Investing in companies that are adapting, transitioning and innovating around climate change can be an important part of mitigating some of its most harmful effects. At the same time, it might also help your foundation meet its financial goals: research increasingly suggests that on average, corporations with stronger environmental policies may also exhibit stronger corporate... Read More
Effective philanthropy is sustained and powered by prudent investment of the assets you are dedicating to philanthropic purposes. A request for proposal (RFP) is a document, often a questionnaire, that lets you compare investment service offerings, performance, fees, and other value-add services. Whether you’re looking for an investment service provider for the first time, planning... Read More
Consider a community foundation with assets of $12 million. A foundation of that size might make a little over $600,000 in grants in a year and raise $750,000. The foundation works carefully to oversee the funds going out and coming in, but what about the remaining $11.4 million in its endowment? $11.4 million. If the... Read More
When investors think about commodities, they often recall the 1970s, the last time commodities were in vogue in the investor’s playbook. Over the last 40 years, with falling interest rates and a focus on bonds and stocks, commodities have largely been ignored as an investment class. Decline of Commodities As prices for commodities dropped, many... Read More
One session at the Exponent Philanthropy National Conference this past fall prompted a question that I’ve continued to ponder. I attended the session “A Framework for Foundation Investing in a Low-Return Environment.” Full disclosure: As a relative newcomer to philanthropy, I often feel anxious in discussions about organizational budgets and investing. But it’s an important... Read More
Having a thriving economy throughout New Jersey is essential to our mission of helping working families achieve financial stability, healthy relationships and hope. Access to jobs that pay a steady, living wage is part of the system we want to help bring about. Nurturing businesses and entrepreneurs in equitable ways is something we embrace—and it’s... Read More