Sustainability Officer, Chief of Staff, Dillard University

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

Listen to our latest Beyond Carbon podcast episode featuring Dr. Michael Greenstone exploring the economic implications of carbon emissions. Also, IEN Members can now watch our recent webinar recording on how shareholder engagement and proxy voting can support net zero portfolio commitments. 

Additionally, we’re looking forward to our 2023 Fall Forum, a half-day interactive event on October 25th at Virginia Wesleyan University in Virginia Beach, VA. We invite you to register to build relationships and be inspired to take sustainable action.

In this week’s news, we highlight Natixis’ HUB as a resource for investors seeking information on ESG. A ConocoPhillips deal triggers divestment warnings from European pension plans and CalSTRS votes against directors at more than 2,000 firms for inadequate climate action.

We’re looking forward to joining our member, AASHE in Boston this Fall for the AASHE 2023 Conference & Expo, October 29 - 31. We invite you to register and  join us with other education leaders for an immersive learning experience to advance sustainability efforts in our respective institutions. 

In this week’s news, the Montana youths suing over climate negligence read the remarkable victory, three NYC pension plans look to dismiss a fossil fuel lawsuit, and gender diversity on corporate boards sees incremental progress.

We are less than a week away from our upcoming webinar on net zero, shareholder engagement, and proxy voting with TIAA and ASU. Register to join Megan Ahern, Anthony Garcia, and Jeff Mindlin next Wednesday, August 16 at 1 pm for a case study on Arizona State University’s engagement on climate issues. 

We also invite you to preview the agenda for our 2023 Fall Forum! Key panels, including a Warren Wilson College case study on racial equity in the investment process, will round out the afternoon’s dynamic conversations. Register today to be a part of the event in Virginia Beach, October 25!

In this week’s news, a Harvard professor and environmental lawyer steps down from a board role at ConocoPhillips, S&P drops numerical ESG scores from debt ratings, and a new paper highlights the greenwashing present in many institutional investment portfolios.

Join us for our upcoming webinar on engagement, proxy voting, and the implementation of net zero commitments with ASU and TIAA on August 16 at 1 pm ET. 

Sponsorship opportunities are still available for IEN’s upcoming in-person events. Firms interested in sponsoring our 2023 Fall Forum or 2024 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit should contact Harrison Ungar at [email protected]. 

In this week’s news, Impax releases its Stewardship and Advocacy Report, Oregon Tech is awarded $18 million for a revamp of its geothermal energy system, and Church of England organizes an $128 million fund addressing its ties to the slave trade.

Explore our new blog posts highlighting a presentation of the Mayaan Fund, a student-managed investment fund out of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI), and a PRI press coverage compilation emphasizing investors’ fiduciary obligation to consider how ESG factors affect investment risk and return.

In this week’s news, Ceres releases a report on U.S. insurers’ climate risk mitigation strategies, research from PIMCO finds DC sponsors reluctant to integrate ESG options into plans, and broken climate heat records across the world have scientists concerned. 

Proxy voting and shareholder engagement around climate issues continues to create real impact amidst the political headwinds. Join us on August 16 at 1 pm ET to engage with speakers from Arizona State University and TIAA on ways engagement with portfolio companies can help institutions reach net zero portfolio goals.

In this week’s news, UC implements an equity weighted social cost of carbon, Royal Holloway, University of London divests from fossil fuel and armament companies, and Goldman Sachs releases a report on investing in HBCUs.

We invite you to register to join more than one hundred sustainable investing and higher education leaders at our 2023 Fall Forum, October 25 at Virginia Wesleyan University! The forum will be a half-day convening focusing on dialogue, networking, and action planning.

Also, our SIILK Initiative will also be holding its next quarterly call on Wednesday, June 19 at 10 am ET, featuring a presentation from the Mayaan Fund. Join this early-stage student fund to learn how they are marrying impact and venture capital.

In this week’s news, a survey of asset owners by Morningstar reveals ESG is still an important issue, Seattle University completes its fossil fuel divestment, and a recap of proxy voting season reveals successes despite a challenging political environment.

