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8th annual Sustainability Week focuses on helping businesses become sustainable faster.

IEN Women's History Month Spotlight: Dianne Dillon-Ridgley

Honoring Felicia Davis, the inaugural recipient of the Intentional Endowments Network Leadership Award!

Celebrating Black Impact Investing Professionals 

Black History Month Edition

Four Black sustainable finance professionals in our network share their experiences in both the impact investing and traditional finance industries.

Funding will support the development of an ‘Endowment Impact Benchmark’ to support endowments in reporting and celebrating progress on sustainable investing and to encourage the adoption of emerging impact standards.

Press Release updated on Feb 13, 2023

Cornelia Horner, Kunle Apampa, George Suttles, Amita Schultes, and Geri Melchiorre to advise on the Intentional Endowments Network’s strategic direction.

10 Ways We're Centering Justice

at the

2023 Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit

We’re excited to share with you a few of the ways we’re centering justice at the Summit, and seek your support in identifying any additional steps we should be taking as we build on our Statement of Intent to Build an Inclusive Summit. From our statement:

“We aim to be anti-racist organizations and to help breakdown the unjust systems to enable the development of more equitable and just systems in all facets of society including education, business, finance, governance, and civil society.”

Learn more about the ways we’re centering justice at the Summit below, and reach out to the Second Nature and Intentional Endowments Network Teams with ideas on how to improve this work.

1. Learning and Growing from Our Native Land Acknowledgement

At our 2021 and 2022 events, we developed and shared a land acknowledgement, and committed to move beyond the land acknowledgment to explore ways to authentically support Indigenous sovereignty, Indigenous communities, frontline communities, and their leadership through the climate crisis. We encourage all members of the IEN & SN community to take the following action steps:

• Learn about and recognize the long-standing history of colonialism that has brought us to reside on indigenous lands, and reflect on our place within that history. Research the Indigenous people to whom the land you reside on belongs, the history of the land and how it was stolen, related treaties and how they were upheld or ignored, and where citizens of that tribal nation currently reside.
• Start the slow process of building relationships with Native people where you live, including seeking out local events or cultural centers you can show up to, and identifying individuals you are connected to to build relationships with.
• Commit to taking action to support Indigenous communities -- including donating your time or money, supporting Indigenous-led grassroots movements and campaigns, and committing to returning land to Indigenous people.
  

At the Summit, we are modeling these actions by:

• Respectful acknowledgement and authentic support of the ancestral and traditional territories of the Miccosukee Tribe of Florida, the Council of the Original Miccosukee Simanolee Nation Aboriginal Peoples and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida who are the original owners and custodians of the land upon which we will stand and learn in Coral Gables, FL.

2. Acknowledging Not Just the Land We’re On, But Also the Labor That Built Our Country

We recognize that the United States as we know it was built at the often-fatal expense of forcefully enslaved Black people. We must acknowledge that much of what we know of this country today, including its culture, economic growth, and development has been made possible by the labor of enslaved Africans and their descendants who suffered the horror of the transatlantic trafficking, chattel slavery, and, later on, dehumanization through segregation and Jim Crow laws.

We acknowledge and remember those who did not survive the Middle Passage, those who were beaten and lynched at the hands of White Americans, and those who are still suffering while fighting for their freedom. 

We are indebted to their labor and their unwilling sacrifice, acknowledge the long-lasting impact on Black communities to this day and commit ourselves to the work of justice for our colleagues, friends, and fellow citizens. 

The following actions and intentions are an attempt to address and make reparations for these atrocities. 

This Statement was modeled after the University of Chicago’s Land and Labor Acknowledgement.

3. Centering BIPOC Leaders As Speakers, Topic Experts, and Attendees

Second Nature and the Intentional Endowments Network are committed to making justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion part of the culture and the strength of our organizations and work, including the Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit.

Our goal is to provide an inclusive platform for speakers, panelists, facilitators, and participants to bring diverse identities, life experiences, and professional expertise to discussion, planning, and action, and to center BIPOC voices throughout the Summit.

