By Brian Skeele, on May 17th, 2011
Foundation Investing and Your Vision of Sustainable Neighborhoods
Foundations grant 5% of their assets and invest 95%. As I understand it, the branch of the foundation that invests has very little connection to the branch that makes grants. In fact, sometimes their actions are running against each other.
The beauty of socially, economically, and ecologically sustainable neighborhoods, is they meet both objectives! The social mission of empowering, resilient, health lifestyles, uplifting, poverty busting, social justice, ecologically sound, and local economic development all gets handled in ”mixed use, mixed income neighborhoods with lifelong learning and open space” .
The investment mission gets handled in creating large opportunities for investing in real, lasting values!
So… submit your ideas, your vision of the sustainable life you want to be living. As the needs aggregate, the existing market demand for sustainable neighborhoods becomes more apparent. Once the construction industry, from builders to banks to investors, finally accepts the go-go days are gone, they will become more open to this new form of community based in real, lasting values. National foundations will have something to invest in that meets their asset needs. And their funding branch will see their missions move forward.
Your vision of your desired future sustainable lifestyle and billions of foundation $$$ assets ….A match made in heaven!!…
As in all marriages, there’s work to do. What are the criteria that triggers the foundations loans? I’m suggesting the metrics the foundations are looking for are going to be the same indicators, the same scorecards, city planning departments will be using in granting approvals. These social, economic, and ecological indicators will be the same that you and your community agree upon; The common sense community values based in real, lasting values.
So share your visions, your ideas of what works… State pension funds, church investment funds, foundations asset management, all need your help. Together we can make sustainable real!!!
Image courtesy of Samantha Lane Fiddy