By Kelley Buhles In the foundation world of charitable fund management, there are two avenues for deployment of funds: a) a charitable gift or loan or b) a “prudent” investment, generally considered to be a “market rate” investment. Recent guidance from the IRS indicates that an investment that is aligned with the mission of the […]
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Trillium, Ceres, and Investors Welcome California’s Senate Bill 32
Boston, MA// August 26, 2016: This week, California’s state assembly passed an important climate bill extending greenhouse gas emission (GHG) targets, a critical step towards global effort to adopt strong climate policy. Under the new law, Senate Bill 32, legislation requires reducing greenhouse gas emissions to 40% below 1990 levels by 2030, extending the current […]
5 things to know about our impact investors
Biannually we ask our investors for their thoughts on our customer service and how how we’re doing on our mission overall. This year we expanded the scope of the survey to also capture more general information about our investors’ personal finances and investments. More than 530 people participated, and their responses yielded findings that are […]
New Book: Inhabiting Interdependence
RSF Social Finance’s Vice President of Organizational Culture, John Bloom, published a new book this week titled Inhabiting Interdependence: Being in the Next Economy. In this collection of insightful essays, John explores approaches to transforming conventional habits of mind and practice that have led to an imbalance in our economic life. Acknowledging that money permeates […]
$1 Million Sold on Vested.org
In October, 1995 Ken Scott became the first person to invest in a Community Investment Note. In those days our investors had to fill in an investment application and return it to us along with a check. Since then more than $1 billion has been cumulatively invested into the Note. The launch of our online […]
Trillium Speaks to DNC Attendees at ASBC Policy Forum in Philadelphia
August 2, 2016 – On July 26th, Trillium CEO Matt Patsky participated as a speaker on the ‘Policy Forum on the Business Case for a Sustainable Economy’, held by the American Sustainable Business Council (ASBC) and coinciding with the DNC Conference in Philadelphia. Patsky spoke on a panel titled, “Responsible Capital – Investing in a […]
Faith-Based Investing Is The Bedrock Of Our Work
Last month I attended the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing, where impact investing experts and Catholic leaders came together to explore how the Catholic Church can use capital to help achieve their social mission. Seeing the Pope officially endorse impact investing was inspiring, and it reasserted my belief that the work we do at […]
RSF Summer Quarterly & 2015 Annual Report
In the latest RSF Quarterly, we focus on the connecting power of nature. The social enterprises showcased in this issue catalyze environmental conservation by bringing together people who are passionate about preserving landscapes or preventing resource waste. Starting on page 3, Elliot Hoffman, CEO of REV and founder of Just Desserts, describes how REV Circles™ […]
Watch Matt Patsky Discuss Doing Good While Doing Well with John Hancock
Trillium CEO, Matt Patsky, discuss the benefits of integrating environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors with fundamental equity research. The video was released by John Hancock Investments following the recent announcement of the launch of two new mutual funds sub-advised by Trillium. Click here to read more on the announcement. The post Watch Matt […]
Telling the Impact Stories of Ours To Own Twin Cities
by Katherine St. Onge on July 05, 2016 Two years ago Calvert Foundation launched Ours To Own, our place-based investment initiative. Through this targeting option of the Community Investment Note, people are able to invest in the cities they live in and love. Last week we held an event to celebrate the local impact that investments in […]
Letter from Matt Patsky on Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing
“Impact investing is not philanthropy, it is about creating opportunities for self-sufficiency.” – Matt Patsky, CEO, Remarks at the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing On Monday, June 26, I arrived in Rome for the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing. The Vatican Conference on Impact Investing builds on the call made in the May […]
Free-Range Money: Bitcoin, Blockchains, and the End of Banks
By Tim Parsa, Managing Director, Uphold Mexico and Head of Global Strategy & Markets Cattle ought to be raised grazing in pasture, not confined to dirty feedlots and gorged on government-subsidized corn. That’s not a controversial statement for anyone familiar with the health, ecological, or taste benefits of grass-fed beef. Here’s an even less controversial […]
