It’s magic to watch impact investing happen in a small town. In June, a group of local people met in Missoula, Montana for 90 minutes and crafted a $300,000 loan enabling a nonprofit organization to buy land for an innovative affordable housing development. Their transaction paves the way for Homeword to develop up to 72 new homes and support services that are sorely needed in Missoula.
There is nothing like impact investing to bring mental models to the fore for foundation boards and investing committees. We all have our view of impact investing, and it is often based on “something I heard” or a random example.
That is a problem because impact investing is a big wide...
Does your organization need to earn more about impact investing? This Pretty Good Tool can help you and your trustees explore the concept of impact investing.
Risk is a huge and relevant topic for investors. Rosalie asks, "do we take it too far?" This post is part of a multi-part blog series about innovative foundations and financial advisors working to make impact investments in the (mostly) Pacific Northwest region.
The first in a series of "Front Row Seat" vignettes on impact investing, I'm pleased to share how Northwest Area Foundation has cracked an important investing nut for foundations—finding market-rate investments in its rural, small-town service areas. They did it, and you can too.
Philanthropy Northwest is exploring a bond fund that would give members an easy new way to make investments in the communities they care about. Modeled after a successful effort in Minnesota, we’re excited to explore this opportunity with our members. I’ll be hosting a lunch meeting during the annual conference where members can learn more and share ideas.
One hundred million dollars.
That’s how much money Surdna Foundation has now allocated to impact investing, just in time for its 100th anniversary. It’s an exciting decision, and you can read all about the private foundation's decision-making process in Mapping the Journey to Impact Investing, a new report researched and drafted by Jan Jaffe, senior partner of The Giving Practice, Philanthropy Northwest's national consulting team.