IFC 2025 Training Opportunities
IFC delivers world-class training to individuals and organizations.
The 2025 Learning Lineup – Find the training that’s right for you
Regen Ag & Water Fellowship (Virtual – Online)
Financial Innovation and Impact Investing for Regenerative Agriculture and Water: Catalyzing Change for a Sustainable Future.
Date: August 25 – October 3, Every Wednesday – 2 pm – 3:30 pm PST
Cost: $2,500 per person
Registration: ucm.edu/IFC
This dynamic course explores how financial innovation and impact investing can drive regenerative agriculture and improve soil health. Through practical tools and real-world strategies, you’ll learn to deploy capital for lasting environmental and social impact.
Who It’s For
Designed for individuals, foundations, family offices, corporations, and pension funds ready to move capital toward regenerative solutions using Full Spectrum Capital. If you’re holding capital and seeking to fund sustainable agriculture at scale, this course is for you.
Why Now
Climate change, ecosystem collapse, and social inequities demand bold action. This course offers the knowledge and tools to act—right now—through strategic investment.
What You’ll Learn
Ten focused modules take you from the basics of Full Spectrum Capital to real-world opportunities, investor networks, and deal structures, including:
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ESG innovation
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Capital aggregators
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Marketplaces and demo days
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National and regional impact infrastructure
You’ll also define your vision, identify investable opportunities, and connect with peers ready to drive change.
Workshop – Impact Investing in Mountain Towns (In-Person – Vail, Colorado)
Catalyzing Local Wealth for Local Good: Financial Innovation & Impact Investing for Mountain Towns
Date: September 4 & 5 (1.5 days, Thursday and half-day Friday)
Location: Vail, CO
Cost: $1250
Registration: Click Here
Join Dr. Stephanie Gripne, founder of IFC and leading voice in community-based investing, for a one-and-a-half-day immersive workshop in Vail, Colorado focused on financial innovation and impact investing in mountain town communities. Mountain towns are rich in natural beauty, cultural vibrancy, and community spirit—but also face unique challenges around housing, workforce retention, sustainability, and economic resilience. This workshop empowers residents from Vail and other Rocky Mountain communities to solve their local problems with local wealth by building innovative financial structures that help people engage and invest in the places they call home.
Together, we will explore:
- The fundamentals of impact investing and financial innovation for place-based solutions.
- How to activate local wealth—from individuals, foundations, businesses, and public institutions—to meet local needs.
- Real-life case studies from across the country and tools adaptable to Vail and other mountain towns.
- Practical strategies to design, launch, or fund local investments in housing, business, infrastructure, sustainability, and beyond.
- How to create investor accelerators and local investment clubs to build durable community capital ecosystems.
Who Should Attend:
- Residents who want to play an active role in the future of Vail
- Local government officials and economic development professionals
- Philanthropists, foundations, and family offices
- Real estate and business investors
- Entrepreneurs and small business owners
- Nonprofit and community leaders
Fall 25 Rapid Response Fellowship (Virtual – Online)
Dates: Sept 24 – Nov 12 (6 sessions) Wednesday mornings 8 am – 9:30 am MT
Location: Online
Cost: $10,000 per cohort
Registration: Contact Dawn Rocky
IFC’s Rapid Response
Participants will learn through guided mentorship with Dr. Stephanie Gripne, Founder and CEO of Impact Finance Center, and from one another through the group fellowship format. Objectives and outcomes include:
- Creating/rewriting investment belief statements to align with organizational values, priorities, and mission.
- Aligning investment policy statements with impact goals.
- Designing financial products, such as recoverable grants, forgivable loans, and revolving loan funds, to meet community needs.
- Determining strategies, including storytelling, technical assistance, and internal capacity building, to build political will and board readiness for impact investing.
- Learning capital aggregation tactics, including leveraging donor-advised funds, credit guarantees, liquidity vehicles, and co-investment strategies, to deploy capital locally.
- Developing internal sustainable business models and infrastructure that supports grantmaking, addresses risk tolerance, and innovates in investment management to create self-sustaining models.
Fall 25 Climate and Nature Workshop (In-Person – Yosemite, California)
Date: October 21-22
Location: Tenaya Lodge, Yosemite National Park , California
Registration: ucm.edu/IFC
Cost: $1995 (includes lodging)
This course dives deep into how financial innovation and impact investing can address today’s most urgent natural resource and climate challenges. You’ll gain practical tools and real-world strategies to move capital toward sustainable, scalable solutions that regenerate ecosystems and build climate resilience.
Who It’s For
Built for individuals, foundations, family offices, corporations, and pension funds committed to advancing climate and natural resource solutions through Full Spectrum Capital. If you have capital to move and a desire to close the funding gap for nature-based solutions, this course is for you.
