|
Dear Sorelle,
We are thrilled to announce our rebranded quarterly newsletter, The IEN Edge—a fresh look at IEN’s activities, curated sustainable investing resources, and highlights of endowment investing progress. We highly value your feedback! Please take a moment to complete our Annual Member Survey to help us improve your experience within the network.
This fall, we celebrated a decade of impact in sustainable investing. As part of the celebration, we honored our co-founder, Tony Cortese, by launching the Anthony Cortese Fellowship Fund to support the next generation of diverse sustainability leaders. We invite you to donate to the fund and help us build a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.
Additionally, we’re accepting climate justice case study submissions to inform our Climate Justice Taskforce’s research papers. Recent network activities included virtual learning sessions on ESG myths and endowment ESG strategies, plus vibrant engagements at partner events.
We’re now confirming the 2025 Endowment Impact Benchmark (EIB) cohort. Participants will receive tailored feedback, third-party verified ratings, and peer benchmarking. Interested? Complete the interest form or reply to this email.
Warm regards,
The IEN Team
|
Upcoming Events
Please join us for our upcoming IEN events:
Others Events
IEN Members can access past webinar recordings through IEN’s member-only archive
|
|
|
Relive IEN’s 10th Anniversary Gala
For those who joined us—and those who couldn’t—our 10th Anniversary Gala was a night to remember. Experience the joyful moments and the milestones we’ve achieved together over the past decade through our special gala blog.
Continue reading
|
|
Endowment Impact Benchmark (EIB)
We are wrapping up the second pilot cohort of the EIB this fall with 10 more endowments and foundations going through the process, bringing the total to 15. Check out the experiences of The Russell Family Foundation and the AJL Foundation, both of which earned Platinum ratings through the EIB. We are currently confirming endowments & foundations to participate in the 2025 cohort - please be in touch to schedule an assessment if your institution is interested in going through this valuable process.
The assessment is verified and rated with guaranteed security and confidentiality by BlueMark, an independent impact verification firm.
The EIB is generously supported by:
- Tipping Point Fund
- Sorenson Impact Foundation
- Rockefeller Brothers Fund
- ClimateWorks Foundation
Supporting Sponsor: Amundi
|
SIILK Network: Sustainable & Impact Investing Learning & Knowledge
|
|
IEN is proud to partner with the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business for its Turner Impact Portfolio Challenge. Graduate students participating in the TIPC work in teams to construct an ideal portfolio for an ESG-conscious investor—and compete for the opportunity to pitch their presentation to industry professionals.
Reach out to Bella Alvarez at [email protected] to learn more about the SIILK Initiative.
Supporting Sponsor: OmniResearch
|
|
This fall, we’ve continued our Climate Solutions Investing Series, featuring discussions on the energy transition by Mercator Partners and insights from Schroders, Capricorn Investment Group, and the Cambridge University Endowment Fund on shifting climate ambition into action. GSSG Solar will explore investment opportunities in island economies on December 12 at 2pm ET.
Additionally, the “Leading with Justice 2.0” project, led by IEN’s Climate Justice Taskforce, is sourcing case studies to highlight the importance of investing in climate justice. Learn more about IEN's CSIS Webinars and register for our last one of the year!
Lead Sponsors: Schroders
Supporting Sponsors The Russell Family Foundation, Breckinridge Capital Advisors, Global Endowment Management, Adasina Social Capital, and Terra Alpha Investments
|
Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI)
|
|
This fall, IEN advanced diversity, equity, and inclusion in finance, engaging with HBCUs and MSIs and highlighting inclusion at key events. At the HBCU Week Conference, Paris Prince discussed leveraging endowments for social change. At the UNCF conference, IEN led sessions on sustainable investing and strategic partnerships and highlighted the vital role of JEDI in building inclusive, sustainable economies at the iDAC Global Finance Summit.
We’re excited to launch the JEDI Leadership Committee, co-chaired by Angela Outlaw-Matheny and Dorien Nunez, to drive equity and sustainability in institutional investing.
For more information about the JEDI Initiative, please reach out to Paris Prince at [email protected].
Supported by Crewcial Partners and Prime Buchholz
|
|
This quarter, our Investment Governance initiative continued to host conversations about integrating sustainability and mission-related factors into Investment Policy Statements, and other stages laid out in the IEN Roadmap. Mary Cahill of the OCIO firm Acansa (formerly Emory University’s CIO) shared her perspectives on best practices in IPS development; and the team presented IEN’s resources to several university Investment Committees.
To learn more about this Initiative, please reach out to Georges Dyer at [email protected].
|
What’s in the News?
View recent announcements by endowments and other asset owners about their progress. Sign up for our weekly newsletter to receive these updates in your inbox every Thursday.
IEN In The Media
It’s Time for Endowments to Lead the Finance Industry in Transparent Impact Investing | CIO Magazine
- IEN’s Executive Director and Co-founder Georges Dyer highlights the ways the Endowment Impact Benchmark measures transparency and celebrates endowments and foundations leading in the impact and sustainable investing space.
Unlocking New Strategies
View recent resources from the Intentional Endowments Network and other organizations. Visit our resource page for more.
From IEN’s Blog:
Resources from the Field:
|
Updates from the Network
New IEN Members
|
|
Thank you, IEN Fall Interns!
|
|
|
|
Nadya Prokudina: Sustainable investing intern Nadya is an MBA student at Boston College's Carroll School of Management. She is passionate about driving sustainability efforts through strategic leadership and innovative solutions. More about Nadya
|
|
|
|
|
Maya Anand: Maya is a senior at Northeastern University studying Environmental and Sustainability Sciences with a concentration in Sustainable Planning and Development. Maya has a strong interest in corporate ESG and the role of sustainability in economics. More about Maya
|
|
Exploring Climate Solutions and Impact Strategies
|
|
New Episode Coming Out Tomorrow!- Chris Ito, Georges Dyer, Kathleen Simpson (CEO of The Russell Family Foundation), and Brad Harrison (AlTi Tiedemann Global) discuss mission-driven investing, shareholder engagement, and impact strategies tackling climate challenges. Recorded post-U.S. election, it offers timely insights on the energy transition and scaling impactful investments.
|
|
Stay in the know. Subscribe to IEN's news updates
|
|
|
