When investors consider social responsibility in their investments, they balance personal needs and the need for "safety” (though that's a different kind of game these days) with their own deeply held values about responsibility to this and future generation(s) of humans, creatures and natural systems.   At Renewal2, having these kinds of real conversations about the use of money makes the work of raising this fund compelling and meaningful.
 
Conventional investors look for good financial returns, and some "socially responsible" investment strategies aim at “doing no harm.”  Then, the thinking goes, it is through philanthropy that we try to do good things.  Indeed, we often hear people say they want to make optimal return in order to have more philanthropic dollars.  But in 2007, the L.A. Times exposed in stark terms the pitfalls of that approach with an analysis of the Gates Foundation investments. Click here to read more.

We believe it is not necessary to separate "philanthropic" values from business ventures.  Renewal2 Investment Fund is an innovative vehicle for investors., as it offers respectable, long-term financial returns through a fund specifically created to channel investment dollars toward businesses founded on entrepreneurs' "philanthropic” values and visions.

We hope that you will continue to engage in this critical conversation with us.   Our measurement of success includes the degree to which can help wake up sleepy and distracted capital to its true potential to power the changes we need to create a better world.
 

Tags:

• Gates Foundation
• Marian Moore
• philanthropic
• philanthropy
• socially responsible