Momentum in Mission Investing: Highlights from MIE’s Sold-Out 2025 Institute in Atlanta
Last month, Mission Investors Exchange (MIE) proudly welcomed a sold-out cohort of foundation professionals to Atlanta for our 2025 Mission Investing Institute — an immersive training experience designed to equip those newer to the field with the tools to build mission-aligned portfolios that deliver meaningful impact. Hosted at the Russell Innovation Center for Entrepreneurs, the Institute blended virtual learning with three days of hands-on experiences and peer learning led by experts from across the impact investing continuum.
As the field continues to rise to meet urgent challenges facing communities, this convening provided a vital space for skill-building, strategy-sharing, and deepening connections — all while setting the stage for our return to Atlanta for MIE’s 2026 National Conference.
Take a deep dive on the Institute and new resources below!
DAY 1 HIGHLIGHTS: Expanding Entrepreneurship through Community Lending
On Day 1, Institute participants embarked on an Impact In Action site visit where they learned about efforts to transform local neighborhoods and economies in Atlanta and Georgia statewide. This session was held in partnership with Access to Capital for Entrepreneurs (ACE), a statewide community development financial institution that has helped Georgia's entrepreneurs thrive for 25 years. Speakers included Martina Edwards, President and CEO, ACE; Laura Estrada, CFO, Flores; Devin Hunter, CEO & Co-Founder, Coffee Man; and Jamine Moton, Founder and CEO, Skylar Security. Participants heard from ACE's small business clientele in a panel discussion and then explored impact investing firsthand by visiting Coffee Man Blandtown, a small business supported by ACE.
Participants also learned about the importance of foundations providing low-cost, patient capital so that intermediaries can in turn provide that to their entrepreneurs/borrowers. According to ACE’s small business clientele featured in the panel, ACE has been intentional about building relationships, with trust being foundational to their strategy.
“We were given our first loan by ACE — and 25 years later, not only has ACE been there at every step of the way, but also when we've opened, closed, sold, or franchised the restaurants.” — Laura Estrada, Flores
DAY 2 HIGHLIGHTS: A Deep Dive Into Impact Investing
Day 2 of the MIE Institute was filled with engaging programming for participants to dive deeper into the fundamentals of impact investing. The day kicked off with a session about developing an impact investing culture, where attendees heard from speakers Mark Constantine, Senior Vice President, Community Investment, Dogwood Health Trust; Sydney England, Executive Director, Georgia Social Impact Collaborative; Julius Kimbrough, Impact Investment Officer, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation; and Cynthia Muller, Director, Mission Investments, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Speakers discussed how to build the case for impact investing within your organization and how to present an impact investing strategy to a board or staff — especially those who are skeptical of it.
“As individuals, we have power within our organizations to try and motivate change. We get to decide how we show up, what values we represent, and what we care about.” – Julius Kimbrough, Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation.
The session was followed by a conversation about impact investing in today’s environment, featuring Tomer Inbar, Partner, Morgan Lewis; Erika Seth Davies, Chief Executive Officer, Rhia Ventures; and George Suttles, Executive Director, Commonfund Institute. As today's regulatory landscape continues to evolve, speakers shared ongoing legal and communications strategies for growing a mission-aligned investment portfolio and encouraged participants to keep impact and charitable purpose at the heart of their work.
“Are we asset management firms that just happen to do some charitable work on the side? Or are we centered in charitable purpose, with our endowments and our long-term pools of investable capital being a means to an end for that charitable purpose?” — George Suttles, Commonfund Institute
The day wrapped up with a session on how to build an impact investing strategy as a foundation or other mission-driven investor, led by seasoned impact investors including Tina Castro, Avivar Capital; Bert Feuss, Senior Advisor, Community Capital Advisors; Meredith Freeman, Director of Alignment and Impact Investing, Max M. and Marjorie S. Fisher Foundation; and Megan Walsh Thompson, Mission Investments Officer, Ford Foundation. Participants explored how to approach the creation and refinement of an effective impact investment strategy, aligned with their goals.
“Mission alignment can be achieved in many ways: for example, you can do negative screening; you can invest in funds that are ESG-integrated; you can use your voice through shareholder proxy voting and engagement; and you can allocate capital to diverse-owned or -led firms. These strategies help align your investments with your values, but they don't always lead to specific outcomes that matter most to your program goals. In my work with foundations, I'm seeing a movement from simply aligning with your mission to making real, measurable impact.” — Bert Feuss, Community Capital Advisors.
DAY 3 HIGHLIGHTS: The Legal and Operational Essentials of Impact Investing
Day 3 opened with a case study, where participants were led through a scenario involving a new executive hired by a regional foundation to lead its new impact investing program. Based on the details of the case study, participants formed their own recommendations for funding the foundation’s impact investing program, while also identifying the internal and external resources and other factors involved in the program’s success.
The Institute closed with a session on legal and operational considerations of impact investing, which explored the technical aspects of operationalizing an impact investment program, including legal documentation, deal sourcing, due diligence, portfolio management, and impact measurement. Participants heard from Aifuwa Ehigiator, PRI Investment Officer, The California Endowment; Sydney Hulebak, Impact Investment Manager, Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta; Tomer Inbar, Partner, Morgan Lewis; and Jane Reisman, Founder and Senior Advisor, ORS Impact, who demonstrated the connectivity between technical elements of advancing an impact investing strategy and upholding key impact management principles throughout the life cycle of an investment.
“Our goal is to support the ability to create a just, equitable, inclusive community development ecosystem. But to be able to make sure that we’re supporting community, you have to be intentional about it. So that’s why (our mission and goals) are a part of our due diligence process.” — Aifuwa Ehigiator, The California Endowment
Updated Impact Investing 101 Library
