New Report on Campuses and Endowments Investing in Clean ...
Today the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) announced the launch of a new report titled “Investing in Clean Energy: Campuses and Endowments” during a Forum at Loyola University Chicago. The report is designed to encourage conversation about the financial and societal benefits of clean energy investments higher education can make – both as a customer and an institutional investor through their endowments. It explores the current opportunities and barriers to such investments. Clean energy investments include renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, energy storage, combined heat & power, and electrified transport solutions. With over $528 billion in assets, the ability to make illiquid investments, and long-term investment horizons, there are many options for college and university endowments to invest in clean energy....
Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State Uni...
On September 19, 2016, Robert J. Nava, The Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State University, spoke at The CETYS University International Seminar of Innovation in Higher Education. Nava's comments focused on social responsibility within the context of San Francisco State University and the SF State Foundation's commitment to align its core values of social justice and environmental sustainability with socially responsible investing. His full comments are featured below.
Press Release: Hank Paulson, Former U.S. Secretary of the...
Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Paulson Institute, and Co-Chair of the Risky Business Project will be the keynote speaker at the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) and Loyola University Chicago’s Intentionally Designed Endowments Forum. Paulson and other speakers, including David Blood, co-founder of Generation Investment Management and former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management will address endowment decision makers about climate risk and the growing interest in ESG investing. Please read the press release. For additional information about the forum please click here.
IEN Members to Deliver Session at 2016 AASHE Conference
We are thrilled to be delivering a session at the upcoming annual conference of AASHE - the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - taking place from October 9-12, 2016 in Baltimore. The following IEN members will be sharing their perspectives: Christie Zarkovich, Director, Cambridge Associates Mark Orlowski, Executive Director, Sustainable Endowments Institute Michele Madia, Director of Education and Partnerships, Second Nature Ken Locklin, Managing Director, Impax Asset Management Georges Dyer, Principal, Intentional Endowments Network (Moderator) A description of the session is below. If you're planning on attending, please join us for this exciting conversation! If you're not yet registered for the AASHE conference, you can still do so until Sept. 22, 2016.
Recap: Accelerating Innovation in ESG Investing
This year IEN partnered with Bloomberg LP and the ICMA Centre at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School, to foster engagement and knowledge exchange on sustainable, responsible and impact investment between academics and practitioners. Together we designed a day of panels and discussions to bridge emerging academic as well as applied approaches to ESG integration and sustainable investment. Nearly 100 attendees representing asset owners, investment managers, investment consultants, and academics gathered at the June 13 event, "Accelerating Innovations in ESG Investing," hosted by Bloomberg LP. An overview of recent academic research on the performance of strategies integrating ESG or sustainability factors was provided Dr. Andreas Hoepner, Associate Professor of Finance at the ICMA Centre of Henley Business School, during...
Thoughts on Filing a Shareholder Resolution at ExxonMobil
From The Dwight Hall SRI Fund at Yale University Last week, our shareholder engagement team at the Dwight Hall SRI Fund received some positive news. We learned that the shareholder resolution that we had co-filed at ExxonMobil was to be included in the company’s annual proxy statement and would be voted on by the company’s shareholders in May. This is our latest milestone in an unfinished journey, which began in August of 2014. At that time, the Yale Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility announced that the Yale Endowment would adopt a special proxy voting directive for the issue of climate change: “Yale will generally support reasonable and well-constructed shareholder resolutions seeking company disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, analyses of the...
Moving to 100% Impact Investing Across All Asset Classes:...
By R. Paul Herman, CEO of HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor Inc. How can you move your endowment and trustees from Intention to Implementation? This four-step guide can help shift your institution more swiftly and comprehensively to a 100% impact-focused portfolio -- across all asset classes. 1. Re-affirm your MISSION, and embed it in every investment conversation – and asset class. Environmental organizations, from The Nature Conservancy to zoos and aquariums, exist to protect, preserve and spread Nature as its mission. However, many endowment portfolios – even those with a clear purpose – are not always aligned with the mission. For the Global Conservation Network, whose mission is to ensure the expansion and preservation of species, Dr. Onnie...
