New PRI logo
May 2010 Newsletter
In this issue...
Conference Follow-Up
PRIs in the News
What's New at the Network
Upcoming Events

   Innovate. Leverage. Grow.

Greetings!  

It was thrilling to bring together more than 200 people representing the ecosystem of program-related investing at our national conference in Chicago. The keynote address by Martin Eakes, the workshops, learning tours, and side conversations reflected the abundant creativity, energy, and courage that are powering growth in the field. At the conference, the Network also launched its new look in support of our focus on expanding the use of PRIs to drive social change. PRIs are a powerful tool for advancing innovation, leveraging financial and social capital, and growing sustainable solutions.
 
Thank you to all of our planners, sponsors, speakers, learning tour leaders, and participants! We look forward to working with you to put the ideas and energy raised at the conference into action in the months ahead.
 
Sincerely,
 
Peter Berliner
PRI Makers Network
If you have any questions about the PRI Makers Network website, please contact Shiho Fuyuki.
 
 
 
Conference Follow-up
 
chicago
Last week, more than 200 funders gathered in Chicago for three days of learning and networking at the PRI Makers Network 2010 National Conference - Expanding Philanthropy's Reach. Seventeen sessions covered topics from the nuts and bolts of PRIs to cutting edge investing in new corporate structures. 
 
A little rain didn't stop attendees from venturing out into Chicago to see PRIs at work across the city, or enjoying drinks on the deck of Cafe Brauer at the Lincoln Park Zoo before a keynote dinner with the hosts of NPR's Planet Money. 
 
For those who couldn't join us in Chicago - or those who just want to re-live the excitement:

  • Check out our conference blog.
  • View and download photos from our Flickr page.
  • Gather conference resources on our website.
     
    Thanks again to everyone who participated in making the conference a success, particularly:

  • Our conference chair, Debra Schwartz of the MacArthur Foundation
  • Our planning committee
  • Our sponsors

    If you did not do so already, don't forget to fill out our conference evaluation survey!
  • PRIs in the News
     
    New $200 Million Fund Opens for Small Business CDFIs
    Calvert Foundation, Opportunitity Finance Network, and Citi launched the $200 million Communities at Work Fund to lend to low-income communities in the US.
     
    The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the Charles and Helen Schwab Foundation announced their support to help secure $93 million in a tax-exempt bond issuance that will help Aspire Public Schools, a leading California nonprofit public charter school management organization, offer high-quality, permanent facilities to more students.
     
    Study Urges Foundations to Link Mission Investments with Grants
    Maximizing Impact: An Integrated Strategy For Grantmaking and Mission Investing in Climate Change provides a framework for foundations to identify the different ways social challenges, particularly climate change, may be addressed through a combined approach of mission investments and grants.
     
    Paul Sullivan of the New York Times writes about the phrase "impact investing" as an emerging hybrid of philanthropy and private equity that proponents say is about to become more widespread.
     
    The Foreclosure Opportunity: Re-Imagining Urban Landscapes
    The PRI Makers Network National Conference hosted a session on "Foreclosure Mitigation: PRIs as a Rapid Response Tool." Here, PRI Makers Network consultant, Kim Martin, writes for the conference blog about the session and the impact of program-related investments in neighborhood stabilization programs. To view other blog entries by conference participants, please click here.
    What's New at the Network
     
    Welcome New Members!
     
    Welcome New Steering Committee Members!
     
    Karen Haque, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
    Tracy Kartye, The Annie E. Casey Foundation
    Dana Pancrazi, The F.B. Heron Foundation
    Paul Reich, Meyer Memorial Trust
    Susan Phinney Silver, The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
     
    steering committee 2010
     
    The PRI Makers Network would like to thank Doug Kridler (The Columbus Foundation), Doug Stamm (Meyer Memorial Trust), Kate Starr (The F.B. Heron Foundation) and Christa Velasquez (The Annie E. Casey Foundation) for their years of service in the steering committee (pictured, above, in Chicago).
    Upcoming Events
     
    Social Investor Forum
    June 8, 2010
    Bellevue, WA
    Global Partnerships invites you to learn about investment opportunities that generate both social and financial returns while gaining a deeper understanding of our investment strategies and partner organizations.
    Space is limited! Register online or call 206.652.8748 by May 31.
     
    Maximizing Social Impact: How Mission Investments and Grants Can Work Together
    June 10, 2010
    Free Webinar
    Presented in partnership with the PRI Makers Network, FSG Social Impact Advisors and More for Mission. Join panelists Charly Kleissner, co-founder of KL Felicitas Foundation, Gregory Miller, managing director of Google.org investment from 2006-2009, and FSG authors Mark Kramer and Adeeb Mahmud for an interactive discussion and Q/A session about this report, and how foundations are combining investments and grants to address the world's toughest challenges. 
     
    Slow Money's Second National Gathering
    June 9 - 11, 2010
    Shelburne, VT
    Join this emerging network of thought leaders, investors, donors, entrepreneurs, farmers, and activists for the Second National Gathering  in Vermont. 
     
    New York, NY
    If we know that certain programs work - how can we ensure they reach  the people that need them most? This conference is devoted entirely to the topic of replicating effective nonprofit programs - where participants will learn about the growth of top-performing nonprofit organizations and have the opportunity to support their work to scale social impact. PRI Makers Network members are invited to attend. To receive an invitation, email a request with your name and affiliation to conference@socialimpactexchange.org.
    Peter Berliner 
    Manging Director
    Phone: 206-443-8462
    Fax: 206-441-4622