Guiding the Equality Fund's Investment Strategy Part 2 (From Playbook: Investing in Gender Equality)
Forming bridges amongst feminist activists and economists and allies with gender-lens investment expertise, part of a six-part blog series that explores why and how an investment program is an essential part of the Equality Fund’s work to shift power to women, youth, girls, and non-binary people around the world. Through the lens of six “P”s (Purpose, People and Partners, Perspectives, Process, Philosophy and Products), the Equality Fund shares their approach to gender-lens investing and illuminate the values, strategy, and structure that guide it.
Integrating Gender Diversity Criteria into an Investment Policy Statement
From Morgan Stanley: A roadmap for integrating investment with impact in an investment policy statement.
van Ameringen Foundation Investment Policy Statement
van Ameringen Foundation Investment Policy Statement
Investor Statement of Solidarity to Address Systemic Racism and Call to Action
From Racial Justice Investing: Long-term investors' and financial service providers' commitment to action and accountability to achieve racial equity.
NorthLight Foundation Investment Policy Statement
NorthLight Foundation Investment Policy Statement
Canadian Investor Statement on Diversity & Inclusion
From Responsible Investment Association Canada: Signatory investors encourage Canadian public companies to lead in global efforts to address systemic inequities by advancing diversity and inclusion efforts and enhancing transparency and accountability, as well as challenge their own institutions to advance diversity and inclusion of underrepresented individuals within their organisations.
Racial Equity Investing: The Time Is Now
This report from Cambridge Associates discusses the renewed sense of urgency around racial equity investing and puts forward three actions investors can take to address the inequities inherent in our society.
Investing in Racial Equity: A Primer for College & University Endowments
From The Intentional Endowments Network: This Primer is intended to be a catalyst for conversation and action on racial equity for fiduciaries of university endowments who are looking to learn more about the current state of racial inequity in the U.S. as it relates to the long-term sustainability of the economy; the unique, under appreciated opportunity available to college and university endowments in racial equity investing; and the variety of tools, products, partners and best practices available. University fiduciaries can begin to address racial equity in their roles by taking the actions outlined in this Primer.
Adasina Social Justice Investment Criteria
The data-driven set of standards that guides Adasina's investment strategies to reflect social justice values and advance progressive movements for change.
How Can Investors Help Confront Racial Injustice?
This impact brief from Zevin Asset Management is an update of their original call to action and a review of their continuing work to build an awareness of racial justice into investment — both as an analytical lens and an economic reality. Doing so helps to protect the value of their portfolios and channel their clients’ voices to help create positive change.
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Investment Policy Statement
Rockefeller Brothers Fund Investment Policy Statement
The Role of Investment Managers in Promoting Diversity and Inclusion
Short document from the Investment Association summarising recent industry work in a number of proactive initiatives to further advance diversity and inclusion in all its forms.
The Just Imperative - MacArthur Foundation
Mission statement: The Just Imperative requires that we interrogate our decisions and actions to ensure that they enhance the conditions in which justice can thrive; rejecting and challenging the structures, systems, and practices that reinforce an unjust status quo, or produce unjust outcomes.
Moving from Intention to Impact: Funding Racial Equity to Win
From Policy Link: Moving from Intention to Impact: Funding Racial Equity to Win, a joint PolicyLink-Bridgespan study analyzes the state of funding for racial equity work. Among a host of important findings, the report offers two key takeaways to funders who want to be generative members of the racial equity ecosystem. First, accountability, a necessity of racial equity work, is impossible without rigorous and transparent reporting. Second, funders must trust and defer to the articulated needs of movement leaders and fund the work that movement leaders say is needed to achieve enduring change.
Integrating Racial Equity into Total Portfolio Activation
This paper offers a synopsis of the evolution from community development and ESG investing to the emergence of investing explicitly with a racial equity lens, proposes a definition for racial equity investing, and presents emerging opportunities across asset classes for investors. This report is supported by the Nathan Cummings Foundation & Trillium Asset Management.
Racial Inequality is a Business Risk
The events of 2020 drew heightened attention in corporate America to the issue of economic inequality. Following the protests across the United States sparked by the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers, nearly half of the companies in the S&P 500 issued public statements denouncing discrimination or pledging a review of policies and practices related to diversity and inclusion, according to an S&P Global Ratings report. Simply recognizing the problems of racism and inequality, however, is not enough. The private sector can play a leading role in addressing social issues, and investors can help lead the charge. Investors should integrate the risk posed by economic inequality into their investment decision-making and hold portfolio companies accountable for addressing this critical issue. Inaction on these fronts can have financially material effects that undermine corporate value and threaten fund performance.
Narrowing the Gap: Why Long-Term Investors and Corporate Leaders Should View Addressing Economic Inequality and Improving Diversity as Critical Forms of Risk Management
From Ariel Investments: This paper is designed to help investors understand the urgent need to address economic inequality and provide corporate leadership teams practical steps to drive change within their companies and for society at large. Drawing on Ariel Investment’s work with the Black Corporate Directors Conference, the authors outline actions relating to people, purchasing, and philanthropy that companies can take to leverage corporate influence.
Think racial and ethnic diversity is better in impact and ESG investing? Think again...
In this article from Responsible Investor, Paul Hodgson explores the progress being made on diversity and inclusion in the sustainability world.
There is a Strong Business Case for Racial Equity, But Investors Must Look Beyond the Data
From Veris Wealth Partners: Veris Wealth Partners asserts, "[The] data indicates that too many public commitments to racial equity and racial justice amount to impact washing–it is more a marketing tactic than an authentic, action-backed commitment to change. To ensure authenticity we must look beyond public statements and seek action and accountability. We must look to see who is in leadership. Is racial equity evidenced in the C-suite or in the boardroom of these corporations? Is pay equity addressed at all levels of the firm? Unfortunately, not a lot has changed on that front."