Thoughts on the United Kingdom vote to exit the European Union
June 24, 2016– Financial markets were rocked on Friday, June 24, by the results of the British referendum on membership in the European Union. Polls had indicated that the vote would be very close; the actual results were a surprisingly strong vote for exit. Across the United Kingdom, 52% of the votes cast rejected membership […]
Trillium CEO, Matt Patsky, Invited to Speak at Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing
“It is important that ethics once again play its due part in the world of finance and that markets serve the interests of peoples and the common good of humanity.” – Pope Francis JUNE 16, 2016: Trillium Asset Management’s CEO, Matt Patsky has been invited to speak at the Second Vatican Conference on Impact Investing, […]
John Hancock Investments launches two ESG funds: Trillium Asset Management to manage John Hancock ESG All Cap Core Fund and John Hancock ESG Large Cap Core Fund
Click here to download the PDF. BOSTON, June 6, 2016—John Hancock Investments today announced the addition of two new funds focused on integrating environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues with fundamental stock research. John Hancock ESG All Cap Core Fund and John Hancock ESG Large Cap Core Fund are both managed by Trillium Asset Management, […]
Clients in Conversation: Marian Moore and Lorene Arey Play BIG
Originally published in the RSF Spring Quarterly Fresh off the heels of 2016’s Play BIG, co-founder Marian Moore and attendee Lorene Arey talk takeaways from the four-day event. At Play BIG, participants—all with significant discretionary wealth—are challenged to reimagine their money in the context of the broader vision and mission of their work and their […]
Why We Are Seeing A Growing Demand For Our Capital
Earlier this month Justin shared with you all news of our new increased rates. He explained that this was a result of a growing demand for impact capital in our markets. This is exciting news, not just for ourselves and our investors, but for the industry as a whole. As Justin put it, “There has […]
22 INVESTORS MANAGING OVER $505 BILLION IN ASSETS SIGN LETTER CALLING ON CONGRESS TO END SHELL COMPANY SECRECY
Comes as Investors Convene in DC to Discuss Governance, Social and Environmental Risks to Investors and Companies and as the US government commits to corporate transparency measures at the international Anti-Corruption Summit in the UK ** Read the full letter to the Senate HERE and House HERE ** Washington, DC — This week investors from across […]
True Peer-to-Peer Lending
By Johnny Price, Senior Director, Kiva Zip In the conventional finance model, a central institution, such as Bank of America, provides capital and decides which borrowers qualify for loans. In the peer-to-peer model, individual people brought together by the power of the Internet, in an aggregate known as “the crowd,” provide the capital and make […]
RSF Prime: Six Years Later, Here’s How It’s Going
By John Bloom Can you imagine your bank inviting you to come and talk about your interest rate? I usually open RSF Social Finance’s quarterly pricing meetings with this question. So far, no one has said yes. That’s understandable. When we decided in late 2009 to abandon LIBOR (a move that turned out to be […]
The Currency of Self
by John Bloom Technically, money is meant to be nothing more than a holder of assigned value and to serve as a means for facilitating the exchange of goods and services. However, money is also a complicated social reality, and it is encrusted with layers of perception, values, assumptions, and behaviors. For example, we say […]
Trillium Successfully Withdraws Board Diversity Proposal at Stifel Financial
MAY 16, 2016: Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that it has successfully withdrawn its Board Diversity shareholder proposal at Stifel Financial (NYSE: SF) following the company’s agreement to institutionalize a commitment to board diversity inclusive of gender, race and national origin. At the time of our dialogue with management in April, the Board […]
Information for Discovery Communications Shareholders Regarding Our Board Diversity Proposal
May 13, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of Discovery Communications (NASDAQ:DISCA) urging them to vote in favor of our Board Diversity proposal. The proposal is co-led by Calvert Investments, Mercy Investment Services and Trillium Asset Management, and appears as item #3 on the company’s 2016 proxy card*. Shareholders will vote […]
If Not Wall Street, Then Where?
