Learn about Community Investing 

• ESG & Community Impact Investing Roundtable | IEN event, 2019
• Community Investing Roundtable | IEN event, 2018
• The Power & Impact Of Community Investing | IEN's Expert Q&A Articles Series, 2018
• Community Investing | US SIF
• Place-Based Investing: Creating Sustainable Returns and Strong Communitiesl Democracy Collaborative
• Expanding the Market for Community Investment In the United States l US SIF, July 2013
• Investing Cash for Impact: A Guide for Asset Owners | Pathstone 

Invest with Community Development Finance Institutions (CDFIs)

Community Loan funds and Community Development Finance Institutions offer endowments cash or fixed income like investments that have a positive impact on the surrounding community.  They have a risk/return profile that can make investments suitable for the fixed income or cash portfolio dependent on the tenor of the note or CD.  When used as a cash investment, endowments may want to consider laddering investments as the loans made generally have a 1 - 10 year tenor and these investments cannot be sold on the public market.

• Step 1: Find CDFIs in your market or that align with your interests
  • Loan Funds that accept individual investments by SVC highlights opportunities for investors to invest capital in these mission-focused community lenders 
  • CDFI Locator | Opportunity Finance Network 

• Step 2: Evaluate and Invest
  • Many CDFI's are rated by an organization called Aeris which rates both the financial stability and impact of the organization. A few have been rated by Standard & Poors rating agency.

Peer Examples

• Maximizing Returns to Colleges and Communities: A Handbook on Community Investment l Michael E. Swack, University of New Hampshire, 2009
• ESG & Community Impact Investing Roundtable | IEN event, 2019
• Community Investing Roundtable | IEN event, 2018
• The Power & Impact Of Community Investing | IEN's Expert Q&A Articles Series, 2018
• Partnership for Community Investing: Higher Education and CDFIs Working Together | OFN, 2021

Sample Investment Policy Statements 

• 🔐 Sample Sustainable Investing Policies: You can see a comprehensive list of sample policies curated by IEN.[member only resource]

Additional Resources

• Place-Based Investing for Resilient Rural Development | Croatan Institute, 2016
• Strategies to Address Climate Change Risk in Low- and Moderate-income Communities | Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, 2019
• Higher Education’s Anchor Mission: Measuring Place-Based Engagement l Democracy Collaborative, 2017