Integrated Capital Fellows explore how to activate capital to create lasting, positive change while building connection and community. A new clarity is emerging, one that recognizes that the stewardship of money includes a duty to the greater whole. This clarity has engendered an entirely new form of activism, one in which money is used creatively […]
RSF at 35: Reflecting on Our Evolution
In our Spring/Summer 2019 newsletter we take a moment celebrate our 35th anniversary and reflect on how our organization and our community has grown over the years. We visit with a longtime partner, Camphill Communities California, near the Santa Cruz foothills, to learn how they have created a life-sharing community for adults with developmental disabilities […]
My Experience as an MBA Intern at RSF
Reflecting on my first day as an MBA intern at RSF Social Finance, I can remember how excited I was to spend ten weeks working with and learning from the top social finance professionals in its ranks. As someone with a background in private equity investing prior to business school at Stanford, I closely monitored […]
RSF Prime Increase
On January 1, 2019, RSF Social Finance increased RSF Prime, its base interest rate for borrowers, to 5.50 percent. Other participants in the Social Investment Fund are affected as follows: the investor rate is now 1.25 percent, up from 1.00 percent, and the RSF revenue share will remain at 4.25 percent. RSF Prime is reset […]
These investors are fixing finance to better serve Black entrepreneurs
A few years ago the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston released a study that revealed a city divided: median white wealth was $247,000, compared to median Black wealth of $8. Not long after, Aaron Tanaka and Libbie Cohn walked into the office of a Boston financial firm to pitch the Ujima Project as a solution. The organization […]
A Letter from RSF
Dear Friends, Happy New Year! As we step into 2019, we would like to express our deep gratitude to and for our community of clients and partners—thank you for your ongoing support and inspiration. RSF’s work toward creating a compassionate and regenerative economy has never felt more needed or important. This sense of urgency is […]
On Money, Race, and Power
Deb: I have had the good fortune of working with both of you and would love to hear more about the work that you’re doing to build a more equitable economy. Can you tell us about what you do? Deborah: I co-founded the Boston Impact Initiative, a place-based impact investing fund focused on closing the […]
Spirit Rising: Toward a More Just Economy
These Days Whatever you have to say, leave the roots on, let them dangle And the dirt Just to make clear where they come from. —Charles Olson We stand at an important moment in the flow of time, and what matters most now is that those who can, will stand together, not because there […]
Fair Trade Clothing Company Grows Fast and Well
When Kate Fisher and Henry Schwab, the owners of Synergy Organic Clothing, received their first order from Whole Foods Market in 2014, they were thrilled. The husband-and-wife team had sold their organic cotton clothing in their three retail stores and at festival booths nationwide for years, all the while aspiring to a bigger stage. So […]
RSF Collaboratives: Filling a Funding Gap
Before joining RSF Social Finance’s leadership team two years ago, I spent fifteen years leading Social Venture Network, a community of mission-driven entrepreneurs and impact investors. During that time, I got to know hundreds of social entrepreneurs who had launched companies and nonprofits that were tackling some of our most pressing social and environmental challenges. […]
RSF Prime Rate Change
On April 1, 2018, RSF Social Finance increased its RSF Prime base interest rate for borrowers by 0.25% to 5.25%. The other participants in the Social Investment Fund (SIF) are affected as follows: the investor rate is now 1.00%, up from 0.75%, and the RSF revenue share remains at 4.25%. RSF Prime is reset each […]
Financial Activism and RSF’s Integrated Capital Institute
Enrique: What is the Integrated Capital Institute, and who is it for? Akaya: It’s for financial activists who want to leverage capital as a tool for positive social and ecological change. Over the nine-month program, the fellows learn alongside a group of experts in the field who are leveraging different kinds of capital through an […]
Summer as an Intern with RSF Social Finance
As I entered the Presidio in breathtaking San Francisco, I was excited to start my MBA summer internship at RSF Social Finance. Having worked in finance and consulting before Wharton, I was attracted to this role by the opportunity it presented to apply my learnings to support social entrepreneurs and challenge my thinking around traditional […]