Following the conversation Don Shaffer started in 2015 about RSF’s decision to seek alternatives to Wall Street, this webinar focuses on different approaches to aligning money with mission and values. Funds, firms, and advisors are now using the term impact investing but definitions and intentions are inconsistent. It can be overwhelming, even for financial professionals. […]
An Increase in Demand Means Higher Rates for Investors
In April, alongside the release of our new prospectus, Calvert Foundation raised the interest rates on our Community Investment Note®. Previous Rates New Rates- as of April 2016 3 Year 05/15/2019 5 Year 05/17/2021 10 Year 05/15/2026 15 Year 05/15/2031 We have already received a lot of questions about this change: Did this have anything […]
$100 Million Impact Investment Collaboration to Benefit Chicago
The Chicago Community Trust, MacArthur and Calvert Foundation announce Benefit Chicago, an innovative collaboration that aims to mobilize $100 million in impact investments for nonprofits and social enterprises in Chicago. This significant infusion of much-needed capital will provide low-interest loans and other investments to accelerate the efforts of local social sector organizations working to address […]
Democratic Finance for Affordable Space in NYC
New York City is the quintessential melting pot. People from all over the world come to the city in search of culture, cuisine, art and opportunity. Yet for many New Yorkers, their ability to stay in the city they’ve helped create has been compromised in recent years by soaring real estate prices. Between 2000 and […]
Investors Worth $3.6Tr Support Joint U.S. and Canadian Announcement on Limiting Methane Emissions from the Oil and Gas Industry
Doubling of support comes as nations gather in New York City to sign the Paris Climate Agreement APRIL 21, 2016 // BOSTON, MA: As attention turns to the Paris Agreement signing ceremony on Friday, leading global investors representing $3.6 trillion in assets under management released a statement of support today for U.S. and Canadian efforts […]
Information for Citigroup Shareholders Regarding our Gender Pay Disparity Shareholder Proposal
APRIL 18, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of Citigroup (NYSE: C) urging them to vote in favor of our Gender Pay Disparity proposal, which appears as item #6 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. The financial services sector is routinely found to have one of the widest gaps in pay […]
RSF Spring Quarterly: Is Digital Money Transparent?
In the latest RSF Quarterly, we do a deep dive into digital money and the fast-growing fintech (short for financial technology) sector. Uphold’s Tim Parsa lays out a case for why blockchain technology may mean an end to banks. Jonny Price, senior director for Kiva Zip, critiques mainstream peer-to-peer lending for its lack of investor […]
Information for JB Hunt Shareholders Regarding our Non-Discrimination Shareholder Proposal
APRIL 13, 2016: Trillium Asset Management has published a letter to shareholders of JB Hunt Transport Services Inc. (NASDAQ: JBHT) urging them to vote in favor of our non-discrimination shareholder proposal which appears as item #3 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. Shareholders will vote on the proposal at the company’s annual meeting, which takes […]
Information for Pepsico Shareholders Regarding our 2016 Shareholder Proposal
APRIL 7, 2016: Trillium Asset Management and The Sustainability Group of Loring, Wolcott & Coolidge, along with Green Century Funds, have published a letter to shareholders of PepsiCo, Inc. (NYSE: PEP) urging them to vote in favor or our Pollinator Protection proposal, which appears as item # 6 on the company’s 2016 proxy card. Shareholders […]
Inside RSF Social Finance
The purpose of this webinar is to provide an orientation to RSF and all that we offer. Topics include the Social Investment Fund, Social Enterprise Lending, philanthropic activities, and how RSF measures impact. The post Inside RSF Social Finance appeared first on RSF Social Finance.
National Partnership Takes Aim at Strengthening Local Food Connections
Last week, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), in conjunction with 15 philanthropic partners that include RSF Social Finance, announced a new initiative aimed at bolstering local food supply chains in ten urban areas. Named Food LINC, the project will focus on increasing customer access to goods produced by farmers and ranchers in their […]
Financing Opportunities in Latin America
Last fall we launched the Inter-American Opportunity Facility (IOF), a $20 million investment partnership with the Inter-American Development Bank designed to reduce poverty and promote economic growth across Latin America. The IOF is the cornerstone of our international portfolio for the Raíces initiative, which is focused on creating opportunities throughout both Latin America and Latino […]
Ours To Own Denver Wins Big at CO Impact Days
Earlier this month, we had the great privilege to participate in the first annual CO Impact Days event in Denver. This three day impact extravaganza trained investors, inspired audiences, and featured local social ventures doing incredible work to make the great state of Colorado a better place. You can read more about CO Impact Days […]
Participate in the Wave of the Future: Invest in India
by S. V. Patel on March 17, 2016 Back in 2015, I was excited to learn in a Calvert Foundation newsletter about the launch of the India Investment Initiative, which would enable Indian Americans to invest to support sustainable, social enterprises in India. With the support of strong partners including MacArthur Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, United States […]
