March 2018 Newsletter
In the Land of Big Trees - An Innovative Community Foundation Takes Steps To Invest In Place
- Amber Larsen, Executive Director, Intermountatin Impact Investments

Place-based impact investing is about partnerships, best implemented when regional funders work together to solve complex challenges in the place they call home. Some of the most valuable stakeholders in this work are community foundations. As organizations that work every day to create positive outcomes for their region, these “community fairy godmothers” as Locavesting calls them, are the backbone of community development partnerships.
There are more than 750 community foundations across the U.S.; each year, the number committing a portion of their endowments to mission-aligned investing increases. This follows an upward trend as the industry builds understanding of what impact investing looks like across asset classes , as various partners share lessons learned and as industry leaders continue to clarify the role philanthropic dollars play in the impact investing capital stack.
The Carson Block Building Renovation: In partnership with Arcata Economic Development and other funders, HAF allowed the Northern California Indian Development Council to renovate this historic building in the heart of Old Town Eureka.
One such leader is the Humboldt Area Foundation (HAF) which has demonstrated the possibilities of place-based impact investing for over 10 years... Read More
LOCUS FOCUS
LOCUS At the Urban Institute
On February 8th, the Urban Institute , MacArthur Foundation and Mission Investors Exchange convened approximately 50 foundations, practitioners and field builders from around the country who engage in, and support, place-based impact investing. It was the first such gathering of these leaders and early adopters committed to local impact investing and its power to transform place.

The Urban Institute shared its preliminary research findings on place-based impact investing field scan interview and sought input and feedback from the group. The final report should be issued at the upcoming MIE conference in May.  
LOCUS at the Social Impact Investment Symposium
LOCUS Impact Investing joined a distinguished panel on March 2 nd at the “Investing in Rural America: Social Impact Investment Symposium” sponsored by Ohio University’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs and the Appalachian Regional Commission .
The day brought together foundations, impact investors, social entrepreneurs, community banks and the education sector to collaboratively address the investment needs of rural Ohio.
News From the Field
This article from Locavesting , " Community Foundations Go All-In on Place-Based Investing," illustrates how community foundations play a key role in their communities. One such foundation, The Baltimore Community Foundation , gave the greenlight to shifting 4% of its $125 million in endowment into impact investing last June, part of a growing wave of foundations shifting their endowments away from Wall Stree and into local businesses.   - Read More
Philanthropy Northwest has developed "A Foundation Guide to Investing in Community Development Financial Institutions" as a way to pool capital from multiple investors to make community impact loans and “directly engage in minority and under-served rural and urban communities. The guide was developed to help board and staff members in the philanthropic sector examine the basic processes of building a relationship with a CDFI and structuring investments in it. - Read More
In this ImpactAlpha article, investors wake up to a $2.3 trillion opportunity in sustainable food and agriculture. It highlights how investments in sustainable food and agriculture provide opportunities for investors and alleviate poverty, ensuring food security and reducing food waste among other important positive community impacts. - Read More
Council on Foundations released " Local Leadership, Global Impact: Community Foundations and the Sustainable Development Goals ," a new report on SDGs and Community Foundations which highlights the impact community foundations can make in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).   Using the SDG framework, community foundations can leverage their expertise and make an even bigger global impact.  - Read More
The Opportunity Finance Network recently awarded $5 million to five CDFIs through its pilot program, the NEXT Fund for Innovation, in an effort to drive transformational change. - Read More
From Grant Makers in Health, comes this article about a new health system approach to addressing the root causes of poor health. Upstream factors play a significant role in driving health outcomes, and hospitals and health systems can partner with health funders to address those factors. - Read More
Upcoming Events
Here is where you will find members of the LOCUS team in the coming months:
March 9 - Chillicothe, MO
Deb Markley is the keynote.
March 18-21 - Las Vegas, NV
LOCUS is a sponsor, Teri Lovelace is a participant and panelist, and Travis Green will manage the LOCUS exhibit.
April 24-26 - Pikeville, KY
LOCUS is a sponsor, and Sydney England is a participant.
April 30 – May 2    Nashville, TN
LOCUS is a sponsor, and Teri Lovelace is panelist.
Mission Forward!
May 14-16 - Chicago, IL
LOCUS is a sponsor, and members of the LOCUS team will be in attendance.
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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.