September 2019 Newsletter
Back to School with Place-Based Impact Investing
Strategies to Get Up to Speed on Emerging Trends
Pictured: LOCUS' parent company, Virginia Community Capital , hosts an annual event aimed at convening a learning experience for socially motivated investors, the VCC Learning Exchange .
The dogdays of summer are winding to a close, and the kids are back in class. Those of us in the philanthropic sector are also headed “back-to-school” attending fall conferences, convening Boards and committees, and setting strategy and budgets for the upcoming year. For many, next year’s work-plan includes learning and identifying best practices in place-based impact investing. Whether you are just starting in this space, or are an experienced practitioner eager to stay on top of the latest developments, we recommend three strategies for getting immersed in mission-aligned investing...

LOCUS Focus
Spotlight: Beveridge Family Foundation
In 2017, The Beveridge Family Foundation committed to increase its impact investing efforts. Their search for an informed and collaborative partner led them to LOCUS Impact Investing. The Foundation and LOCUS have worked together over the past 6-months to develop policies and procedures for soliciting, evaluating and executing impact investments. Foundation President Ward Caswell noted in his Spring 2019 President’s Report that the Board is “moving steadily and prudently to protect the assets of the Foundation while expanding its positive influence.” LOCUS is pleased to serve as a trusted advisor to the Beveridge Family Foundation on their journey to greater local impact.
The Power of Guarantees
In October, Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) will be hosting its 2019 annual conference, " Lending Where It Counts." This year, more than 1500 opportunity finance practitioners, funders, investors, federal policymakers and advocates will convene in Washington, DC, to collaborate and learn from each other on the CDFI industry.

LOCUS will lead a panel on the Community Investment Guarantee Pool. Participants will learn why national foundations are pooling guarantees into a single, national collective to extend impact and accelerate community investments. See the conference agenda here.
Putting Unity In Community
The Kansas Association of Community Foundations (KACF) will host the Annual National Conference for Growing Community Foundations, an outgrowth of KACF's efforts to convene community foundations and stakeholders in small urban, suburban and rural areas over the last 12 years.

At this year's conference, " Putting Unity in Community," LOCUS will lead a workshop for community foundation leaders from across the country looking to intentionally and strategically anchor their assets through local investing practices.
Opportunity Zone Updates
With 212 individual opportunity zones in the Commonwealth of Virginia, LOCUS has launched Opportunity Virginia, an initiative to facilitate connections between investors, project sponsors and communities to drive activity in the state's opportunity zones.

Alongside its debut, Opportunity Virginia is partnering with The Opportunity Exchange, a national Opportunity Zone platform focused on making qualifying investments as transparent, efficient, collaborative and impact-driven as possible.
News from
the Field
Where You'll Find LOCUS
Sept. 16-17 | Johnston, IA
Adam Northup will lead two sessions on impact investing and philanthropy's role with Opportunity Zones.

Sept. 17-19 | Atlanta, GA
Jane Henderson and Sydney England will lead a session on place-based investment.

Sept. 24-25 | Dallas, TX
Teri Lovelace and Kipton Currier will lead the first in-person gathering for the Community Investment Guarantee Pool. (Private Event)

Oct.17-19 | Colorado Springs,CO
Deb Markley will present with Ellen Ray, Still Water Foundation, on Big Impact for Small Towns through Regional Collaboration.

LOCUS Capital, Inc. is a Registered Investment Advisor Firm. Advisory services are only offered to clients or prospective clients where LOCUS Capital, Inc. and its representatives are properly licensed or exempt from licensure. LOCUS Capital, Inc. and its representatives do not furnish investment advice or services through this website. Past performance is no guarantee of future returns.