Foundation Grants
Community Vital Signs
About Us
How Robert Wood Johnson And McKnight Are Rethinking ESG For Foundations
Foundation: Knight Foundation, Johnson Foundation, Kresge Foundation, McKnight Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
For some foundations, making ESG investments isn’t enough.
At least two organizations have gone a step further and set up separate pools of capital that can only be invested in accordance with their missions.
The McKnight Foundation set aside 10% of its $3 billion portfolio in 2014 for an impact investing pool. Four years later, that pool has grown to $200 million, with 40% of the endowment invested in investments that align with the foundation's mission, Fortune reports.
One example is McKnight’s investment in Arcadia, a utility company that helps both renters and homeowners in any state buy renewable power for their homes.
"We like that it creates an option for renters, who are often excluded from renewables," says Elizabeth McGeveran, the foundation's director of investments. "And in some markets, Arcadia can save you money on your utility bill, [while] in other markets it's about the same. They're building community solar to feed into the grid."
Another foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has set up a $200 million impact investing pool, and it's investing in everything from small businesses to research on social bond issuance, Fortune reports. "Every pension fund has exposure to social bonds," says Kimberlee Cornett, the RWJ's director of impact investing. "One of the things that the market doesn't easily make visible is who an issuance is benefiting and how that's being repaid."
Read the Entire Article
Selected Foundation News
A customized collection of news from foundations from around the Web.
Foundation: Ameriprise Financial
Ameriprise Financial announced nearly $2 million in donations to over 85 nonprofits across the U.S. as part of its first round of 2025 grants, along with $1.58 million in matching gifts from...more
Sustainergy is a worker cooperatives based in Cincinnati, Ohio.The co-op was founded in 2013 by two first generation immigrants.It provides free energy assessments for over 5,000 Cincinnati...more
Foundation: Headwaters Foundation for Justice, MacArthur Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation, Marguerite Casey Foundation
This imbalance is all the more jarring given that Native communities are reeling from the Trump administration's draconian spending cuts.Funders with a track record of supporting Native American...more
Sphinx Works to Diversify the World of Classical Music as Funding Contracts.Sphinx has launched six successful classical ensembles, commissioned nearly 100 works by composers of color, and grown an...more
Foundation: Minneapolis Foundation
A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to release $180 million in federal funding for environmental justice projects, including $60 million in the Pacific Northwest.The Environmental...more
Hollins said that this event was in line with one of the department's main missions: to elevate Virginia educators through the Elevate Virginia Educators initiative.The chamber presented 27 awards in...more
California must consider how to increase interest in teaching and lower the cost of and barriers to entering the profession.AB-1128, a bill under consideration in the legislature, proposes a...more
Encore Data Products is set to showcase its latest educational technology at the ISTE 2025 conference.The ISTE conference is known for bringing together educators and tech leaders to discuss the...more
Schools announces new leadership for 2025-26 school year.Dr. Lee Ziegler was announced as the new community superintendent of the North River Learning Community on June 23, 2025.Elaine Harper was...more
New research from MIT Sloan finds generative AI boosts employee creativity.But only for those who actively reflect on and adapt how they use it."To fully unlock their creative potential, employees...more
Social Entrepreneurship
Spotlight
When it Comes to Social Enterprises, Failure is the Best Platform for Innovation
In the world of social enterprises, failure is a cringe-worthy moment nobody wants to talk about. But, social entrepreneurs can benefit from their failures.