Responsible Investing

The Lawson Valentine Foundation has an endowment of nearly 15 million dollars invested under expert financial guidance, pursuing impact investment practices that reflect our values and philanthropic goals. We hope our small contribution to these investment strategies will do some good and help establish patterns of investment for much larger portfolios. Our efforts are still a work in progress, and we expect they always will be.

Socially Responsible and Mission-Related Investing
Socially Responsible (SRI) and Mission-Related Investing (MRI) refer to a range of approaches to aligning our investments with the Foundation’s mission program goals.

  • Negative screens for harmful practices: Around 2000, the Foundation eliminated tobacco and nuclear arms companies from our portfolio. In 2012, we divested from Exxon-Mobil, which was intentionally misleading policymakers and the public on the threats posed by climate change. Fossil fuels are no longer an attractive investment, financially or ethically.
  • Investment in socially responsible companies: Our commitment to environmental and climate justice led us to invest in renewable energy in the early 2000s, despite the financial risk at that time. The Foundation’s investment advisor, CIBC, has developed an effective strategy for integrating Environment, Society, and Governance (ESG) criteria into their portfolios. The Foundation participated from day one, and we hope that such investing approaches encourage more companies to adopt and innovate socially and environmentally responsible practices.
  • Shareholder activism: The Foundation has advocated for its values by voting proxies in a socially conscious way.

Program-Related Investing (PRI)
Program-Related Investments (PRI) are driven entirely by the Foundation’s mission and have a more direct impact than SRI and MRI strategies. Program-Related Investments (PRI) are driven entirely by the Foundation’s mission and have a more direct impact than SRI and MRI strategies. Examples of our past PRIs include guaranteeing a loan for a small farmer, investing $25,000 in the Greater Berkshire Agricultural Fund through The Carrot Project, and micro-loans through some of our non-profit partners to individuals and organizations who would otherwise not qualify for grants or loans. We are exploring future opportunities for PRIs, including combining these with technical assistance grants, which we see as a unique way to increase our impact as a small foundation.

More information about MRI, SRI, and PRI practices: