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Greetings! 
This is the inaugural edition of the combined PRI Makers Network and More for Mission newsletter.
It is a harbinger of things to come. Future newsletters, events and the national conference will reflect a broader scope of relevant information and practical resources for mission investors. We look forward to collaborating with David Wood and Katie Grace who will be working with us from their posts at the Initiative for Responsible Investment at Harvard University to stay ahead of the curve in the fast-evolving field of mission investing.
As you will note from the stories below, the rate of deployment of PRIs and MRIs is accelerating. It is exciting to see new, substantive investments in housing, healthcare, economic development and other arenas that will make significant differences in communities both here and abroad.
Peter Berliner, Managing Director, PRI Makers Network
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 The Foundation Center recently released the results of its first effort to track the use of market-rate and program-related investments by U.S. foundations. The survey is a welcome signal that the philanthropic community increasingly sees mission investing as a legitimate and potentially effective strategy to pursue. This report helps to fill a significant void in understanding the scope of the mission investing market. It finds that fourteen percent of foundations have made program-related or market-rate mission investments. Half of those foundations reporting mission investments are in PRIs alone; the remainder is split between market-rate only or mixed PRI and market-rate investment portfolios. More...
David Wood, Director, More for Mission
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 In the News | |
Stephanie Strom of the New York Times explores the growing number of foundations taking equity positions in profit-making ventures, including examples from Network members the Bill & Melinda Gates, MacArthur, and Packard Foundations and Omidyar Network.
The Fund's PRI to the Florida Community Loan Fund supports affordable rental housing for low-income individuals and families.
The Trust's loan will help the McMinnville Clinic increase access to health care for low-income, underinsured and uninsured patients.
National Public Radio's John Ydstie reports how the Healthpoint model of medical clinics provides access to doctors using teleconferencing technology, diagnostic testing and affordable water filtration, all in one building. CEI Receives Award to Invigorate Rural CommunitiesNetwork affiliate member Coastal Enterprises, Inc. (CEI) received $5.5 million from the Whachovia Wells Fargo NEXT Award, the largest and most coveted awards program for CDFIs nationally. CEI will use the award to bolster local rural economies and stimulate job creation and retention in disadvantaged and rural communities. |
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Upcoming Network Events |
Investing for Impact:
2012 National Conference
May 8 - 10, 2012
Seattle Waterfront Marriott Hotel
Join us in Seattle for our 2012 National Conference. Early-bird registration is now open - Network members save $150 by registering early! Sponsorship opportunities are also available; please contact us if you are interested.
Tools for Investors Webinar Series Archives Available
This news series provides practical information and opportunities to learn from peers. If you missed either the first two sessions, All About IRIS and Finding a Fund: Investment Fund Search Tools for PRI & MRI Investors, you can access the recordings here. Keep an eye on this page for new sessions to be added.
All webinar programs hosted by the PRI Makers Network are recorded and available on our website.
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New at the Network | |
Welcome New Members!
Forty-six organizations have joined the Network in 2011. Please join us in welcoming our most recent new members:
Evergreen Business Capital Foundation of Seattle funds entrepreneurial development and microenterprise support, and the promotion of green building, renewable fuels and green technologies in the Northwest.
Laird Norton Family Foundation of Seattle is committed to environmental stewardship and works to honor, support and reflect the values of the Laird Norton family through philanthropic giving.
The Fannie E. Rippel Foundation of Morristown, NJ works to seed innovation, catalyze change and create model processes that will lead to improvements in health, actively engaging leaders in and outside the sector who take a systems-based approach to health care re-design.
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| Events of Interest |
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2011 Report on Sustainability Trends in U.S. Alternative Investments Webinar
November 30
Join this webinar to hear about a recently released US SIF Foundation publication that provides an in-depth analysis of recent trends across U.S. hedge funds, property funds, and private equity and venture capital funds that consider environmental, social, and corporate governance criteria in their investment strategies.
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Peter Berliner, Managing Director, PRI Makers Network
David Wood, Director, More for Mission
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