The San Francisco Foundation has long been committed to creating social impact and positive results through our grantmaking, strong partnerships with our donors and the ways in which we invest the assets entrusted to us. Our commitment to impact investing began nearly 20 years before the term was coined.
- 1989: Designated 1 percent of our endowment for loan guarantees on behalf of nonprofit projects.
- 2000: Added a socially responsible investment option for donor advised funds.
- 2009: Earmarked $5 million of our endowment to making loans to nonprofits in the Bay Area.
- 2018: Committed an additional $10 million for Bay Area Community Impact Fund investments in local communities.
- 2019: Committed $50 million from our endowment to launch our Mission-Aligned Investments Pool, also available for donors.
- 2022: Expanded our impact investments by automatically allocating a portion of our two long-term investment pools to the Bay Area Community Impact Fund.
We invite donors to join our effort to advance racial equity and economic inclusion in the Bay Area. There are two paths donors may consider:
- The Mission-Aligned Investments Pool for donor advised fund assets
- The Bay Area Community Impact Fund for loans to local nonprofit organizations and social enterprises
Mission-Aligned Investments Pool
The Mission-Aligned Investments Pool is one of three options donors can select for the investment of assets held in their donor advised funds. The pool includes a diversified portfolio of managers using a variety of impact investment and socially-responsible strategies, including social screens and environmental, social, and governance considerations.
The foundation has and will continue to seek out investment firms owned by women and people of color, two groups that have historically faced barriers to accessing capital. The foundation is also investing in companies and institutions whose work directly contributes to the advancement of racial equity and economic inclusion.
This pool is intended to generate market-rate, risk-adjusted returns and is suitable for donors who seek a longer horizon for their grantmaking. Learn more about the Mission-Aligned Investments Pool.
Bay Area Community Impact Fund
The Bay Area Community Impact Fund is our program-related investment strategy that provides below-market-rate loans to nonprofits and social enterprises. The Fund is open to donor advised fund holders and others who wish to make their contributed assets available to the Fund. Learn More.