New White Paper: Investing for Positive Impact on Women

NOVEMBER 2, 2015 // BOSTON, MA: A group of investors has released a new white paper, Investing for Positive Impact on Women: Integrating Gender into Total Portfolio Activation. The paper was prepared by Croatan Institute with the guidance and close collaboration of Global Fund for Women, Root Capital, Thirty Percent Coalition, and Trillium Asset Management.
Increasing numbers of investors are integrating the use of gender in investment decision-making. For investors who care about impacting women and girls, an investment portfolio should make gender considerations, along with interrelated issues such as income inequality, supply chain management, and climate change, a core ESG (Environment, Social and Governance) criteria. Using the Total Portfolio Activation framework, the new paper provides a guide for mission-driven investors as they consider how to put their investments to work in support of their own long-term goals to benefit women and girls.
“By widening the angle of gender lens investing, we are able to identify numerous opportunities to empower women and girls across investment asset classes,” noted Kristin Lang, Associate at Croatan Institute and lead author of the report. “When executed within a Total Portfolio Activation strategy, gender investing can generate strong results for women while delivering broader social, environmental and financial impacts as well.”
“We know that every investment has social and environmental impacts — both positive and negative”, said Matthew W. Patsky, CEO of Trillium Asset Management. “It has never been clearer that investors should be integrating gender into their investment process in ways that align with their mission and values”.
“Women’s issues cannot be considered in isolation from other social and environmental factors”, said Dr. Musimbi Kanyoro, President & CEO of Global Fund for Women. “This paper provides an important tool for investors to assess their impact and identify investment opportunities that benefit women and girls”.
“We know that lending to women in rural small and growing businesses is viable”, said Willy Foote Founder & CEO of Root Capital. “This paper presents concrete examples of just some of the opportunities, as well as a variety of case studies of investors, funds, and initiatives that integrate gender considerations into their investment activities”.
“Our Coalition is working to increase the number of women on boards and in senior leadership positions as a way to alter the gender landscape in the business community”, said Charlotte Laurent-Ottomane, Executive Director of the Thirty Percent Coalition. “We are pleased to be working with investors who are using numerous approaches to dismantle the societal and economic barriers that women face around the world.”
The paper can be downloaded at https://archive.trilliuminvest.com/news-resources/investing-white-papers/

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For more information: Randy Rice, Trillium Asset Management, (617) 515-6889, rrice@trilliuminvest.com
Croatan Institute is an independent, nonprofit institute for advanced social and environmental research and engagement. The Institute’s activities address some of the most complex sustainability challenges of our time, often in close partnership with practitioners in the field and movements for social and environmental change. To learn more, please visit www.croataninstitute.org.
Global Fund for Women was founded in 1987 and is a global champion for the human rights of women and girls. They use their powerful networks to find, fund, and amplify the courageous work of women who are building social movements and challenging the status quo. To learn more, please visit www.globalfundforwomen.org.
Root Capital is a nonprofit agricultural lender that grows rural prosperity in poor, environmentally vulnerable places in Africa and Latin America by lending capital, delivering financial training, and strengthening market connections for high-impact agricultural businesses. Root Capital focuses on women in agricultural enterprises at all levels, from farmers to employees and middle managers to entrepreneurs and owners. To learn more, please visit www.rootcapital.org.
Prompted by the lack of progress on increasing the number of women on U.S. corporate boards, The Thirty Percent Coalition is a unique and groundbreaking national organization of more than 80 members committed to the goal of women holding 30% of board seats across public companies. To learn more, please visit www.30percentcoalition.org.
Founded in 1982, Trillium Asset Management is the oldest independent investment advisor focused exclusively on sustainable and responsible investing. Trillium manages assets for clients including individuals, foundations, endowments, religious institutions, and other non-profits. To learn more, please visit www.trilliuminvest.com.