June 18, 2024 | 6 PM ET

Join us for a thought-provoking webinar, by the Belonging Collaborative, as we delve into the intersection of climate and racial justice. Investors are actively driving change by promoting diversity in asset management and pivotal decision-making positions, but the journey towards true climate and racial justice is far from over; it demands our immediate attention and concerted actions.

This crucial movement, pushing for equitable access to capital, diversity in asset management and decision-making roles within organizations, foundations, and endowments, not only sets the stage for social impact but also for financial success. However, we need to reflect on how our current practices may inadvertently perpetuate harm to BIPOC communities and explore how investment strategies can play a pivotal role in dismantling these destructive patterns and structures.

As we navigate the complexities of systemic racism, the racial wealth gap, and the disproportionate impacts of climate change on front-and fence-line communities, it becomes imperative to recognize, confront, and address these pressing issues head-on. How can we best identify and tackle these challenges?

During this Juneteenth season conversation, leaders from the Intentional Endowments Network and its esteemed partners will not only explore the above questions but also share ideas on how this network can effectively elevate the standards for endowments and foundations' racial equity efforts. Be part of this conversation that aims to drive tangible change within our current systems and advocates for the necessary transformations where the system falls short.

Recording:

May 23 | 1:00 pm ET

In today's ever-evolving environment, mastering the nuances of transparency and disclosure is essential to upholding integrity and creating a meaningful impact in endowment management. The IEN JEDI Community Conversation, held as the ongoing demand for transparency transforms the landscape of endowment management in higher education, provided participants with the opportunity to learn how integrating Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) standards can evolve sustainable investing progress through the Endowment Impact Benchmark.

Call participants learned how to:

• Elevate their institution's impact
• Get valuable insights on improving sustainable investing policies
• Chart a course toward sustainability leadership

Recording

Slides

November 6, 2023 | 3 pm ET

The IEN Community Roundtable was a unique event dedicated to supporting Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).This call provided an opportunity to engage with HBCU stakeholders and Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) professionals as we explored mission-aligned investing strategies and other critical topics and emerging trends that will shape the future of HBCU investments.

Participants discovered the distinctive needs and hurdles faced by HBCUs in their sustainable investing journey, learned from peers and thought leaders, and explored how the Intentional Endowments Network can support along the way.

Registrants enjoyed an opportunity to connect and delve into critical topics related to endowment management to make positive social and environmental impact with investments.

Recording:

Transcript

HBCU Roundtable Notes

Speakers:

 
 Charles Prince, Chief Transformation and Sustainability Officer, Chief of Staff, Dillard University

 
 Angela Outlaw-Matheny, Director of Diverse Manager Equity at Crewcial Partners LLC

March 30, 3023

The Endowment community continues showing interest in diverse, emerging, and women owned investment enterprises as it seeks competitive returns and avenues to further ESG and DEI mission objectives. GP staking and seeding in diverse alternative asset managers is a vastly under-resourced endeavor that can support these objectives.

There is a significant unmet need for diverse and women-owned alternative managers to source equity staking and seed capital for their enterprises that affords savvy and mission-oriented investors to achieve attractive long-term returns while meeting their mission objectives. This webinar will consider the opportunity set, risks, and rewards of such activity.

Participants of this webinar will learn the following:

● The process for identifying women owned GP firms and how to seed them

● The due diligence that goes behind that effort

● Learn the historical data supporting women owned GP financial performance.

