Education

We support education that prioritizes care, connection, and collaboration.

America’s youth are facing a social-emotional crisis. Researchers found that young people’s mental health has declined since 2012, corresponding with an increase in internet access and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our conventional education system is designed to train young people in the technical skills they’ll need to succeed in a modern workforce. However, it fails to prioritize equally important social-emotional skills like grit, empathy, and global citizenship. Without these skills, they will struggle to adapt to the challenges presented by a rapidly changing world. ​

​Thankfully, many schools and social enterprises address this challenge by prioritizing whole-child education. We’re determined to help those vital institutions thrive.

RSF’s first ever loan was to the Pine Hill Waldorf School in Wilton, New Hampshire in 1984. In the four decades since then, we have consistently served as a financial partner to Waldorf schools. Waldorf schools prioritize community, the arts, and social-emotional learning alongside math, science, and language arts. By investing in these schools, we help them invest in turn in a holistic education for the students and families they serve. ​

While Waldorf education is a time-honored model for a regenerative education, it’s not the only model. As we’ve grown, we’ve expanded our focus to include other educational institutions and social enterprises that innovate within the educational system to produce better outcomes for students, families, and communities.​

A school for the whole child finds a home

RSF financing made possible the Chicago Waldorf School’s move to a new building and helped it serve a growing student body.

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Pioneering public Waldorf School nurtures community connections

Over two decades, RSF has supported Sebastopol Charter School with financing for essential facilities improvements.

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Knitting a community, one crown at a time

RSF’s education portfolio manager Amy Bird sent handmade felt crowns to each Waldorf school in RSF’s portfolio.

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Invest in whole-child education

 

By purchasing an RSF Social Investment Fund note, you invest in the schools, businesses, and nonprofits that make learning better.

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Apply for a loan

 

RSF offers lines of credit, finances new equipment and facilities, and provides the financing you need to grow your school or educational institution. 

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Latest news

RSF advances more than $8 million into climate solutions, agricultural innovation, and education 

Every loan we make is directly supported by people who invest in our Social Investment Fund and commit to a regenerative financial system that works for people and planet alike.  

Private wealth can rejuvenate ESG investing

For many private investors, the defining challenge of the next decade will be stewardship: deciding how their wealth can generate long-term financial returns while strengthening the systems those returns depend on.

The untapped potential of Fixed Income for Good™

In this piece in Financial Times’ Sustainable Views column, Kathleen Paylor, Vice President of Impact Investing and Philanthropy at RSF, advocates for fixed income products that support real investments in the real economy – and real impact.