Becker College to Invest 100% of Endowment to Benefit Env...
On March 10th, 2016, Becker College, a founding member of the Intentional Endowments Network, announced that they have officially mandated that all investments in their endowment should generate a positive impact on society as well as a financial return. This makes Becker the first college or university to pursue a 100% impact strategy across its entire endowment, including metrics on health, income, equality, environment, diversity and transparency. The completion date for the portfolio transformation of the school's $5 million endowment is June 30th, 2017. To read the press release, click here.
Press Release: Founding Members of the Intentional Endowm...
Nearly 80 colleges and universities, foundations, investment firms, and non-profits make up the Founding Members of the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN). After an 18-month pilot phase of building this peer-network and learning community, the launch of a more formal membership program represents an exciting milestone for the initiative. The list of members is available here. Please read the press release, and share this exciting news!
Michael Porter TED Talk: Why Business Can be Good at Solv...
In this TED Talk, Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, makes a case for letting businesses work to solve massive problems like climate change and access to water. Why? Because when business solves a problem, it makes a profit -- which lets that solution grow.
Michael Porter TED Talk: Why Business Can be Good at Solv...
In this TED Talk, Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, makes a case for letting businesses work to solve massive problems like climate change and access to water. Why? Because when business solves a problem, it makes a profit -- which lets that solution grow.
Press Release: Founding Members of the Intentional Endowm...
Nearly 80 colleges and universities, foundations, investment firms, and non-profits make up the Founding Members of the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN). After an 18-month pilot phase of building this peer-network and learning community, the launch of a more formal membership program represents an exciting milestone for the initiative. The list of members is available here. Please read the press release, and share this exciting news!
Becker College to Invest 100% of Endowment to Benefit Env...
On March 10th, 2016, Becker College, a founding member of the Intentional Endowments Network, announced that they have officially mandated that all investments in their endowment should generate a positive impact on society as well as a financial return. This makes Becker the first college or university to pursue a 100% impact strategy across its entire endowment, including metrics on health, income, equality, environment, diversity and transparency. The completion date for the portfolio transformation of the school's $5 million endowment is June 30th, 2017. To read the press release, click here.
Moving to 100% Impact Investing Across All Asset Classes:...
By R. Paul Herman, CEO of HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor Inc. How can you move your endowment and trustees from Intention to Implementation? This four-step guide can help shift your institution more swiftly and comprehensively to a 100% impact-focused portfolio -- across all asset classes. 1. Re-affirm your MISSION, and embed it in every investment conversation – and asset class. Environmental organizations, from The Nature Conservancy to zoos and aquariums, exist to protect, preserve and spread Nature as its mission. However, many endowment portfolios – even those with a clear purpose – are not always aligned with the mission. For the Global Conservation Network, whose mission is to ensure the expansion and preservation of species, Dr. Onnie...
Thoughts on Filing a Shareholder Resolution at ExxonMobil
From The Dwight Hall SRI Fund at Yale University Last week, our shareholder engagement team at the Dwight Hall SRI Fund received some positive news. We learned that the shareholder resolution that we had co-filed at ExxonMobil was to be included in the company’s annual proxy statement and would be voted on by the company’s shareholders in May. This is our latest milestone in an unfinished journey, which began in August of 2014. At that time, the Yale Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility announced that the Yale Endowment would adopt a special proxy voting directive for the issue of climate change: “Yale will generally support reasonable and well-constructed shareholder resolutions seeking company disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, analyses of the...
