World Refugee Day Webinar

The Forum is co-sponsoring a webinar with Grantmakers Concerned for Refugees and Immigrants for World Refugee Day, Innovative Solutions and Holistic Approaches to Refugees and Asylum, on Tuesday, June 20th at 2:00 – 3:00 pm.

More than 60 million individuals have been forced from home around the world, among them nearly 20 million refugees. Across the globe, already limited resources—both public and private—are now stretched thinner than ever. In this environment, many organizations and funders are reconsidering old practices, searching for holistic models, and innovating to address the unprecedented needs and opportunities of displaced persons. Many seek to empower refugees and develop programs that not only holistically address needs, but are also refugee-led. In the United States, where needs range from middle-class, college-educated Syrian refugees to impoverished Central American women and children seeking asylum out of fear of gangs, diverse approaches are needed.

This call, held in honor of World Refugee Day, will explore several innovative models during this era of the global refugee crisis. Join to hear from leading figures in the field about the potential and lessons learned of their approaches.

Impact Investing Session Follow up

For those interested in additional resources on Mission Related Investments (MRI), here are some resources:

Support Organizations

Global Impact Investing Network  

Initiative for Responsible Investment  

Mission Investors Exchange

US SIF – The Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment

Articles and Publications

Bay Area Impact Investing Initiative: “What is Place-Based Impact Investing?”

Center for Effective Philanthropy:  “Investing and Social Impact:  Practices of Private Foundations”

Chronicle of Philanthropy:  “Mission Critical:  Nonprofits and foundations making impact investments believe their dollars are vital to solving tough problems

Council of Development Finance Agencies:  “Urban Revitalization and Impact Investing”

Goldman Sachs: “Right Tools, Right Time:  The Rise of Impact Investing”

Grantmakers in the Arts: “How to Invest in the Arts Without Buying a Picasso”

Invest with Values

The McKnight Foundation:  Statement of Investment Policy

Mission Investors Exchange: Equity Advancing Equity”

National Center for Family Philanthropy: “Getting started with impact investing:  Overcoming resistance from family and board members”

Philanthropy News Digest: “Study calls on impact investors to close educational attainment gaps”

Pacific Community Ventures: What’s New in Impact Investing

Stanford Social Innovation Review:  “Mission Possible:  How Foundations Are Shaping the Future of Impact Investing” – series of mission investment articles

Surdna Foundation: ”Mapping the Journey to Impact Investing”

United Nations: Principles for Responsible Investment

Two New “Marketplaces” for Impact Investments

Impact Us 

Capital Aggregation

  • Minnesota Council of Foundations (GCRI’s sister organization) has established an impact investing collaborative with The McKnight Foundation, Bush Foundation and the Otto Bremer Trust as lead institutions.
  • Washington Area Grantmakers  (GCRI’s sister organization) has a housing investment program.

More Value to Short-Term Investment or Smaller, Long-Term, Endowment Based Giving?

Atlantic Philanthropies has banked its investment decisions on the philosophy that since a foundation’s grants generate a social return, those returns compound at a higher rate than its financial assets would, so more immediate grants will generate more social value than preserving the capital and making more grants later.  This is the premise behind limited life foundations.  Value, Time, and Time-Limited Philanthropy, highlights discussions among philanthropic leaders, advisors, and scholars about the social value a philanthropic initiative can be estimated to generate — taking into account direct outlay, social value, ripple effects, and durability — and whether, considering social utility, rates of return, and the compounding or erosion of value over time, the premise holds true for three Atlantic Philanthropies-funded initiatives.  Initial study is showing that Atlantic’s short-term investments are paying off, in part because other foundations have taken a slower, more sustained approach, so there may be an important role for both approaches to funding to address systemic issues.

 

Funder Resources for Immigrants and Refugees

Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees

With leadership from Forum member Grantmakers Concerned with Immigrants and Refugees, more than 140 philanthropic organizations have signed on to a statement in support of immigrants and refugees, including both foundations and philanthropic support organizations.  Read the statement.

Center for Disaster Philanthropy Resources

10 Ways to Improve Our Response to Humanitarian Crises Report

Transit, Tents, Homes:  Approaches to Three Phases of the Refugee Crisis:  In-depth report examines the life of a refugee in three phases, includes detailed situation analyses along with several funding opportunities from the following three perspectives:  Transit: Whether it is throughout Europe, across the Mediterranean, or on difficult border roads elsewhere, refugees must endure the natural elements and man-made risks; Tents: Refugees living in camps often end up there for many years, posing challenges for both the refugees and host countries; and Homes: Though fortunate, refugees who are resettled into the United States have a wide range of social, cultural, and economic challenges to overcome.

Public Education Institute at the The Immigrant Learning Center

Take Back the Immigration Narrative webinar by the FrameWorks Institute.

Winning Strategies in Use discussion (panel discussion)

Changing Face of America, Latest Immigration Data by The ILC Public Education Institute. Slides attached.

 Opportunity Agenda

 Welcoming America

 Institute for Immigration Research at George Mason University

 The Immigrant Learning Center Public Education Institute

Resources from the chat box:

Immigration Research and Information is available for your research needs. You can also browse their resources on education and immigrant integration.

Peace and Security Funding Resource

Peace & Security Funding Resource

The Peace and Security Funders Group and Foundation Center have recently updated the Peace & Security Funding Index: An Analysis of Global Foundation Grantmaking. The Index showcases the grantmaking institutions dedicated to building a more peaceful global future and analyzes funding for peace and security by issue, region served, strategy, and population. In 2014, the latest year in which complete data is available, 290 foundations supported over 1,800 organizations with $357 million! Explore it now