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Greetings! 
Plan to come early to learn, and stay to play. We will kick off the first joint More for Mission + PRI Makers Network conference with four pre-sessions, delving in to PRI Fundamentals, Portfolio Management, Legal and Tax Issues, and Evaluation. Free with registration, these sessions will help launch a great opportunity to connect with leading mission investors. Stay longer and use the occasion to venture beyond Seattle to explore the Pacific Northwest rain forests and coastlines, the San Juan Islands, Mt. Rainier and more. We look forward to seeing you here in May!
Peter Berliner, Managing Director, PRI Makers Network
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 As More for Mission and PRI Makers Network integrate, we are in the process of developing a useful website that promotes and facilitates mission investing across the wide range of portfolios strategies, asset classes, and return targets. From a very high level perspective, I see four different things that our newly integrated tool will deliver as we move forward in the coming months and years. It should:
* Excite new entrants and experienced practitioners: mission investing is an opportunity for foundations to better fulfill their purpose - we need to engage them at that level.
* Educate about mission investing: explain the why and how to do it, the range of opportunities available, key lessons from past practice, the stakeholders to engage to be effective.
* Demonstrate credibility: mission investing can challenge conventional practice, and may seem new, different, or too resource intensive - we ought to be able to show how it is practicable, has a track record.
* Push the boundaries of mission investing: this is a dynamic field, with new strategies, sectors of interest, products, and ways to engage other investors - we can use this integrated platform to move the field forward, not just recite what's already been done.
We'd love your thoughts about the messages you'd like or need to hear, what sort of information you'd like access to, and what you think your colleagues are looking for.
David Wood, Director, More for Mission
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 In the News | |
To support its goal of preparing more students for college and career success, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced competitive funding for cities that have signed Charter-District Collaboration Compacts. The funds are a mix of competitive grant dollars for Compact cities to scale their existing work, and PRI dollars to support facilities investments in the highest performing schools.
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation made a low-interest loan as part of an effort by five Bay Area conservation organizations to preserve the largest expanse of unprotected redwoods and wildlife habitat in California's Santa Cruz mountains. Other funding toward the purchase comes from a variety of sources, including a combined $8 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore and Packard Foundations.
The California Endowment Makes $10 Million MRI
The Endowment recently announced its investment with DBL Investors Equity Fund II as part of its to-date $75 million commitment to mission-related investing.
Canadian Task Force on Social Finance Recommends Foundations Invest at Least 10% of Assets to MRIs
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Upcoming Network Event |
Investing for Impact:
2012 National Conference
May 8 - 10, 2012
Seattle Waterfront Marriott Hotel
Join us in Seattle for our 2012 National Conference. Connect with 300 peers committed to mission investing. Learn about the legal and procedural basics of MRI and PRI, the types of investment options, and practical steps to follow for sourcing and managing investments. Choose from workshops on investing in conservation, health, economic development, food systems or sustainable development, as well as in rural and Native communities. Participate in discusssions for community foundation and international investors, and address important issues in the field such as evaluation, risk and scale. Whether you are not yet making investments or are an experienced investor, the conference has something for you!
Early-bird registration is now open - Network members save $150 by registering before March 23.
Many thanks to our sponsors!
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Skoll Foundation
Meyer Memorial Trust
Coastal Enterprises Inc.
Mission Throttle
Thomas W. Haas Fund of the New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
Please contact us if you are interested in a sponsorship.
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New at the Network | |
Welcome New Members!
Forty-seven organizations joined the Network in 2011, and we expect to have many more mission investors join us in 2012 in order to participate in our conference and expanded offerings resulting in our merger with More for Mission. If your organization is not yet a member, join today! Please join us in welcoming our newest members in 2012:
Blue Mountain Community Foundation of Walla Walla, WA helps donors create enduring legacies that support the people, programs and progress that ultimately improve the quality of life in its area.
The MetroHealth Foundation, Inc. supports MetroHealth System, a safety-net healthcare system in Cleveland, OH, funding programs and projects in patient care, scientific and clinical research, and medical education.
Salesforce.com Foundation of San Francisco uses Salesforce.com's people, technology and relationships to improve local communities by using a unique 1/1/1 model-1% time, 1% product and 1% equity.
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Articles of Interest
| J.P. Morgan and the GIIN Release New Report Analyzing Investor Perspectives
Insight into the Impact Investment Market by J.P. Morgan and the GIIN finds that the majority of surveyed impact investors have tempered optimism about the impact investing industry, believing it is "in its infancy and growing." Most expect that 5-10 percent of overall portfolios will be allocated to impact investments within a decade. The lack of track record of successful investments is identified as the industry's biggest challenge, with the biggest risks around investment illiquidity and uncertainty of financial returns.
Credit Suisse Publishes Microfinance Perception Survey
Credit Suisse Microfinance Capacity Building Initiative in collaboration with the Microfinance Communications Council, reports on a survey aimed at gauging perceptions about microfinance and its industry among wealth holders and their advisors. It finds microfinance is still viewed positively as an effective tool to alleviate poverty and to support entrepreneurship. Other findings include that most respondents believe the industry needs to address the risk of client over-indebtedness and rapid industry growth. |
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| Event of Interest |
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Peter Berliner, Managing Director, PRI Makers Network
David Wood, Director, More for Mission
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