It’s a win-win. Earn a financial return while lifting families out of poverty.
Empowering Investors to Empower Communities
MARCH 2013
Dear Friends,
Last Friday was International Women’s Day, a day of celebration of the economic, political and social achievements of women around the world. At Calvert Foundation, we also celebrated the one year anniversary of our Women INvesting in Women INitiative (WIN-WIN)! We launched WIN-WIN to raise investment capital for organizations empowering women through education, housing, healthcare, and access to credit.
In our latest blog post we look back at the first year, and hear from some of the organizations that our WIN-WIN investors are supporting. Since launching, WIN-WIN has invested more than $10 million in women worldwide.
We’re thrilled about the momentum behind investing in women, and hope that you’ll join the community of impact investors propelling this movement forward.
New Investment: Equitas Academy Charter Schools
Working in partnership with lead-lender NCB Capital Impact as part of the ExED 8 Investment Fund, we recently invested $1.2 million to help improve and modernize the Equitas Academy Charter School. This is an example of Calvert Foundation’s commitment to helping our strongest and most well-established partners through direct project-based, secured lending. Equitas provides free schooling to K-5 students to prepare them for college-preparatory middle and high schools, four-year colleges and universities.
What We’re Reading
Merrill Lynch recently released a viewpoint called “Values-Based Investing Moves Into the Mainstream“, based on a whitepaper released in August 2011 showing the rapid rise of investor interest in strategies that help society and the environment while also seeking competitive returns. The study reveals that sustainable and socially responsible practices may correlate with higher returns.
See how our partnerEnvirofit is improving health and reducing pressure on forests in developing countries through clean cook stoves and solar lighting.
We recognize our staff’s broader contributions to the impact investing industry by highlighting some of their work beyond the walls of Calvert Foundation.
Website Progress
Calvert Foundation will be launching our spanking-new website this summer! It’s still in development, but here’s how we think the homepage will look. Check out the preview.
The Skoll World Forum is one of the premiere events in impact investing. Skoll gathers some of the industry’s leaders to advance entrepreneurial approaches and solutions to the world’s most pressing problems. Our Chief Initiatives Officer Jenn Pryce will be speaking as part of a convening of emerging best practices for impact investors.
The Women’s Funding Network Annual Conference brings together a dynamic group of perspectives from around the world to share expertise on everything from women-led philanthropy to program evaluation, donor engagement, and technology. Calvert Foundation CEO Lisa Hall will be delivering one of the keynotes.
Join us and other impact investing professionals for an evening of networking in DC. Learn how to direct your investment capital in positive, healthy, and transformative ways.
Careers
Join a leader in impact investing for more than 15 years. Current openings:
Calvert Social Investment Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, offers the Community Investment Note, which is subject to certain risks, is not a mutual fund, is not FDIC or SIPC insured, and should not be confused with any Calvert Group-sponsored investment product. This website is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an offer to buy these securities; the offering is made only by the prospectus, which should be read before investing.
