Sustainable investing has gained momentum over the past decade with both financial professionals and casual investors. Growing social, economic, and environmental concerns have fueled an increase in socially responsible investments, and CDFIs are critical players, leveraging specialized knowledge and resources to create innovative financial products with a positive social return. Here are key CDFI investing trends.
An analysis by McKinsey found closing the racial wealth gap would add up to $1.5 trillion in economic activity over the next 10 years through job creation and income gains. This article looks at the benefits of moving low-cost capital to depositories advancing access to capital for minority and women-owned businesses as well as access to homeownership to build wealth.
In honor of Women’s History Month, Stella Tai, Stewardship Investing Impact and Analysis Manager at Praxis Mutual Funds interviews Lori Scott, Managing Director of Impact Credit at Lafayette Square to reflect on the contributions and achievements of women in the field of investing. Lori brings 25 years of experience in community development finance and has paved her own way in the impact investment field.
From the April 2023 Archive – Investing with a Gender Lens is not new. Many of us have been at this for a while now. And yet 2023 is the year we stand to make significant progress in bringing more balance to both our finances and to corporate America and beyond. Gender Lens Investing is an approach to investment due diligence that seeks to incorporate gender considerations into investment decision-making.
Cities + Solutions series: Ann Arbor, Michigan which, like many other cities, has set ambitious emissions targets. Unlike most other cities, it’s piloting plans in one of its lowest-income communities. “We made a really strategic decision to focus on those who have been hurt first and worst by climate change and systemic racism.” – Missy Stults, Ann Arbor Sustainability Director.
Egg prices are in the news and hitting budgets hard. Two main factors led to higher egg prices, but there may be a bit of relief coming. Through November 2022, egg prices jumped 49%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. If you’ve checked the grocery store, the price of a dozen eggs varies but you may see prices closing in on $10. You can also find organic eggs at a lower price point than conventional.
In August of 2022, President Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act into law, creating the largest investment in environmental and climate justice in U.S. history. Now, the Biden-Harris Administration announced the availability of $550 million from the Inflation Reduction Act for the EPA\’s new Environmental Justice Thriving Communities Grantmaking program which will fund up to 11 grantmakers for community-based projects that reduce pollution.
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund, the world’s single largest investor, has warned company directors it will vote against their re-election to the board if they do not up their game on tackling the climate crisis. Carine Smith Ihenacho, the chief governance and compliance officer of Norges Bank Investment Mgmt. said “the fund was preparing to vote against the re-election of at least 80 company boards for failing to set or hit environmental or social targets.”
In MSCI’s ESG and Climate Trends to Watch for 2023 we discuss the key topics investors face, from climate change, the environment and the road to net-zero, through to regulatory requirements, supply chain innovations, biodiversity and new technologies, as well as issues affecting everyday life.
Major disasters like hurricanes and wildfires can wipe out buildings and crops, causing losses for the banks that make loans against these assets. On January 17th the Federal Reserve released new climate risk analysis details it’s asking six major U.S. banks to conduct, to assess just how vulnerable big banks are to this kind of upheaval.
