Our Roots

Mission Investors Exchange was founded in 2005 by a group of funders interested in new ways to use their capital for impact, including The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Ford Foundation, The George Gund Foundation, Heron Foundation, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Meyer Memorial Trust, The David & Lucile Packard Foundation, Prudential Foundation, and Rasmuson Foundation. From a small gathering of likeminded foundation leaders in Baltimore to a respected community of more than 200 active members, Mission Investors Exchange has come a very long way in our relatively short history. The following are key milestones marking our remarkable journey.

 

The Annie E. Casey Foundation decides it wants to enter the mission-investing field. Its leaders convene a meeting of Baltimore-area foundations, giving those already making Program Related Investments (PRIs) the opportunity to share their experiences, systems, and advice.

 

John Colborn of the Ford Foundation encourages the group to meet again, bringing together approximately 25 interested foundation representatives following the Neighborhood Funders Group conference there. 

 

The first multi-day conference of foundations interested in mission investing is held at the Ford Foundation in New York City. 40 grantmakers attend.

 

These initial foundations and other interested parties establish the PRI Makers Network following a Council on Foundations conference. 

 

In January, a two-day conference at Stanford University draws 145 funders for networking and shared learning and education. The following October the first PRI Institute is held at the Federal Reserve Bank in Chicago.

 

Initially, the 2% for Mission Campaign created by The Annie E. Casey Foundation, Heron Foundation and Meyer Memorial Trust, The More for Mission Campaign Resource Center is established at the Boston College Institute for Responsible Investment.

 

The PRI Makers Network national conference draws 225 participants.

 

PRI Makers Network settles into its first institutional home thanks to fiscal sponsor, Philanthropy Northwest. 

 

Leaders of More for Mission and PRI Makers Network respectively, announce to 300 national conference attendees that the two organizations are combing forces and officially form Mission Investors Exchange under the umbrella of Philanthropy Northwest.

 

Mission Investors Exchange spins off from Philanthropy Northwest as an independent organization.