Recap: Accelerating Innovation in ESG Investing
This year IEN partnered with Bloomberg LP and the ICMA Centre at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School, to foster engagement and knowledge exchange on sustainable, responsible and impact investment between academics and practitioners. Together we designed a day of panels and discussions to bridge emerging academic as well as applied approaches to ESG integration and sustainable investment. Nearly 100 attendees representing asset owners, investment managers, investment consultants, and academics gathered at the June 13 event, "Accelerating Innovations in ESG Investing," hosted by Bloomberg LP. An overview of recent academic research on the performance of strategies integrating ESG or sustainability factors was provided Dr. Andreas Hoepner, Associate Professor of Finance at the ICMA Centre of Henley Business School, during...
IEN Members to Deliver Session at 2016 AASHE Conference
We are thrilled to be delivering a session at the upcoming annual conference of AASHE - the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - taking place from October 9-12, 2016 in Baltimore. The following IEN members will be sharing their perspectives: Christie Zarkovich, Director, Cambridge Associates Mark Orlowski, Executive Director, Sustainable Endowments Institute Michele Madia, Director of Education and Partnerships, Second Nature Ken Locklin, Managing Director, Impax Asset Management Georges Dyer, Principal, Intentional Endowments Network (Moderator) A description of the session is below. If you're planning on attending, please join us for this exciting conversation! If you're not yet registered for the AASHE conference, you can still do so until Sept. 22, 2016.
Press Release: Hank Paulson, Former U.S. Secretary of the...
Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Paulson Institute, and Co-Chair of the Risky Business Project will be the keynote speaker at the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) and Loyola University Chicago’s Intentionally Designed Endowments Forum. Paulson and other speakers, including David Blood, co-founder of Generation Investment Management and former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management will address endowment decision makers about climate risk and the growing interest in ESG investing. Please read the press release. For additional information about the forum please click here.
Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State Uni...
On September 19, 2016, Robert J. Nava, The Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State University, spoke at The CETYS University International Seminar of Innovation in Higher Education. Nava's comments focused on social responsibility within the context of San Francisco State University and the SF State Foundation's commitment to align its core values of social justice and environmental sustainability with socially responsible investing. His full comments are featured below.
New Report on Campuses and Endowments Investing in Clean ...
Today the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) announced the launch of a new report titled “Investing in Clean Energy: Campuses and Endowments” during a Forum at Loyola University Chicago. The report is designed to encourage conversation about the financial and societal benefits of clean energy investments higher education can make – both as a customer and an institutional investor through their endowments. It explores the current opportunities and barriers to such investments. Clean energy investments include renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, energy storage, combined heat & power, and electrified transport solutions. With over $528 billion in assets, the ability to make illiquid investments, and long-term investment horizons, there are many options for college and university endowments to invest in clean energy....
Becker College to Invest 100% of Endowment to Benefit Env...
On March 10th, 2016, Becker College, a founding member of the Intentional Endowments Network, announced that they have officially mandated that all investments in their endowment should generate a positive impact on society as well as a financial return. This makes Becker the first college or university to pursue a 100% impact strategy across its entire endowment, including metrics on health, income, equality, environment, diversity and transparency. The completion date for the portfolio transformation of the school's $5 million endowment is June 30th, 2017. To read the press release, click here.
IEN Members to Deliver Session at 2016 AASHE Conference
We are thrilled to be delivering a session at the upcoming annual conference of AASHE - the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education - taking place from October 9-12, 2016 in Baltimore. The following IEN members will be sharing their perspectives: Christie Zarkovich, Director, Cambridge Associates Mark Orlowski, Executive Director, Sustainable Endowments Institute Michele Madia, Director of Education and Partnerships, Second Nature Ken Locklin, Managing Director, Impax Asset Management Georges Dyer, Principal, Intentional Endowments Network (Moderator) A description of the session is below. If you're planning on attending, please join us for this exciting conversation! If you're not yet registered for the AASHE conference, you can still do so until Sept. 22, 2016.
Michael Porter TED Talk: Why Business Can be Good at Solv...
In this TED Talk, Michael Porter, a professor at Harvard Business School, makes a case for letting businesses work to solve massive problems like climate change and access to water. Why? Because when business solves a problem, it makes a profit -- which lets that solution grow.
Moving to 100% Impact Investing Across All Asset Classes:...