We invite you to join our upcoming SIILK Initiative call, which will feature a presentation from the emerging, student-led Mayaan Fund of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Also, IEN members can now watch last week’s reparations finance webinar recording.

In this week’s news, the impact of the Supreme Court’s affirmative action ruling on companies is examined, European power prices plunge below zero, and blue states counter anti-ESG measures with climate-friendly legislation of their own.

We were delighted to host a sustainable retirement panel at GreenFin this week, and invite you to read the follow-up remarks from our ED, Georges Dyer, covered by CNBC.

Thank you to those who were able to join our Juneteenth conversation on reparations finance. IEN Members will be able to access the recording next week.

In this week’s news, the Supreme Court strikes down affirmative action, the Church of England pledges to divest, and Larry Fink distances himself from ‘ESG’ (but not sustainable investing).

We hope you'll join us next Wednesday (6/28) at 12 pm ET to explore how we can effectively raise the bar for endowments and foundations' racial equity efforts, with a focus on reparations' role in eliminating the racial wealth gap and systemic racism.

In this week’s news, the University of St Michael’s College commits to divesting from fossil fuels, Kwantlen Polytechnic University waives tuition for local First Nation students, and the SEC releases a tentative timeline for its finalized ESG rule.

Recently, IEN’s SIILK Initiative had the pleasure of hosting a presentation from the budding Mayaan Fund, a student-managed investment fund out of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem (HUJI). Elana Steinbach and Shir Kahanov, the student-and-faculty leads of the Fund, explained the fund’s inception, its role in the HUJI community and venture capital ecosystem, and the fund structure. 

Net zero portfolios are an effective and powerful way for investors to reduce risks associated with climate change and the transition to a low-carbon economy. They also accelerate corporate climate action to reduce systemic risk for all investors and to protect current and future generations from climate impacts.

IEN convenes and supports endowments in learning about net zero endowments, making commitments, and participating in shareholder engagement efforts to get portfolio companies onto decarbonization pathways aligned with the 1.5 degree C warming target of the Paris Climate Agreement. This Quarterly Call was open to all IEN members. Participants joined us for presentations from Pedro Henriques da Silva (Director of Shifting Trillions at the Sierra Club Foundation) and Ed Micklem (Vice President and Head of Strategic Partnerships at Tumelo), followed by Q&A and dialogue!

If you or your organization would like to learn more or participate in this initiative, please contact Aicha Ly at [email protected].

Recording

IEN's Investment Governance Initiative connects trustees to create opportunities for peer-to-peer learning among college and university fiduciaries on sustainable investing. It also develops documents and other vehicles to clarify for higher education trustees how sustainable investing strategies relate to their fiduciary duties, designed for audiences of trustees, presidents, CIO's, and CFO's.

This quarterly call is open to members only. To learn more about this initiative or IEN membership, contact Georges Dyer at [email protected].

Recording

August 16, 2023 | 1 pm ET

Despite political headwinds, there were a number of successes during the 2023 proxy voting season, including proposals on climate transition and emissions reduction plans to improve financial performance. Proxy voting and shareholder engagement around climate issues continues to create real impact at investee companies, a fact that continues to move institutional investors to choose this tack to advance their sustainability goals. 

In this IEN webinar, member institution Arizona State University shares how they're advancing their net zero portfolio commitment through shareholder engagement, including collaboration utilizing proxy voting service As You Vote and direct corporate engagement on greater policy lobbying disclosures. ASU will be joined by TIAA, who will discuss their long-term engagement strategy on net zero goals and sustainability measures.

Participants learned:

• Best practices for shareholder engagement from an institutional investor and a manager
• How to integrate sustainability goals, including a net zero commitment, into shareholder engagement efforts
• How the new universal proxy card rules will affect institutional investors looking to promote equity and diversity in portfolio companies.

Recording

Arizona State University Slides

Nuveen-TIAA Slides

Speakers:

• Megan Ahern - Senior Analyst, Responsible Investing, TIAA / Nuveen
• Anthony Garcia - Director of Responsible Investing, TIAA / Nuveen
• Jeff Mindlin - Vice President of Investments, ASU Enterprise Partners