Sustainable & Impact Investing

Mission-Related Investing: Current Practices and Views of Non-Profit Investors

| Download

Investor approaches to mission-related investing (MRI) are as varied as the social and environmental outcomes they seek to achieve. This survey report explores trends in the structure and implementation of MRI programs, investor motivations and perceived challenges, and expectations for future growth in MRI investment activity, based on responses from 159 non-profit clients, 50 of which are actively making mission-related investments.

The Foundation of Good Governance for Family Impact Investors: Removing Obstacles and Charting a Path to Action

, | Private Client Series | Download

Before incorporating impact investments into their portfolios, we encourage families to define the overall context for their impact investments. Our contextual framework—focused on purpose, priorities, and principles—establishes the base of impact strategy and guides the development of governance structures. These elements will help ensure that family values and decision-making processes are advantages rather than obstacles in pursuing impact investing goals and objectives.

Investment Publication Highlights: September 2015

, | Investment Publications Highlights Series | Download

September’s publication summarizes two articles addressing sustainability issues in an investing context. The first suggests that security analysts who consider a broad dataset beyond financial data in making investment decisions may develop unique insights, and the second argues that firms with good performance on material sustainability factors outperform firms with poor performance.

The Growing Market for Green Bonds

, | Download

The market for labeled green bonds—bonds whose proceeds are specifically “ring-fenced” for environmental or climate mitigation or adaptation projects—has grown rapidly since the first green bond issue in 2008. Growing diversity of issuers, larger average issuance size, and estimated full-year 2014 issuance of $40 billion (half in corporates) all suggest that the green bond universe…

The U.K. Social Investment Market: The Current Landscape and a Framework for Investor Decision Making

, | Download

This report discusses the landscape of the U.K. social investment market, with a focus on impact investing; reviews the barriers to the growth of the market and potential solutions; and outlines a decision-making framework to help investors evaluate and implement social investments within a diversified investment portfolio. While this report is focused on the social…