Speakers:

Sherrese Clarke Soares, Founder and CEO, Harbourview Equity Partners

Jenifer B. Rizza, CFA, CAIA Trust Investment Manager, Eversource

Tina Byles-Williams, Xponance Founder, CEO & CIO

Lisa Hinds, Managing Director, Client Engagement & Sustainability (Moderator)

Recording:

Slides:

Eversource Slides

Xponance Slides

IEN Introduction Slides

June 13, 2023 | 1 pm ET

Preview the Agenda

IEN's JEDI Initiative seeks to start the education and advocacy process for endowments to consider JEDI factors in the investment process in the following ways:

• Enhancing diversity within the university investment offices by ensuring people are not excluded deliberately or through implicit bias on the basis of race, ethnicity, or gender.
• Evaluating the performance of companies and funds with regard to diversity, equity, and inclusion in their boards, management, and staff in the investment process and engage with companies and funds to improve on these issues.
• Identifying minority-led investment managers.
• Making investments that benefit women, low-income communities, and communities of color.
• Supporting finance and investment education of diverse students to build a pipeline of talent.

We advance the conversation on this agenda through a series of educational and peer-networking activities, including events, webinars, and white papers.

JEDI Initiative Call Recap

We held our JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) quarterly call featuring four industry leaders' presentations on various aspects of racial equity investing. See details below

Tynesia Boyea-Robinson, President and CEO at CapEQ, presented on the The Investor Blueprint, a tool kit that outlines the full scope of what it means to invest equitably and setting the norms for all investing to be equitable.

View Tynesia's Slides

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Kendall Bedford, Impact Fellow at SustainVC, shared her personal experience and research on DEI within the impact focused private market investing.

View Kendall's Slides

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George Suttles, Executive Director at the Commonfund Institute presented on the mission of the Commonfund Institute and his strategy for identifying diverse asset managers including implementation strategies.

View George's Slides

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Monique Aiken, Managing Director at The Investment Integration Project (TIIP), shared on why and how to connect investors’ action to racial equity as an investment risk by reorienting the strategy level from a portfolio approach to a holistic approach.

Date:  June 29th, 2017

In this webinar, Fran Seegull, Executive Director at the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance at The Ford Foundation, Allison Spector, Senior Manager of Investors' Council & Membership Programming at The Global Impact Investing Network, and Shawn Wischmeier, CIO of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies, will offer an introduction to impact investing for institutional investors.

 Panelists:

• Fran Seegull, Executive Director, U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Ford Foundation  

• Allison Spector, Senior Manager, Investors' Council & Membership Programming, Global Impact Investing Network

• Shawn Wischmeier, CIO of Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies

• Georges Dyer (Moderator), Principal, Intentional Endowments Network

Date:  May 31st, 2017

A profound change of the global food and agriculture system is needed if we are to nourish the 7.3 billion people of today and the additional 2 billion people expected by 2050. The food and agriculture sector offers key solutions for development, and is central for hunger and poverty eradication, as outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goal Two to end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.

In this webinar, Sada Geuss, an Investment Manager from Trillium Asset Management, will present on Trillium’s recently released White Paper: Impact Investing in Sustainable Food and Agriculture Across Asset Classes: Financing Resilient Value Chains through Total Portfolio Activation. Maria Lettini, Director of the Farm Animal Investment Risk and Return (FAIRR) Initiative, will focus on the risks associated with investments in factory farming and the animal protein sector, and will offer some examples of diversification of the protein supply chain. Don Wiviott, Partner at Sustainable Farm Partners, will discuss the investment opportunities in grain production and carbon capture, and David Miller will present on Iroquois Valley Farms impact investments in organic and local agriculture. Following their presentations, there will be an interactive question and answer session with the panelists.

Panelists:

• Sada Geuss, Investment Manager, Trillium Asset Management
• Maria Lettini, Director, Farm Animal Investment Risk & Return (FAIRR) Initiative
• Don Wiviott, Partner, Sustainable Farm Partners
• David Miller, CEO, Iroquois Valley Farms
• Moderator: Georges Dyer, Principal, Intentional Endowments Network    

Webinar:  KnowTheChain Benchmarking Findings: How Are Companies Addressing Forced Labor and Human Trafficking Risks in Their Supply Chains? 

