December 2011 Grant Making Activity with a Spotlight on B Lab and Pachamama Alliance
January 19, 2012
By Catherine Covington
So, you might know that RSF provides investing, lending, and giving services, but did you know that those services sometimes overlap, that a single organization and relationship can represent all three? We here at RSF are thrilled when such intersections present themselves in our day-to-day work as it helps us validate that our service areas are in alignment, making our goal to transform the way the world works with money that much more powerful. In December, we were reminded of the ability of different parts of our organization to work together when our RSF donor advisors chose to make grants to two RSF borrowers – B Lab and Pachamama Alliance.
Benefit corporations, or B Corps, are a new class of corporation that are required to create a material positive impact on society and the environment as well as meet higher standards of accountability and transparency. There has been lots of press about B corps in the news lately, particularly here in California, which became the sixth state to pass benefit corporation legislation in October of last year. What is not widely known is that there is a non-profit behind all of that work and positive press. That non-profit is called B Lab and they are a RSF borrower and grantee. B Lab has staff in Pennsylvania, New York, and San Francisco and is dedicated to effecting systemic change through three interrelated initiatives that not only includes promoting benefit corporation legislation, but building a community around Certified B Corporations and accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of the GIIRS Ratings and Analytics. RSF has had a longstanding relationship with B Lab, not to mention that our very own Don Shaffer was given a B Corp MVP award in 2010 for his significant support of B Lab initiatives.
Another borrower, investor, and grantee (we should have a special award for being all three!) is Pachamama Alliance, one of our fellow neighbors here in the Presidio. Founded in 1995, Pachamama is dedicated to protecting the Earth’s rain forests and the indigenous people who live within them. They seek to accomplish their mission by delivering educational experiences that are designed to inspire and educate individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world. The grant from RSF was specifically to support Pachamama’s Rights of Nature program, an innovative initiative focused on establishing a legal basis for protecting our planet. Building upon success in Ecuador, the first country in history to include Rights of Nature in its constitution in 2008, Pachamama helped form the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, a group of internationally recognized experts and leaders working for the universal adoption and implementation of Rights of Nature.
During the month of December, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 78 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $902,578! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.
December 2011 Grantees:
Ecological Stewardship
American Himalayan Foundation
Earthfire Institute
Institut fur Stromungswissenschaften
Marion Institute
Ojai Foundation
Pachamama Alliance
Transportation Alternatives
Wildlife Conservation Network
World Wildlife Fund
Education & the Arts
Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gessellschaft
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute
Anthroposophical Society in America
Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
Berkeley Public Library Foundation
Camphill Foundation
Center for Anthroposophy
Charter Foundation
Collective Heritage Institute
Cross-Cultural Thresholds
Detroit Waldorf School
Earth Island Institute
Family Planning Association
Fistula Foundation
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Golden Courage International
GreatNonprofits
Homeless Children’s Network
Indiana University Foundation
International Media Project
J Street Education Fund
KQED
KRCB
Lionheart Foundation
Meadowbrook Waldorf Association
Mission Possible Kids
Muse Elementary School
Native American Community Board
Oberlin College
Pacific Institute
Peace Development Fund
Pine Hill Waldorf School
Proxy Democracy, Inc.
READ Global
Right to Dream
Rudolf Steiner College
School of Eurythmy
Seminary of the Christian Community
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation
Threefold Educational Foundation
Triskeles Foundation
Trustees of Brantwood Camp
Union of Concerned Scientists
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Colorado Foundation
Waldorf Early Childhood Association
Walking the Dog Theater
Food & Agriculture
Growing Gardens
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Michael Fields Agricultural
Yggdrasil Land Foundation
Social Finance
Ashoka
B Lab
Other
Guide Dogs of America
STC Education and Leadership Fund
Catherine Covington is Senior Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.
- Published by Jillian McCoy
- Categories: Blog, Donor Advised Fund Grantees, Donor Advised Funds, Ecological Stewardship, Giving
No Comments »
No comments yet.
Leave a comment