Why Now
Climate change is accelerating. Natural systems are under strain. The time to act is now—and this course equips you to lead with your investments.
What You’ll Learn
Through ten hands-on modules, you’ll explore:
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Capital aggregation strategies
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ESG-aligned transaction design
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Intermediary and opportunity scans
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Investor clubs and demo days
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Regional and national investment networks
You’ll also reflect on your personal vision, map potential partners, and connect with other capital stewards ready to invest in a livable future.
Types of Participants
Join a diverse community of mission-driven investors, including:
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Individuals and families
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Private, community, and corporate foundations
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Donor-advised funds
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Corporations and funds
Take the First Step
Be part of the solution. Learn how to turn financial tools into environmental outcomes.
Fall 25 PSO and Membership Webinar Series (Virtual – Online)
#1 Financial Innovation 101 for Philanthropy Serving Organizations (PSOs)
New Models for PSOs – Supercharging Philanthropy Through Impact Investing (Part 1 of 2)
Date: October 27, 2025
Time: 11 am – 12:00 pm MT
Join Dr. Stephanie Gripne for an introduction for PSOs to the fundamentals of impact investing and the concept of full spectrum capital —an approach that empowers foundations to go beyond traditional grantmaking and use the full range of financial tools to catalyze community wealth and well-being.
We’ll explore innovative ways to transform philanthropic investment, such as:
- Full Spectrum Capital Strategies: Learn about the foundations of how leading foundations are leveraging grants, debt, equity, and guarantees as complementary tools to advance their foundation’s mission.
- Mission-Aligned Investment Planning: Understand how developing internal investment strategies that align with philanthropic values can provide critical on the ground resources to support organizational missions in uncertain times.
- Impact Investing Roadmaps: Learn how foundations are adopting new investing concepts and engaging in broader philanthropic trends so your organization can confidently engage in conversations with members about impact investing.
Who Should Attend:
Staff and leadership of PSOs and member foundations seeking to expand their philanthropic toolbox with practical, hands-on financial innovation strategies.
#2 Financial Innovation 101 for Philanthropy Serving Organizations (PSOs)
New Models for PSOs – Activating Philanthropy and Sourcing Investments (Part 2 of 2)
Date: November 10, 2025
Time: 11 am – 12:00 pm MT
Join Dr. Stephanie Gripne for the second session in Impact Finance Center’s Financial Innovation 101 for PSOs to explore the role PSOs can play in providing cutting edge education that will uncover and nurture local investment opportunities in member geographies. By reversing the capital stack and building infrastructure for community-based investing, foundations have the opportunity to restore the flow of capital to their communities and regions — expanding possibilities for immediate investment and long-term, sustained impact.
We’ll hear from PSO members who have adopted innovative tools that open the door to new ways to invest, such as:
- The Opportunity Scan: A guided methodology to identify mission-aligned investment opportunities among grantees and other community partners.
- Nonprofit Financial Innovation: Simple tools to reduce expenses and generate earned revenue—making nonprofits and businesses more resilient and investment-ready.
- Intermediary and Marketplace Strategies: Hear how PSOs and foundations are approaching collaboration with financial intermediaries and adopting strategies to aggregate capital, build regional marketplaces, and activate investor networks.
Who Should Attend
PSO staff, foundation leadership, and community impact officers looking to learn from other PSOs and activate local capital and generate measurable, sustainable impact.
COMPLETE THIS SHORT INTEREST FORM AND WE’LL REACH OUT TO YOU
IFC Fellowship Case Studies
Walton Family Foundation Teresa Ish and Impact Finance Center’s Dr. Stephanie Gripne discuss how they were able to leverage a -50% investment into a for-profit sustainable seafood company. Learn more here!
Rebecca Hart was part of the inaugural fellowship cohort and has now completed multiple direct impact investments, supporting diverse entrepreneurs! Read more of her story here.
Impact Investing Fellowship
Whether you’re an individual or a representative in a role such as a program officer, development director, or a director of corporate responsibility, this course is for you!
This custom program will be designed around your needs, schedules, and learning objectives with conducive one-on-one lesson plans.
Board of Trustees – Group Training
Custom training for boards, foundations, family offices, and corporations. IFC will fly out to your location and deliver expert training, led by Dr. Stephanie Gripne in partnership with Senior Advisers.
You will work with professional teams that will meet the trustees where they are at to establish and meet clear goals.
Impact Investing Giving Circles
Harness the power and tradition of Philanthropic Giving Circles and Immigrant Lending Circles, IFC has developed a model to educate would-be impact investors in a low risk, entry-level environment.
The Impact Investing Giving Circle (IIGC), is structured as a donor-advised fund or field of interest fund.