Confluence Philanthropy

Thank you to everyone who attended our 7th Annual Advisors Forum and Climate Solutions Summit in New York City. The events brought together over 160 attendees, representing over $2.9 trillion in AUM, for critical conversations to accelerate the impact of values-aligned investing. To find out more about our year-round programming for members, visit https://lnkd.in/grvb-9d.

Congratulations Supriya Lopez Pillai! We look forward to seeing you lead Libra into its next exciting chapter.

💡A new report from Confluence Philanthropy members CapShift and Multiplier Advisors provides helpful guidelines on health equity investing. Read it here ⬇️

"If we can learn anything from this year’s proxy season, it’s that the shareholder resolution process is a critical mechanism for investors seeking long-term value," writes The Very Rev Kirsten Snow Spalding, Vice President of the Ceres, Inc. Investor Network. This proxy season, investors filed a record 278 climate-related shareholder proposals. Read more:

Congrats to Confluence Philanthropy members Align Impact, RPCK Rastegar Panchal, RSF Social Finance, Sonen Capital LLC, and Veris Wealth Partners, LLC, who are among the newest recipients of the Real Leaders of Impact Investing award from Real Leaders. https://lnkd.in/gRbBa-rT

2024 Stewardship and Advocacy Report: https://ow.ly/J2UX50SrEAg As an investor focused on the transition to a more sustainable economy, stewardship and advocacy are twin levers we can pull to help our investee companies navigate risks and opportunities and to influence change in the real economy. Read how this works in practice ➡️https://ow.ly/J2UX50SrEAg

The Initiative for Inclusive Entrepreneurship (IIE)—a $100 million effort—aims to bridge the funding gap for diverse-owned businesses by leveraging public-private partnerships. Seeking to unlock funding with a 1:1 private investment match requirement, it is among the most significant small business programs in U.S. history. Our members who have stepped up to support the initiative include the MacArthur Foundation, the Nathan Cummings Foundation, the Skoll Foundation, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Confluence member Founders First Capital Partners also participated as a pilot phase partner. https://lnkd.in/g4SCfSwz https://lnkd.in/grE2ccsY

In the year since First Peoples Worldwide, Integrated Capital Investing, and the Croatan Institute released their report documenting the growth and emergence of Native enterprises, there have been many signs of growing Native economic and political power. However, as Nonprofit Quarterly reports, more is needed from non-Native investors to close the wealth gap.

🌱 Indigenous and local voices lead NESsT’s call to strengthen global funding to the Amazon bioeconomy. This week NESsT releases an extensive study and set of recommendations aimed at unlocking access to financial resources for Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) in the Amazon.   Drawing on insights from more than 40 in-person interviews with smallholder farmers, community members, and leadership teams, the report outlines the financing and growth challenges of ten NESsT Amazonia enterprises and their impact on local communities, and identifies nine actionable recommendations to support impact-focused investors to improve the targeting, accessibility, efficacy, and efficiency of their investments. 💡The report also takes lessons learned from NESsT’s work accelerating 50 enterprises in the Amazon basin and examines opportunities for donors and investors to engage with and learn from IPLCs to foster a bioeconomy that strengthens local livelihoods and conserves the biodiverse environment. 💫 Thank you to everyone who contributed to the publication for their commitment to a thriving, sustainable, and inclusive Amazon bioeconomy with voices of IPLCs at its center. 💫 Access the full set of recommendations in English: https://lnkd.in/dWMEjhjz and in Portuguese: https://lnkd.in/d-XfdWQG -- 🌱 A visão dos povos indígenas e comunidades locais é a base do estudo realizado pela NESsT que defende um maior financiamento global para a  bioeconomia amazônica. A NESsT divulga um conjunto de recomendações destinadas a destravar o acesso a recursos por parte dos Povos Indígenas e comunidades locais (PICLs) que atuam na bioeconomia da Amazônia.   Com base nos aprendizados de mais de 40 entrevistas presenciais com pequenos coletores, agricultores, membros de comunidades e líderes de negócios, no Brazil, Colômbia e Peru, o relatório aborda os desafios de financiamento e de amadurecimento de dez negócios que integram a iniciativa NESsT Amazônia e seu impacto nas comunidades locais. O relatório oferece nove recomendações práticas aos investidores, com o objetivo de  facilitar o acesso ao financiamento para iniciativas locais e garantir que seus investimentos sejam mais eficientes, eficazes e efetivos. 💡O relatório também aproveita as lições aprendidas com o trabalho da NESsT acelerando 50 negócios na bacia amazônica e examina as oportunidades para doadores públicos e investidores privados se envolverem e aprenderem com os Povos Indígenas e comunidades locais (PICLs), a fim de promover uma bioeconomia resiliente que fortaleça os meios de subsistência locais e conserve o ambiente biodiverso. 💫 Obrigado a todos que contribuíram com a publicação por seu compromisso com uma bioeconomia amazônica próspera, sustentável e inclusiva, com as vozes dos PICLs no centro. 💫

Congratulations to Joy Anderson, the late Suzanne Biegel, and Jackie VanderBrug on receiving the Joan Bavaria Award for their groundbreaking work and dedication to gender lens investing.