Community Foundations Initiative

Learn with the Foremost Innovators in Place-Based Investing

Apply for the Workshop

2026 National Community Foundation

Learning Cohort

January 28 – April 1, 2026

Wednesdays, 9 am – 11 am MT (8 sessions)

 

Join Impact Finance Center (IFC) for a transformative eight-week learning experience designed to equip community foundations to become leaders in financial innovation and impact investing.

Dr. Stephanie Gripne, Founder and Executive Director of IFC, and Lawrence Miller, Senior Advisor for Mission Investments at Vermont Community Foundation are leading a collaborative learning journey that teaches the integration of place-based investment practices across all asset classes into actionable strategic frameworks. Community Foundation participants will engage in interactive sessions that reveal how local private wealth—combined with philanthropic, corporate, and public capital—can be mobilized to deliver measurable community benefits. Together, we will learn practical and innovative models for mobilizing capital that are tailored to your foundation’s unique position, and build the strategies to align your community and institutional investments with values and mission.

The final two weeks of this program features tools from IFC’s Rapid Response work:

  • Creating/rewriting investment belief statements to align with new priorities;
  • Aligning investment policy statements with impact goals; and
  • Designing financial products, such as recoverable grants, forgivable loans, and revolving loan funds, to meet emergency, or “rapid response” community needs.

IFC provides a customized curriculum that creates the confidence, knowledge, experience, and mindset shift necessary to navigate the complex world of impact investing effectively. Learn how to build the infrastructure that will make your money matter right where you live.

Download the National Community Foundation Cohort flyer

What We’re Doing

Impact Finance Center (IFC) identifies, educates, and activates impact investors and develops community financial infrastructure.  Many community foundations seek to align their financial resources with their mission to address critical local challenges, such as affordable housing, food deserts, broadband access, and economic stagnation. However, they lack the expertise, strategic frameworks, and confidence to integrate impact investing into their portfolios effectively. To bridge this gap, Impact Finance Center (IFC) provides structured, hands-on impact investing education and implementation programs that foster an innovative approach by aligning community capital with impact. By integrating philanthropic and investment strategies, IFC ensures that a local financial resources directly contribute to sustainable local development, setting a precedent for long-term, systemic economic transformation.

National Community Foundation Impact Investing Lanscape Scan Report

Download the Report

In recent years community foundations have begun to explore impact investing in an effort to improve the quality of life in their local areas. Impact investing is an evolving approach that intends to generate social or environmental benefit as well as financial returns. While community foundations are known for grantmaking and charitable activities, some are now considering how their investment dollars can also help address local challenges. They view impact investing as an additional tool for achieving their mission and an opportunity to intentionally align their investment money with their values or community-based goals. This report provides brief case studies illustrating how select community foundations have navigated their impact investing journeys.

Past Report Related Online Events

                                                                 Watch recordings of past events on the Impact Investing Institute by creating a free account using these simple instructions. 

The First Step: Identify

National Community Foundation Impact Investing Landscape Scan: Gilson Family Foundation funded Essex County Community Foundation to partner with IFC to identify the top 10 community foundations engaging in impact investing. As part of this work, we interviewed and developed case studies for each of the following community foundations:

  • Ann Arbor Area Community Foundation
  • Community Foundation of St. Clair County
  • Community Foundation of Utah
  • Marin Community Foundation
  • New Hampshire Charitable Foundation
  • Tahoe Truckee Community Foundation
  • Topeka Community Foundation
  • Van Wert County Foundation
  • Women’s Foundation of Colorado

The Second Step: Educate

One-Day Workshop + Five Sessions: IFC offers in-person workshops for community foundations to gather and explore financial innovation, full spectrum capital and impact investing in a small group format.
Webinar Series: IFC also offers online education for community foundations to learn from each other. In 2023, IFC is hosting 3 public webinars to showcase the community foundations that participated in the National Community Impact Investing Landscape Scan (above).
Impact Investing Institute: Beyond live events and webinars, IFC offers access to recorded educational content on the Impact Investing Institute that community foundation leaders can engage with at their own pace.
Courageous Capital Stewards Podcast: Dr. Steph and IFC Senior Advisors interview those community foundation leaders taking brave steps to align and leverage the assets they steward for their communities.
Learning Circles: IFC develops cohorts of community foundations wanting to go on a journey to learn about full spectrum capital and the IFC toolbox, which contains over 100+ tools and examples of community infrastructure.

The Third Step: Activate

The Philanthropic Opportunity Scan: Ready to put your newfound financial innovation, full spectrum capital and financial innovation knowledge into practice. IFC offers advisory services to support community foundations to facilitate their own Philanthropic Opportunity Scan to source impact investments within their own philanthropic portfolio.

Design a Community Foundation Impact Investing Strategy in 5 Steps

  1. Map Nonprofit Grantee Investments: Philanthropic Opportunity Scan
  2. Map Intermediaries: National Intermediary Landscape Scan
  3. Map Community Foundation Impact Investing Leaders: National Community Foundation Impact Investing Landscape Scan
  4. Map Individuals, Foundations, Family Offices, and Corporations who want to invest
  5. Develop the strategy
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