We are committed to:

Design 100% of our Panels to Not be All White or All Male: Any given session or panel with 4 or more speakers should include at least one speaker who identifies as a woman, non-binary, or genderfluid, and at least one speaker who identifies as a person of color.

Develop a Session by and for BIPOC Leaders in the Higher Education Sustainability Community: Second Nature is leading the development of a session to identify and strategize how to be most effective  in assisting HBCUs and MSIs with their climate action planning journeys, to establish a culture of inclusion that can resonate throughout and beyond the summit, and the create a space for BIPOC community members to connect with trusted peers, find new friends, mentors, and professionals to connect and grow with.

Gather Speaker and Attendee Demographics to Ensure Diverse Representation on Stage and Throughout the Event: Our registration forms give everyone the option to self-identify their gender and race/ethnicity. This information allows us to plan a diverse and representative roster. We strive to exceed the U.S. Census baseline numbers, and will actively prioritize underrepresented and historically marginalized voices in our outreach and agenda design.

4. Ensuring Our Content and Space is Accessible to All

As a part of our registration process, we ask all attendees to indicate their accessibility needs, and then work directly with the attendee and event space to ensure all needs are considered (including mobility, visual, auditory, linguistic, and cognitive areas).

All Summit main stage presentations will be streamed online to increase accessibility of content to members of our Networks that are not able to travel to the Summit. 

5. Standing With Frontline and Fenceline Communities in Florida

IEN and SN are committed to breaking down unjust systems to enable the development of more equitable and just systems in all facets of society.

This commitment extends to BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and other community members in Florida that are continually negatively affected by suppressive state policies, and those who will face the greatest losses if policies are not enacted to address climate change impacts across the state.

At the Summit, we will work to create a safe, brave, and inclusive space for all members of our community, and will take advantage of the opportunity to include the perspectives of regional community members into our conversations on climate action, adaptation, and appropriate ways to support frontline communities in Florida and the Southeast as we advocate for more equitable systems and policies across institutions and state lines.

As we move forward in selecting future locations for the Summit, our priority will continue to be places where all of our members feel included, welcomed, and accepted. We are making donations to several local BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, and indigenous organizations and have invited their participation in the Summit. 

6. Prioritizing BIPOC and Woman Owned and Operated Vendors

Throughout the Summit, we are committed to prioritizing BIPOC and woman owned and operated services and businesses through Yellow Chair, including in sourcing dine around restaurants, videographers, photographers, AV teams, event management services, and amplifying patronage of other vendors.

7. Implementing a Policy for Complimentary and Discounted Registration and Speaker Honorariums

In an ongoing effort to make the Higher Education Climate Leadership Summit more equitable, inclusive, and transparent, Second Nature and the Intentional Endowments Network have developed guiding principles and a process to discount and/or compensate attendees and speakers for the time, energy, and knowledge they put into developing and sharing inspiring and actionable content for Summit participants.

While we have set the lowest registration fees possible, we are also conscious of the current and historic inequities that make these fees a barrier to participation for many. We invited all attendees and speakers to honestly assess their experience, needs, and societal privilege, and take that into account when determining if they were able to contribute the full price of registration, or if they required discounted registration, complimentary registration, and/or travel assistance. We invited speakers to reach out if discounted or complimentary registration would increase their ability to participate in this year’s Summit.

8. Upholding a Brave Space Code of Conduct 

Recently, Second Nature created Brave Space principles to help guide spaces where all can express themselves, challenge each other, and learn from one another. 

We’ve incorporated some of these into this year’s Code of Conduct. We invite you to center these principles while participating in conversations throughout the Summit. This public code of conduct that reflects the needs of our community and sets up our team members with a plan of how to respond to any incidents that arise.