By R. Paul Herman, CEO of HIP (Human Impact + Profit) Investor Inc. How can you move your endowment and trustees from Intention to Implementation? This four-step guide can help shift your institution more swiftly and comprehensively to a 100% impact-focused portfolio -- across all asset classes. 1. Re-affirm your MISSION, and embed it in every investment conversation – and asset class. Environmental organizations, from The Nature Conservancy to zoos and aquariums, exist to protect, preserve and spread Nature as its mission. However, many endowment portfolios – even those with a clear purpose – are not always aligned with the mission. For the Global Conservation Network, whose mission is to ensure the expansion and preservation of species, Dr. Onnie...
New Report on Campuses and Endowments Investing in Clean ...
Today the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) announced the launch of a new report titled “Investing in Clean Energy: Campuses and Endowments” during a Forum at Loyola University Chicago. The report is designed to encourage conversation about the financial and societal benefits of clean energy investments higher education can make – both as a customer and an institutional investor through their endowments. It explores the current opportunities and barriers to such investments. Clean energy investments include renewable energy generation, energy efficiency, energy storage, combined heat & power, and electrified transport solutions. With over $528 billion in assets, the ability to make illiquid investments, and long-term investment horizons, there are many options for college and university endowments to invest in clean energy....
Press Release: Founding Members of the Intentional Endowm...
Nearly 80 colleges and universities, foundations, investment firms, and non-profits make up the Founding Members of the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN). After an 18-month pilot phase of building this peer-network and learning community, the launch of a more formal membership program represents an exciting milestone for the initiative. The list of members is available here. Please read the press release, and share this exciting news!
Press Release: Hank Paulson, Former U.S. Secretary of the...
Hank Paulson, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Chairman of the Paulson Institute, and Co-Chair of the Risky Business Project will be the keynote speaker at the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) and Loyola University Chicago’s Intentionally Designed Endowments Forum. Paulson and other speakers, including David Blood, co-founder of Generation Investment Management and former CEO of Goldman Sachs Asset Management will address endowment decision makers about climate risk and the growing interest in ESG investing. Please read the press release. For additional information about the forum please click here.
Recap: Accelerating Innovation in ESG Investing
This year IEN partnered with Bloomberg LP and the ICMA Centre at the University of Reading’s Henley Business School, to foster engagement and knowledge exchange on sustainable, responsible and impact investment between academics and practitioners. Together we designed a day of panels and discussions to bridge emerging academic as well as applied approaches to ESG integration and sustainable investment. Nearly 100 attendees representing asset owners, investment managers, investment consultants, and academics gathered at the June 13 event, "Accelerating Innovations in ESG Investing," hosted by Bloomberg LP. An overview of recent academic research on the performance of strategies integrating ESG or sustainability factors was provided Dr. Andreas Hoepner, Associate Professor of Finance at the ICMA Centre of Henley Business School, during...
Thoughts on Filing a Shareholder Resolution at ExxonMobil
From The Dwight Hall SRI Fund at Yale University Last week, our shareholder engagement team at the Dwight Hall SRI Fund received some positive news. We learned that the shareholder resolution that we had co-filed at ExxonMobil was to be included in the company’s annual proxy statement and would be voted on by the company’s shareholders in May. This is our latest milestone in an unfinished journey, which began in August of 2014. At that time, the Yale Corporation Committee on Investor Responsibility announced that the Yale Endowment would adopt a special proxy voting directive for the issue of climate change: “Yale will generally support reasonable and well-constructed shareholder resolutions seeking company disclosure of greenhouse gas emissions, analyses of the...
Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State Uni...
On September 19, 2016, Robert J. Nava, The Vice President for Advancement at San Francisco State University, spoke at The CETYS University International Seminar of Innovation in Higher Education. Nava's comments focused on social responsibility within the context of San Francisco State University and the SF State Foundation's commitment to align its core values of social justice and environmental sustainability with socially responsible investing. His full comments are featured below.