The Sustainable & Impact Investing Learning & Knowledge (SIILK) Initiative was formed at the convergence of several conversations within and beyond the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) around the growing interest in student-managed investment funds (SMIFs) pursuing sustainable investing strategies, as well as the development of sustainable investing focused curriculum.
SIILK has three main goals: (1) scale the uptake of sustainable investing education, including courses and experiential education opportunities like SMIFs, (2) support SMIFs as they work to build stronger bridges between their SMIF and their institution’s broader endowment, and (3) increase the diversity and number of students that are entering the sustainable investing field.
The SIILK Initiative connects stakeholders including students, faculty, administrators, trustees, and financial professionals on campuses across the country.
If you are interested in contributing to this conversation and/or joining the SIILK Initiative, please email [email protected].
Current Activities & Ways to Get Involved
SIILK Listserv: Share news, resources, events, project ideas, etc. Use the following link to join the group, which will also grant access to the Group’s Google Drive and Calendar containing regular call information. Learn more here.
Regular Initiative Calls: Join to share updates on developments at participating schools, and advance progress on specific projects of the group. Register for upcoming calls here.
Student Corporate Engagement Challenge: students pitch an investment in a publicly-traded company, and include in that recommendation shareholder engagement strategy focused on addressing inequality and the climate crisis, as they are systemic risks that threaten a healthy society, and in turn, healthy portfolio returns. Learn more here.
Join a Stakeholder / Investment Strategy Specific Group: Outside of and related to SIILK, there are several student and faculty lead groups and consortiums to connect with. Learn more below.
Investment Strategy / Stakeholder Specific Groups
Student Impact Fund Collaborative
UIIS partners with 13 organizations from around the country and internationally, including Northeastern University Impact Investing, UCLA Impact Investing Group, and London School of Economics Microfinance Society. Since its inception in 2018, it has engaged with more than 700 students, impacted more than 200 businesses, and managed $1.25+ million worth of assets.
The Impact and Sustainable Finance Consortium is a network of sustainable and impact finance faculty under the leadership of the Kellogg School of Management. Professors are accepted into the consortium upon proof of teaching sustainable finance at the university level within a university.
Members share documents, syllabi, research, and data for the improvement of the sustainable investing space within higher education. Its steering committee is made up of professors from leading business, including Harvard Business School, Singapore University’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and the SC Johnson College of Business.
The Corporate Engagement Challenge
IEN’s Student Corporate Engagement Challenge is a first-of-its-kind student investment challenge in which students pitch an investment in a publicly-traded company, and include in that recommendation a shareholder engagement strategy focused on addressing inequality and the climate crisis, as they are systemic risks that threaten a healthy society, and in turn, healthy portfolio returns. Learn more about the Challenge here.
Resources
🔐 Database: Sustainable and Impact Investing Focused Student-Managed Funds (member only resource)
🔐 Database: Sustainable and Impact Investing Focused Curriculum (member only resource)
Webinars: Student Managed Fund Stories
Toolkit: How to Start and Run a Student-Managed Sustainable Investing Fund
View the full SIILK resource library here.
Join the Initiative
The SIILK Initiative connects stakeholders including students, faculty, administrators, trustees, and financial professionals on campuses across the country that are involved with student-managed investment funds (SMIFs) and sustainable investing curriculum development.
If you are interested in contributing to this conversation and/or joining the SIILK Initiative, please email [email protected].