Summit Code of Conduct

As a Summit participant, I agree to:

• Hold in confidence any sensitive information shared with me by other participants during the Summit and networking events; 
• Take responsibility for both my intent and my impact on others, and be open to feedback about my behaviors that may be negatively impacting others;
• Help ensure equal speaking time for other participants of the Summit; 
• Name racist, sexist, and other demeaning and marginalizing behaviors or language;
• Listen and seek to understand different perspectives and opinions, even when they seem to conflict with my own;
• Practice being comfortable with discomfort and the anxiety that can accompany deep learning experiences;
• Be present during Summit events and bring my fullest attention and willingness to engage in this Summit;
• Where I’m able, I will be generous with my time, connections, and resources in support of the members of our community who are working to advance climate resilience and justice.

9. Elevating Intersectionality & Ensuring That Conversations about Justice are Integrated Across the Full Program

We recognize that it is not the responsibility of speakers from historically underrepresented groups to focus on justice. We will support all speakers in developing an understanding that conversations about justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion will not just be siloed into dedicated sessions, but addressed throughout the program.

Second Nature and IEN understands each person comes with an intersectional identity, and that no one lives a one-life issue. This is inherent to Second Nature and IENs partnership, as each organization's missions focus on different parts of the climate crisis, but have spaces where conversations together strengthen our solutions.

Additionally, we will work to design sessions that create space for input and calls to action, centering the feedback and thoughts of BIPOC and other historically underrepresented community members in that process, and facilitating sessions in a way that ensures an equitable representation of viewpoints across the event.

10. Inviting All Attendees and Speakers to Center Justice at the Summit and Beyond

We know that centering justice is an ongoing conversation, not an end point, and are committed to supporting our networks in advancing JEDI work throughout and beyond the Summit. We encourage you to:

Move beyond a land acknowledgement by taking one or all of the action steps listed above.

Be a Mindful Conversation Participant: Practice Brave Space Principles listed above, and speak from your own experiences and responses, and do not speak for a whole group or express assumptions about the experience of others. Be willing to “try on” new ideas, or ways of doing things that might not be what you prefer or are familiar with.

Keep Your Language Accessible: Everyone in attendance comes from different backgrounds and brings varied experiences to our conversations. Be mindful of the language you’re using and concepts that underpin your discussions, and clarify often if your colleagues are following you.

We invite you to donate to the local organizations we supported this year: 

• Compass LGBTQ+ Community Center
• South Florida People of Color
• Southeast Climate and Energy Network
• EcoHomies

Let us know how we can improve what we’re doing by reaching out to the Second Nature and Intentional Endowments Network Teams with ideas on how to further this work.

To sponsor our IEN's justice centered efforts use the button below:

The Intentional Endowments Network has welcomed Tim Coffin, Head of Strategic Partnerships Sustainability Committee Chair at Breckinridge, to its Net Zero Endowments Steering Committee

Amita Schultes, Ph.D., Partner at Agility

Kaede Kawauchi, Manager, Investor Network, Ceres

Currently, nonprofit institutions offer limited ESG investing options in their retirement plans with less than 3% of employee retirement savings plans include climate-friendly investing options. This has been despite substantial evidence that ESG strategies can reduce risk and enhance long-term investment performance. Concerns about fiduciary duty are often cited as a barrier for these institutions to offer these options.

A new proposed rule from the U.S. Department of Labor would open the way for retirement plan sponsors to include more sustainable options in their saving plans by enabling fiduciaries to consider climate and other ESG factors when selecting investments and exercising shareholder rights while continuing to uphold fundamental fiduciary obligations. 

This webinar is intended to help clarify how plan sponsors and trustees can consider sustainable investing strategies related to their fiduciary duties in light of the new proposed rules. Join us for an informative and interactive webinar comprised of top experts on the state of fiduciary duty for defined contribution plans in the United States to learn how your institution could provide retirement funds that reflect both the mission of your organization and the values of your employees.

