Blog
Mission investing workshop on Living Cities' Green Economy Opportunity Fund
Lisa Hagerman, Monday, August 10th, 2009
On July 30th a small group of foundations came together at the Surdna Foundation in New York City to learn about Living Cities’ Green Economy Opportunity Fund, a new social investment vehicle that will provide capital for urban initiatives that create jobs and energy savings for low-income people, reduce carbon emissions, and deliver financial returns to investors.
Investments may include municipal revolving loan funds and bonds to finance energy efficiency retrofits as well as funds to intermediaries to provide working capital for expansion of green contractors and other businesses.
The afternoon meeting, organized in collaboration with the Confluence Philanthropy, a special project of Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, gathered five local foundations including the F.B. Heron Foundation and the Jessie Smith Noyes Foundation of the More for Mission Leaders Circle. The session was meant to be an informal opportunity to learn about the fund and ask practical questions related to the fund’s green programmatic priorities, geographic focus, and investment parameters. Foundations could provide feedback on the fund while still in formation and before formal fundraising begins. The discussion raised issues related to targeted returns and how from an investment officer’s perspective the investment might likely be made as a program-related investment and not through the foundation’s corpus. From a programmatic and strategy perspective questions raised related to the fund's structure in its ability to deliver on the social and environmental returns. Given a mission-based foundation investor will likely analyze the investment through either an environmental or community development lens, making clear the potential benefits and linkages between environment, economy, and people will be key factors for investors.
del.icio.us 
Digg 
Redditlatest posts
-
A Practical Guide to Mission Investing in Cash
April 5th, 2011 -
January 2011 Issue of Community Wealth Profiles DBL Investors
January 24th, 2011 -
Esmee Fairbairn Foundation Joins More for Mission
December 10th, 2010 -
Mission Driven Investors Conserve Ranchland in the West
November 15th, 2010 -
Foundations Invest in Clean Energy Enterprises
October 19th, 2010 -
Northwest Area Foundation Champions Invest Northwest
August 19th, 2010 -
Meyer Memorial Trust Mission Investing Case Study - Harvard Kennedy School
July 20th, 2010 -
CCM Meeting a Foundation's Geographic Mission
June 18th, 2010 -
Compton Foundation Active in Mission Investing
May 24th, 2010 -
Heron and Kellogg Foundation Funders in Habitat for Humanity's FlexCAP Loan Program
April 6th, 2010 -
Guidance to foundations on PRIs: IRS invites ABA Section on Taxation to develop new examples of PRIs
March 25th, 2010 -
Casey Foundation Pledges another $25 Million for social investments bringing total to $125 million
March 5th, 2010 -
Family Foundations Help Fuel Growth of Mission Investing
February 18th, 2010 -
More for Mission members invest in ESG Emerging Markets Product
January 26th, 2010 -
Banking Organizations Channel Funding to Distressed Communities
January 13th, 2010 -
Launch of US Community Investing Index Strategy
December 14th, 2009 -
Responsible Investment Consulting Discussed at SRI in the Rockies
November 3rd, 2009 -
Imprint Capital brings together mission investors in San Francisco
September 9th, 2009 -
Mission investing workshop on Living Cities' Green Economy Opportunity Fund
August 10th, 2009 -
Rural Mission Investing a topic at the Council on Foundations Rural Philanthropy Conference
July 29th, 2009 -
California Endowment holds Mission Investing Forum: Building Healthy Communities
July 16th, 2009 -
Association of Small Foundations supports the More for Mission Campaign
June 29th, 2009 -
Seattle investors look at mission investment strategies
June 23rd, 2009 -
Mission investors-faith based and foundations-look at New Orleans
June 15th, 2009 -
IRRC & Trucost study compels investors to evaluate carbon exposure of S&P 500
June 2nd, 2009 -
Foundation and sovereign wealth fund delegates gather at the Business of Clean Energy in Alaska conference
May 19th, 2009 -
EIRIS Foundation research shows European foundations should consider ESG risks to safeguard assets
May 16th, 2009 -
Mission investing leaders and other foundations gather in Atlanta
May 5th, 2009 -
Handbook for Climate-Related Investment across Asset Classes provides a guide for mission investors
April 22nd, 2009 -
Threshold Group gathers a Community of private family investors and others interested in Mission-Related Investing
April 17th, 2009 -
Consultants in Responsible Investing show MRI opportunities abound
April 6th, 2009 -
Mission investing opportunities: CCM webcast on Green Approaches to Fixed Income Investing
March 25th, 2009 -
More for Mission Leadership Committee member - The California Endowment - commits $75 million to mission investing
March 17th, 2009 -
Mission Investing Comes in Many Forms - Responsible Contracting Policies
March 9th, 2009 -
President Obama's FY 2010 Budget: A New Era of Responsibility - Doubles Funding for CDFI Fund
March 2nd, 2009 -
Investing with Impact: foundations in Southern California explore mission investing strategies
February 19th, 2009 -
More for Mission member, Needmor Fund, presents virtues of sustainable equity screens in a volatile market
January 27th, 2009 -
Krosinsky & Robins book offer insights on the spectrum of socially responsible investments
January 23rd, 2009 -
Community development banks in the news--opportunities for mission investors
January 13th, 2009 -
How are mission investments holding up in a down market?
December 16th, 2008
RSS Subscribe