Date: January 19th, 2017

Benchmarks can play a powerful role in encouraging companies to uphold labor standards and protect workers’ rights. In 2016, KnowTheChain, a resource for businesses and investors to address forced labor abuses and human trafficking within their supply chains, has benchmarked 60 large global companies on their efforts to address these risks in sectors that are at high risk of forced labor: the Information & Technology Communication, Food & Beverage, and Apparel & Footwear.   

Based on these findings, this webinar will provide insights into: 

• Why forced labor is relevant to investors?
• How investors can address forced labor risks in their portfolio?
• How are companies across the three sectors addressing forced labor risks?  
• What are gaps and opportunities for improvement in the sectors?
• How can investors use the KnowTheChain findings?
• What questions should investors ask their investee companies? 

Panelists:  

• Bennett Freeman, Senior Advisor, Know the Chain; former Senior VP, Sustainability Research and Policy, Calvert Investments
• Megan Wallingford, Senior Advisor, Sustainalytics
• Felicitas Weber, KnowTheChain Project Lead, Business & Human Rights Resource Centre
• Moderator:  Sonal Mahida, Director, Intentional Endowments Network 

• Presentation
• KnowTheChain Investor Resources 

Speakers Bios:

Bennett Freeman, Consultant, Board Member and Speaker on Business and Human Rights, Sustainability, and Responsible Investment

Over the last 17 years of a three decade-plus long career, Bennett Freeman has worked at the intersection of multinational companies, responsible investors, NGOs, governments and international institutions to promote corporate responsibility, sustainability and human rights around the world.  An innovative leader in the fields of business and human rights, natural resource governance and responsible investment, he has played key roles in developing and leading several now well-established multi-stakeholder initiatives and global standards.  Read full bio... 

Megan Wallingford, Senior Advisor, Sustainalytics

 Sonal Mahida, Director, Intentional Endowments Network

Sonal comes to IEN with over 15 years of experience in the field. During her career Sonal has worked on ESG investing and sustainability issues at institutional investors, S&P 500, Fortune 500companies, as well as non-profits. As Head of North America for the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), she developed and led initiatives to aid U.S. and Canadian investors in the practice and implementation of Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) integration and risk management.  Prior to joining PRI, Sonal worked on corporate sustainability at Hess. Read full bio...

Webinar:  Transitioning to Integrating Investment Practices with Program Mission

Date:  10/19 at 1:00-2:00pm EST

Co-hosted by the Intentional Endowments Network (IEN) and the Network for Sustainable Financial Markets (SFM), this webinar will provide an overview of processes used by the Heron Foundation and Hampshire College to develop investment policies and implement management practices that align investments with their respective institutional missions.

Panelists:  

Date: November 3, 2021 1:00p.m. ET

Despite the growing number of institutional investors considering environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors in their investment decision making to enhance their due diligence process, most investors don't have a complete understanding of how human rights is an essential component of their sustainable investing strategy. Without adequate human rights due diligence, there is an increased possibility that investors may be connected to a range of adverse impacts on human rights caused by or linked to their portfolio companies or with business models that undermine human rights. Unfortunately, almost none of the world’s leading venture capital firms practice adequate human rights due diligence, leaving them blind to the risks caused by algorithmic bias. This poses significant risks for investors, as their VC investments can be tied to environmental, human rights and labor abuses.  In this session, investors will come away with the understanding of the risks associated with investing in funds that don't practice adequate human rights due diligence, the consequences for people connected with their investment activities, and how to take action to manage those risks to align with their own ESG policies. 

