We officially launched a game-changing tool for foundations and donors to better understand the needs of the nonprofits they support and discover opportunities to provide additional, non-grant resources for greater community impact, AND learn about financial innovation and impact investing.
The Philanthropic Opportunity Scan provides the tools and information to help funders, and the nonprofits they fund, shift their mindsets from one of pure philanthropy to impact investing. The tool involves educating organization staff and grantees, surveying grantees about their current and planned financial commitments, providing technical assistance when needed, and identifying and designing transactions. It allows funders to further align their investment money with their values and grant portfolios by refinancing high-rate mortgages, making money-saving asset improvements, or providing funding for revenue-generating ventures.
We used this tool to help the Gilson Family Foundation and Essex County Community Foundation provide education to and survey their grantees. The surveys identified a combined total of 143 opportunities for impact investing! Read more about how communities in Massachusetts benefited.
Contact us today if your organization is interested in administering the tool within your community to uncover impact investing opportunities.