Foundation Grants
Community Vital Signs
About Us
A billionaire's foundation is investing all of its assets in companies that have a " measurable and beneficial social or environmental impact," the New York Times reports.
Nathan Cummings, a Canadian billionaire who built Sara Lee into a global packaged food company, established the Nathan Cummings Foundation in 2000 with a mission to "create a more just, vibrant, sustainable, and democratic society."
His goal was to invest 5% of his fortune in companies that help the environment and treat workers fairly.
But at a 2017 board meeting, several generations of the Cummings family had to vote in favor of investing all of the foundation's assets in companies that have a positive social or environmental impact.
"The usual investing wisdom is that if you want to b) have a measurable and beneficial impact, then you a) won't make as much money," CNBC quotes the Cummings Foundation as saying in a new report.
Instead, the foundation invested all of its assets in 100 companies that have a social or environmental impact of "at least not actively harm" the environment or violate human rights, according to the Times.
The investment paid off: The foundation's investments in companies that have a positive social or environmental impact have returned an average of 10.4% per year over the past five years, compared to 6.5%
Read the Entire Article
Selected Foundation News
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
Latest reviews of Creative Cauldron's a€˜Passport Music Festival' - DC Theater Arts.The Kennedys, Saturday, January 11 at 7:30pm, and The Renegades Mardi Gras Passport Finale Party,...more
Climate change will cost between 1.9% and 3.1% of global GDP, says Richard Tol.Tol: The EU switched focus and with a near-myopic climate obsession opted for a "sustainable" economy over a sound...more
CSIRO strategies to help threatened species adapt to climate change - ABC News.From irrigating sea turtles' nests to fireproof nesting boxes for gliders, the CSIRO is aiming to inspire hope by...more
A green entrepreneur combines the word entrepreneurship with the environment.Green entrepreneurship involves developing new products, bringing them to market, and ensuring the environmental...more
Your Voice Matters: Shape the Future of Lake Eacham's Natural Sanctuary.The visitor amenities are on the brink of transformation and we seek your guidance.The reforms will invite everyone to enjoy...more
Art can act as a multidimensional catalyst for climate justice.Art can provide crucial healing spaces for those grappling with climate grief, and strengthen community resilience.Art, however, can...more
ZERO13, a GMEX Group subsidiary, engaged with a wide range of carbon market stakeholders on a number of key market opportunities and challenges.The survey was conducted following the November 2024...more
The health care and pharmaceutical sectors depend heavily on single-use plastics for product packaging and distribution.The Circularity in Primary Pharmaceutical Packaging Accelerator is a nonprofit...more
Scotland's Health Secretary Neil Gray praised Blackwood Homes and Care's Peoplehood Project.The 12.5m project is aimed at improving quality of life while reducing dependence on social care...more
The partnership revolves around a clinically-tested The formulation, rooted in rigorous scientific research, is positioned to provide an affordable and effective treatment for early-stage arthritis...more
New News from...
Northern Piedmont Community Foundation
Piedmont Community Foundation
Longwood Gardens
MacArthur Foundation
Charles Stewart Mott Foundation
PSEG Foundation
Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts
California Community Foundation
Mattel Children's Foundation
McPherson County Community Foundation
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
Bicycles for the People in Rural Mozambique
Mozambikes, a for-profit social venture, was formed during a road trip across Mozambique. The founders of Mozambikes aim to improve the quality of life among rural Mozambicans by providing low-cost, efficient personal transportation.