March 2023: Our Mission Investing Institute and Other Upcoming Programs; Field News; New Members 

As our signature introductory learning program, the Mission Investing Institute is designed to help philanthropy professionals who have recently begun impact investing or plan to get started. We are looking forward to the return of the institute this fall with both virtual and in-person sessions, presented by MIE in partnership with the National Center for Family Philanthropy, Northern California Grantmakers, and SoCal Grantmakers.

Covering key concepts, strategies, and skills that every early impact investor should know, the program will include virtual learning sessions on September 14 and 18, interactive office hours on September 15 and 19, and in-person sessions and a networking reception on November 6 and 7 at The California Endowment in Los Angeles, CA.

Additional details will be announced shortly. Institute space will be limited, so express your interest now to get early access to registration. If you have any questions, please email Dan Goldberg or James Wahls.

Innovating for Equity in an Uncertain Economy: The State of Social Justice Impact Investing
Thursday, April 13, 2023
9am - 10:15am PT / 12pm - 1:15pm ET

In the aftermath of the pandemic, diverse entrepreneurship continues its rapid decades-long rise. However, due to systemic barriers, few diverse-led small businesses reach the mid-market, and traditional debt and equity solutions are not often a fit to help them scale. With the support of catalytic investors, a new generation of innovative impact investing funds are meeting the moment. 

Join us as we co-host a webinar with Founders First Capital Partners, Impact Alpha, and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, in which we will hear from leading courageous impact investors on their social justice impact investment commitments and lessons learned; learn about creative fund models and results from fund managers; and discuss how investors and philanthropists can stay the course amidst uncertainty and advance their double bottom line priorities. If you have questions, please contact Sophia Brown.

Open Mic: Bank Crises - Access to Capital in a Constrained Lending Environment
Wednesday, April 19, 2023
11:30pm - 12:30pm PT / 2:30pm - 3:30pm ET

Join your fellow MIE members for an informal conversation to discuss the impacts of the week ending March 10, when Silicon Valley Bank–and subsequently other banking institutions–faced a lack of faith from their depositors that led to subsequent collapse. The impact investing community’s infrastructure came to the ready with a number of resources to bridge immediate needs. Foundations responded by working together with impact fund managers and entrepreneurs to find solutions. But what’s next? 

MIE members can register for this Open Mic by logging in. If you have questions or challenges accessing registration, please contact Zineb Touzani.

Deep Dive on Deals: Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth
Thursday, May 4, 2023
10:30am - 12:00pm PT / 1:30pm - 3pm ET

Learn about our member investments through a new “Deep Dive on Deals” series, featuring Virtual Learning Opportunities and separate foundation member-only gatherings that will showcase the nuts and bolts of impact investing. To kick off this series, MIE will present the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth, which offers Black/ African American first-time homebuyers access to no-interest down payment funds that can be used toward the purchase of a new home. Investors include Gary Community Ventures, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Gates Family Foundation, Denver Foundation, and The Colorado Trust. 

Through a moderated conversation, we will hear from Dearfield’s investors on the problem that the fund addresses, investment structure and terms, investment scaling, due diligence and underwriting, legal and closing dynamics, and post-closing monitoring. 

This program is available to our foundation and affiliate members. We will also hold a related follow-on program, “How the Deal Gets Done–Internal Foundation Practices”, for our foundation members only on Friday, May 5. If you have questions, please contact Sophia Brown.

Impact Investing: A Tool to Support Economic Mobility and Community Wealth Building
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
8am - 9:30am PT / 11am - 12:30pm ET

Confronting racial bias in asset building philanthropy is an important step toward realizing economic justice. By intentionally adopting race-conscious grant making, asset funders can better fulfill their missions and help advance a more fair and equitable economy that benefits everyone. How can funders move beyond the minimum 5 percent requirement of annual grant making and activate the entire foundation to support economic mobility and wealth building strategies in our communities?
 
Join us and our partner Carolinas Asset Funders Network (AFN) for this important conversation, which will continue to activate AFN’s interactive funder primer, On the Road to Racial and Economic Justice: Essential Questions to Address Racial Bias in Asset Building Philanthropy. If you have questions, please contact Sophia Brown.