Now Accepting Applications for Second Cohort of Integrated Capital Institute
RSF Social Finance has opened the application process for its Integrated Capital Institute. This intensive program will give financial practitioners the tools and strategies they need to help values-driven clients deploy various forms of capital for lasting social and environmental benefit. Fellows will learn about wealth psychology, whole portfolio activation, and RSF’s integrated capital approach: […]
RSF Social Finance Names New CEO
Jasper van Brakel, former head of Weleda North America, will lead the pioneering social enterprise funder in its next phase of innovation RSF Social Finance has named Jasper J. van Brakel, former president and CEO of Weleda North America, its new CEO effective March 19. In addition to offering proven leadership—van Brakel built Weleda’s brand […]
RSF Social Finance Invests More than $1 Million in Women-Led Social Enterprises
RSF’s Women’s Capital Collaborative supports inspirational entrepreneurs who are having a positive impact on women in Africa, Haiti and the U.S. San Francisco, CA (Jan. 18, 2018) – RSF Social Finance has just invested over $900,000 in four women-led enterprises that are creating opportunities for women and girls around the world: Akola Project, Eu’Genia Shea, […]
Hummingbird puts farmers first in transforming a region’s food system
Tom Hunton, a third-generation Oregon farmer, was visiting a local school when he received an unexpected thank-you gift: a bag of muffins baked by fourth-graders. Accompanying the baked goods was a note that said, “Thank you, Mr. Hunton, for making the food that we eat every day.” The muffins were made from organic wheat Hunton […]
#NoRegrets
To create a thriving society, we must invest in soil health. As a young woman growing up in Knoxville, Tennessee, I showed passions many considered “uncharacteristic” of a Southern lady. I was a tomboy who enjoyed sports, science, and math. I wanted to be an engineer like my dad. I left for college in Texas at […]
RSF Social Finance Loans $1.56M to Booming Hudson River Valley Kraut Business
Funding, in part from new Biodynamics Capital Collaborative, launches Hawthorne Valley’s new spinoff and juices biodynamics movement October 25, 2017, Ghent, NY – RSF Social Finance, the leading funder of food hubs in the U.S., has loaned $1.56 million to Whitethorne LLC, a new subsidiary of the nonprofit Hawthorne Valley Association that will expand production […]
On Money & Biography
Introduction Real conversation is the best way for money and biography to flow together. I hope that this introduction sets in place a foundation for that transformational conversation and encourages engagement in it. I use the word “encourage” because it takes courage and safety to make our money-selves explicit. Money, as it has come to […]
Re-energizing the Bronx
BlocPower Offers Energy Retrofits to Communities That Need Them Most For years, Pastor Leo Curry of Fordham United Methodist Church in the Bronx worried about the cost of heating his church and social hall with two outdated boilers. It was so bad that the monthly bills sometimes soared above $12,000. “It was almost to the […]
Office Supplies & Independent Lives
Armando Bernasconi is CEO at Quality Connections, an RSF borrower that helps individuals with disabilities become independent, productive community members via employment, job training, and practical life learning. Interviewed by Enrique Perez | Marketing Manager Enrique: Who or what sparked your passion for addressing employment barriers in the disabled community? Armando: My mom and dad […]
The Prudent Woman
The world of investing abides by various rules. Some are defined and articulated in formal legislation and regulations, while others are based on customs, common practices, and opinions expressed by jurists in court cases. The expectation of “prudence” in financial management is one such case.¹ This piece is a special collaboration by Leslie Christian and […]
RSF 2016 Annual Report
It is with great delight that we share with you the 2016 Annual Report by RSF Social Finance. Last year was a full one for this organization, and our collection of client stories and financial results showcases just that. We hope the vignettes and visuals inspire you to seek new ways to engage with money and explore […]
Three Days in Vermont
Greetings RSF Community! Earlier this spring, Kate and I spent an eventful few days in Vermont, and I wanted to recap some of the highlights of our short, but geographically-intensive trip. Starting in Burlington, we zipped up and down the state by car, stopping to visit some of our borrowers, partners, and a slew of […]