Technology We Can All Use to Empower Women
Last night Women in the World held a rockstar event in DC with Tina Brown featuring conversations with leading women such as Loretta Lynch, US Attorney General, Margaret Brennan, CBS Foreign Affairs Correspondent and Hafsa Abiolacostello, Founder of KIND and Special Advisor to the Governor of Agun State in Nigeria. As these women shared stories […]
Supporting the Growth of Affordable Private Education for Indian Students
by Katharine Tengtio on March 10, 2016 As a part of our India Investment Initiative we have provided a $5 million loan to Varthana, of which $3.125 million is guaranteed by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). Varthana is helping to grow affordable private schools in India by exclusively providing them with loan captal. These loans finance […]
Trillium Submits Comments to EEOC in Support of Summary Pay Data by Gender, Race and Ethnicity
March 9, 2016: On behalf of our clients, Trillium Asset Management has written to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in support of a proposal to collect summary pay data by gender, race and ethnicity. Our firm is pleased that the Commission is moving forward with this proposal, as gender pay disparity has become a significant […]
Closing the Financing Gap For Mission-Driven Businesses
RSF Social Finance was recently featured in the January/February issue of Conscious Company Magazine. They sat down RSF President & CEO Don Shaffer to discuss shifting the paradigm of the financial industry and what companies typically need to scale successfully. Here is an excerpt from the conversation. Conscious Company Magazine: How did you develop the […]
The Intersectionality of Gender, Development and Access to Clean Energy
In 2014 as a part of our second phase of the Women Investing in Women Initiative (WIN-WIN) we committed to investing $20 million in organizations that work specifically in providing access to clean energy for women. We found that many women struggled with their health, education and economic status as a result of limited access […]
Trillium Publishes 2016 Proxy Voting Guidelines
March 7, 2016: Each year, companies seek votes from shareholders on items that are pending on their annual proxy ballots. The issues that shareholders can vote on range from the approval of boards of directors to social and environmental issues — including proposals that Trillium and other SRI investors file every year. Regrettably, too many […]
Trillium Reviews Internal Salaries for Possible Gender Pay Gap
MARCH 3, 2016: The financial services sector is routinely found to have one of the widest gaps in pay by gender relative to other parts of the economy. Despite women making up nearly one third of the financial services workforce, on average women earn significantly less than their male colleagues. At Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) […]
Finance Innovation: The Next Frontier in Fair-Trade Supply Chains
Originally published on TriplePundit By Kate Danaher Rising demand for fair-trade products is creating an emerging need for growth in fair-trade supply chains. This is a fantastic opportunity to put more people to work under fair pay and labor standards — but the time and cost involved in scaling these supply chains while maintaining fair-trade […]
The Third Immersion: BALLE-RSF Community Foundation Circle
By Catherine Covington Surrounded by the beautiful rolling hills of Napa County, California, the BALLE-RSF Community Foundation Circle (CFC) gathered at Mayacamas Ranch last November for the third of four gatherings. It has been a year since the initial gathering of the CFC, and so much has happened within the group both personally and professionally. […]
Trillium Successfully Withdraws Workforce Diversity Proposal at Adobe
Expanded website with equal employment opportunity data launched FEBRUARY 12, 2016: Trillium Asset Management is pleased to announce that it has withdrawn its workforce diversity shareholder proposal at Adobe Systems Incorporated. Adobe published an expanded section of its website that includes its annual EEO-1 workforce diversity data and provides meaningful disclosures around its strategies aimed […]
Beyond Wall Street: Transforming the Way We Use Capital
This article originally appeared in The Huffington Post. By Don Shaffer I’ve been talking to a lot of people lately about RSF Social Finance’s decision to walk off Wall Street, and urging others to consider doing the same. The obvious question that comes up is, OK, but where do you go? What are the investment and […]
Shareholders: Citigroup Refuses to Publicly Address Gender Pay Gap Issues
BOSTON, MA // FEB. 10, 2016: The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) recently rejected Citigroup’s request for “No-Action” on a Gender Pay Gap shareholder proposal that was filed by Trillium Asset Management (Trillium), a Boston-based investment firm. Investors are requesting that Citigroup (NYSE: C) prepare a report demonstrating that the company does not have […]
Food Waste is an Emerging Sustainable Agriculture Issue
By Allan Pearce, Shareholder Advocate Given the tremendous environmental impact that agricultural and food companies have, food system advocacy has been a mainstay of Trillium’s shareholder activism for decades. Trillium has focused on sustainable agriculture as it directly contributes to, and is impacted by, climate change, through deforestation and the use of fossil fuels to […]