Speakers:

• Michael Kleinman, Director, Silicon Valley Initiative, Amnesty / AIUSA
• Anuradha Mittal, Founder and Executive Director, The Oakland Institute
• Nikolaj Pedersen, Senior Lead, Human Rights, UN Principles for Responsible Investment
• Susan Winterberg, ESG Consultant; Former Fellow, Technology & Public Purpose Project, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Speaker Bios: 

Michael Kleinman, Director, Silicon Valley Initiative, Amnesty / AIUSA

Michael Kleinman is Director of Amnesty International’s Silicon Valley Initiative. Previously, he was the founder and CEO of Orange Door Research, which helped donors, NGOs and UN agencies gather data in conflict-affected countries. Prior to that, he was Director of Investments at Humanity United, one of the Omidyar Group Philanthropies, where he worked on the intersection of technology and human rights.  He has also worked for development and humanitarian NGOs in Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan. His writing on development, human rights and technology has been published in The Washington Post, TechCrunch, Vox, The Guardian, Stanford Social Innovation Review, San Francisco Chronicle, LA Times, openDemocracy and McSweeneys. He is a graduate of Yale and Harvard Law School.

Anuradha Mittal, Founder and Executive Director, The Oakland Institute

Anuradha Mittal, founder and executive director of the Oakland Institute, is an internationally renowned expert on development, human rights, and agriculture issues. Recipient of several awards, Anuradha Mittal was recognized as the Most Valuable Thinker by the Nation magazine. Since 2008, under Anuradha's leadership, the Institute has unveiled land investment deals in the developing world which reveal a disturbing pattern of a lack of transparency, fairness, and accountability. The dynamic relationship between research, advocacy, and international media coverage has resulted in an amazing string of successes and organizing in the US and abroad. Mittal has authored and edited numerous books and reports. Her articles and opinion pieces have been published in widely circulated newspapers including the Los Angeles Times, the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Bangkok Post, Houston Chronicle, and the Nation. Anuradha has addressed the US Congress, the United Nations, given several hundred keynote addresses including invitational events from governments and universities, and has been interviewed on CNN, BBC World, CBC, ABC, Al Jazeera, National Public Radio, and Voice of America. Anuradha currently serves on the board of the Environmental Defender Law Center; advisory board of  CorpWatch; and is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream company.

Nikolaj Pedersen, Senior Lead, Human Rights, UN Principles for Responsible Investment

Nikolaj Pedersen is the PRI’s senior lead on human rights. His role is to design and implement projects with signatories and partners to mainstream international human rights standards in the investment industry. Nikolaj previously held roles in the PRI’s Signatory Relations team servicing institutional investors in Europe, North America and the Middle East. Prior to joining the PRI, Nikolaj worked in the business and human rights field in Denmark in both consulting and the private sector. He has a master’s degree in International Studies from Aarhus University and holds financial qualifications: IMC and CAIA.

Susan Winterberg, ESG Consultant; Former Fellow, Technology & Public Purpose Project, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs

Susan Winterberg is an independent ESG consultant working with private investors, government funders and business leaders to better manage ESG issues.  Susan is currently a consultant with IFC in the ESG Networks and Thought Leadership team. She previously was the Inaugural Fellow for the Technology and Public Purpose Project at Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where her research focused on advancing responsible investment practices for venture capital funds and portfolio companies. Susan also previously worked at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR), a network of ESG leads at 250 multinational companies, asset managers, and private equity funds. At BSR  she led the Inclusive Economy team on addressing 'S' issues of creating good jobs, diversity, equity & inclusion, product affordability and access, and community and government relations. Her earlier career was in foreign investment facilitation for sustainable cities, where she led the Urban Planning and Development practice at the Canadian infrastructure transaction advisory firm CPCS which has implemented projects in over 110 countries.  She holds a Masters in Urban Planning from Harvard University and a Bachelors of Business Administration in Finance from the University of Cincinnati.

Recording:

Resources:

• In King Leopold’s Steps: The Investors Bankrolling the PHC Oil Palm Plantations in the Democratic Republic of Congo | Oakland Institute 
• Why and how investors should act on human rights | UNPRI
• Risky Business: How leading venture capital firms ignore human rights when investing in technology | Amnesty International
• Responsible Investing in Tech and Venture Capital | Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
• How Venture Capital Can Join the ESG Revolution | Stanford Social Innovation Review