The Sierra Club Foundation Achieves A Platinum Rating Through the Endowment Impact Benchmark

The Oakland-based foundation is recognized for its commitment to sustainable and impact investing following a third-party verification process.

[BOSTON, MA] (January 13, 2024) – The Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) is pleased to announce the results of The Sierra Club Foundation’s participation in the Endowment Impact Benchmark (EIB), a framework that assesses foundations and endowments on their commitment to impact and sustainable investing.

The Sierra Club Foundation promotes climate solutions, conservation, and movement building through a combination of strategic philanthropy and grassroots advocacy. The Foundation is the independent fiscal sponsor of Sierra Club’s charitable environmental programs.

The Foundation achieved a Platinum rating upon completing the EIB assessment in Q4 2024. The rating underscores the Foundation’s dedication to sustainable, mission-aligned investing and alignment with the environmental goals of the Sierra Club.

A Platinum rating is reflective of a comprehensive investment strategy that incorporates sustainable strategies. The Sierra Club’s exemplary commitment to impact across its five portfolios is only one part of its efforts toward greater equity and climate change mitigation. 

“For us, this recognition reflects that we are doing our jobs as fiduciaries. If an organization wants to be a fiduciary for the 21st Century, they have to care about the health of people, and they have to care about the health of the planet. Without the people, without the planet, there is no value, and there is no return,” said Pedro Henriques da Silva, Director, Shifting Trillions at the Foundation. 

He adds: “Our impact is not only in the charitable programs we sponsor, but in the assets we hold. Taking into account the impact of all our work--not just some of it--helps make sure we're actually doing what we've set out to do as a charitable organization. At the end of the day, this is about being a good investor. And we're thrilled to see the Endowment Impact Benchmark emerge to add rigor, consistency, and a little competition to the work--regardless of what an institution's objectives are.”

The Endowment Impact Benchmark is a project of the Intentional Endowments Network, with the evaluation process managed by BlueMark, an independent impact verification firm. This ensures that ratings reflect best practices and are credible within the sustainable investing community.

“We are proud to see the Sierra Club Foundation, long recognized for its commitment to climate and justice, receive a Platinum rating that reflects its steadfast commitment to sustainability,” said Georges Dyer, Executive Director of the Intentional Endowments Network. “This recognition reaffirms – as do the rest of the EIB participant ratings– the effectiveness of aligning investments with mission-driven goals and sets a strong example for other foundations to follow.”

Endowments and foundations continue to hear calls for increased transparency, especially around their impact-oriented strategies. The EIB provides a practical approach for assessing transparency, strategy, governance, and management internally; establishing next steps for enhanced impact; and communicating successes to key stakeholders. The benchmarking value of the EIB continues to rise as participants complete the assessment, enabling endowments to align their policies and practices with peers and industry standards.

There are still spots available for endowments and foundations to participate in the 2025 cohort of the EIB. For more information on the Endowment Impact Benchmark and how your institution can participate, please visit www.EndowmentImpactBenchmark.org.

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

MEDIA CONTACT:

Georges Dyer, Co-founder & Executive Director, Intentional Endowments Network & The Crane Institute of Sustainability

[email protected]

 

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