In this session, participants will:

• Gain a deeper understanding of the impact of the proposed rules on ESG investment opportunities

• Hear about how the rule change is viewed by the investment service community

Recording 

Panelists:

• Keith Johnson, Former Partner, Head of Institutional Investor Legal Service, Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren
• Bradford Campbell, Partner at Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP
• Bill Slimbaugh, Managing Director, Natixis
• Michael Rhim, Principal, PRM Consulting – The IEN Guide to Sustainable Retirements

Resources:

• Powerpoints
• DOL’s proposed rule
• Identify “Greenwashing” Funds using NLP in Firms’ Prospectuses
• IEN Retirement Guide

Chris Ito of FFI Solutions and Georges Dyer of Intentional Endowments Network go “beyond carbon” to discuss topics relating to climate change, net zero, DEIJ (diversity, equity, inclusion & justice), ESG and the benefits and challenges of sustainable investing.

Episodes

About

Risks created by climate change are complex and multi-faceted. The intersection of science, policy, changing societal norms, notions of equity and politics makes projecting and then solving the climate crisis challenging. 

This podcast unpacks climate change and climate justice through the lens of finance and investing, helping to inform institutions and everyday savers on what it means to adopt sustainable policies. Best practices are evolving and there is no one size-fits-all approach to determining the best path.

Our hosts, Georges Dyer and Chris Ito will hold discussions with thought leaders from a range of disciplines that will help investors form their own opinions on how to allocate capital in a more sustainable fashion.

Michael Pearce, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates

Michael Pearce, Managing Director, Cambridge Associates

Learn more and register here

Register here

The climate crisis is upending the finance sector. ESG frameworks and rankings remain dynamic and unsettled, but, despite their imperfections, are impacting billions of investments and leading companies to develop new metrics to gauge their sustainability progress.

GreenFin 23 (June 26-28, Boston) will convene an influential audience of finance, investment and sustainability professionals to share insights, address key challenges and showcase leading sustainable financial products and services. Apply IEN’s 10% discount code GF23IEN when you register today: http://bit.ly/3IcFVCX 

 Register here

GIVING TUESDAY For a Just Society!

#ImpactGiving 

Help us raise $25 000 to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Endowments Investment Processes.

On #GivingTuesday, make a positive impact in support of IEN's JEDI initiative and operations by Making a donation today!

Online contributions are quick and easy through PayPal

What do we do with your Giving Tuesday Donations?

IEN strive to center justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in all of its initiatives. This year we've hired a Director of JEDI, Paris Prince to help integrate these principles, and since then we've been able to achieve the following:

• IEN has collaborated with GEM to publish an essay highlighting the essential role of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in investment decisions for AASHE’s 2022 Anthology.
• We hosted a three part series on Unconscious Bias in the Investment Industry to address the underrepresentation of ESG and diverse led asset management firms in the institutional marketplace during Black history month.
• We had 650+ higher Education professionals join us at our 2022 Summit to be inspired and learn how to prioritize issues like climate justice, allocating to diverse managers, and investing with a racial and gender equity lens.
• We also hosted a successful Climate Week event this fall with the open remarks of Derrick Johnson, CEO of the NAACP. 
  

Here is what event attendees had to say about the Climate Week Event: 

"I woke up this morning thinking what an inspiring roundtable event that was yesterday. Thank you to all at IEN for the hard work of organizing it. It was wonderful to network and learn from so many interesting and committed organizations and people.”

_______________________

"Of all my Climate Week events, the IEN afternoon stood out as being a place where investors came together to work on hard issues.  I have had many follow ups and really appreciate your leadership in putting together a format that encouraged real dialogue and action.  I look forward to more work together."

Looking Ahead...

Hitting our year end fundraising goal will help us build off this work and support more endowments in investing for an equitable, low-carbon, and regenerative society by:

• Growing our JEDI working group
• Engaging more diverse managers and minority-serving institutions in the Network
• Host a BIPOC/HBCU/Leaders of Color dinner at the 2023 Summit to build, strengthen and recognize BIPOC leadership in climate justice work
• Fund our operation needs

Give to advance Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in the Endowment Investment Process Today!

Thank you for making a difference!

George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute

Cornelia Horner, Strategic Initiatives and Communications Lead at the University of Virginia Investment Management Company (UVIMCO)