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Posts tagged as insights

Financing alternatives for social impact companies

Financing alternatives for social impact companies

Our Senior Portfolio Advisor David Cooper joined co-founder and CEO of Sown to Grow, Rupa Gupta, to share their knowledge of financing alternatives for social impact companies from both the investor’s and entrepreneur’s perspectives.

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Why invest with a racial or gender equity lens?

Why invest with a racial or gender equity lens?

We need more individuals thinking and acting in ways that take into account the dynamics of intersectionality—a framework that civil rights activist and lawyer Kimberlé Crenshaw coined—to provide a lens through which you can see where power comes and collides, where it interlocks and intersects.

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Why I invest: Rachel Lozano Castro

Why I invest: Rachel Lozano Castro

One of the youngest people to support Mission Driven Finance portfolio companies, Rachel Lozano Castro leaned into her passion and know-how to organize a shared donor-advised fund (DAF) with her family that supports our flagship place-based strategy Advance. 

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How Lauren Grattan thinks about risk

How Lauren Grattan thinks about risk

Shoutout Socal recently checked in with our Co-founder and Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan in its local stories series and asked her how she thinks about risk.

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Now is the time to try philanthropic investing

Now is the time to try philanthropic investing

In a nutshell, the federal government built temporary tax incentives into the CARES Act to urge Americans to make charitable contributions in 2020 and support our neighbors. For those who are in a position to give or do impact investing, there’s no time like the present.

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Community Finance Fellowship showcase

Community Finance Fellowship showcase

Hear directly from the 2020 cohort fellows— Andrew Moncada, Essence Rodriguez, Louise Jordan, Crystal Sevilla, and Benson Ochira—about their career goals and their experiences thus far changing the face and flow of finance.

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Real estate for early care & education: A promising venture

Real estate for early care & education: A promising venture

We’re honored to share that David—along with early care and education expert Laura Kohn and community finance fellow Essence Rodriguez—has joined the 2020 cohort of the Promising Ventures Fellowship to explore using real estate and finance to improve access to quality early child care.

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Why I invest: Laura Galinson

Why I invest: Laura Galinson

Meet Laura Galinson, director of community relations at Mission Driven Finance and a dedicated philanthropist. Laura has worn an impressive number of hats, from a world-traveling and award-winning Associated Press photographer to a publicist at Harper Collins. Laura explains, “Even though I’ve had very different roles, my work has always been rooted in being a connector and changemaker.”

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I am a White man. I must do more to fight systemic racism.

I am a White man. I must do more to fight systemic racism.

The best anti-racism advice I’ve gotten so far is from my teammate Louise Jordan: Whatever we do, we have to stop recreating the same narrative. Unfortunately, many of the actions we White people take end up reinforcing existing power dynamics and telling the same, false story—that Black people and people of color have inherent risk and problems and that White people must “save” them from themselves. 

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Community Finance Fellowship: Learning to use finance as a tool for change in a time of action

Community Finance Fellowship: Learning to use finance as a tool for change in a time of action

The inaugural cohort of Community Finance Fellows—Louise Jordan, Andrew Moncada, Benson Ochira, Essence Rodriguez, Crystal Sevilla— impress and inspire us every day and it’s not fair to keep their wisdom to ourselves. So we invited them to share their thoughts on how finance can invoke true racial and economic justice. The fellows’ perspectives and lived experiences give us invaluable insight into how we can use finance as a tool for real impact.

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Building a new, more equitable normal for small business and nonprofits

Building a new, more equitable normal for small business and nonprofits

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the effects of centuries of racist policies. If we don’t act fast, this crisis will rob our communities of vibrancy, diversity, and strength for many generations to come. The current global recognition of the deep roots of racism reinforces how critical it is to use all the tools in one’s toolbox to advance racial justice. As such, finance can and should be used as a tool for change in advancing economic and health equity in our communities. Together, we can turn the tide.

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