Women & Money
“Everyone has to make up their mind if money is money or money isn’t money and sooner or later they always do decide that money is money.” —Gertrude Stein My Legal Tender project was inspired in part by the Great Recession. Each day, I listened to NPR and almost never heard the female pronoun. All […]
RSF Quarterly: Power of Women’s Capital
In this spring RSF Quarterly, we lend our focus to understanding the role that leaders in social finance and at social enterprises play in empowering women and girls. We start this issue by interviewing Amalia Greenberg-Delgado, Global Programs Director for Asylum Access, an RSF grant recipient, who enlightens us on the plight that refugee women […]
RSF Social Finance Launches Integrated Capital Fellowship for Financial Activists
New program teaches powerful strategies to leverage diverse capital as a tool for long-term change San Francisco, March 13, 2017—In its latest initiative to revolutionize investing and giving, RSF Social Finance today opens applications for the Integrated Capital Fellowship. This intensive program will give financial practitioners the tools and strategies they need to help values-driven […]
A “Farmer First” Approach to Land Access
Think “local food,” and your mind’s eye produces various images of farmers in vast fields harvesting strawberries as the sun rises. Or you visualize a weekend farmers market offering colorful arrays of fruits and vegetables. These images strike at the idea of a food movement that has grown more diversified and equitable. But barriers persist, […]
Harvesting Capital for Maine’s Food Economy
By John Meyers With eight thousand plus farms in Maine, New England’s northernmost state is also its most agricultural. Since 2007, agricultural sales in the Pine Tree State have grown an astonishing 24 percent. But before you celebrate, consider this: financing small farms and food businesses in Maine remains restrictive. Commercial financial institutions continue to […]
2017 Rate Increase Announcement
On January 1, 2017, RSF Social Finance increased its “RSF Prime” base interest rate for borrowers to 5.00%. Other participants in the Social Investment Fund (SIF) are affected as follows: the investor rate is now 0.75%, up from 0.50%, and the RSF revenue share will remain at 4.25%. The decision to raise rates is a […]
Defend the Sacred: RSF Winter 2017 Newsletter
In this latest RSF Quarterly, we listen deeply to members of our community as they recount stories of struggle and newfound strength. This issue’s Clients in Conversation is international and features Native people’s voices from as far north as Alaska, down to the South African region of Pondoland. Despite being halfway across the world from one […]
Reflections on Ten Amazing Years
Dear Friends, For the last ten years, I have had the honor of serving as RSF’s president and CEO. On the eve of my departure, I reflect on what we have accomplished as a community of staff, board, clients, partners—and what makes RSF so special and unique. I love RSF. It’s a rare bird; one that you […]
RSF’s Work: An Inside Look at Our Integrated Capital Approach
[embedded content] To build a thriving social enterprise sector, we need to rethink the purpose of capital and take a holistic approach to funding social entrepreneurs. This is a model RSF calls integrated capital: the coordinated use of different forms of financial capital and non-financial resources to support an enterprise that’s working to solve complex […]
RSF Prime: Creating Community Through Setting Interest Rates
Does your bank invite you to discuss and provide feedback on interest rates? Learn why RSF does so with its community every quarter. In 2009, RSF began hosting community pricing gatherings for representatives of the RSF Social Investment Fund – investors, borrowers, and RSF staff. We’ve now hosted nearly 30 gatherings and have made many discoveries along […]
A Change for the Better: RSF Fall 2016 Quarterly
In this latest RSF Quarterly, we introduce RSF Social Finance’s new branding—a change to our look and language that provides us with greater capacity to celebrate our clients and to better tell the story of our integrated capital approach. One story in this newsletter that excellently conveys this evolving approach profiles San Francisco-based Veritable Vegetable, […]
Redefining Return
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 […]
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 […]
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™ […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]