RSF Social Finance Monthly -- February 2011
RSF Shared Gifting Funds Featured in the Chronicle of Philanthrophy!
Last month, The Chronicle of Philanthropy featured the RSF Shared Gifting Funds in an article titled: “Bay Area Grantees Learn What It’s Like to Be Grant Makers for a Day.” Click here to read the full article.
The RSF Shared Gifting Funds support an innovative new form of giving that turns grantees into grantors and transforms competition into collaborations. Grantees that participate come together to share a pool of money and ideas while building community within one of RSF’s three focus areas. The first round of grant making was held in February 2011 in support of Food & Agriculture. This article shares that story.
It is thrilling to see this work in such a notable publication (dubbed by some the "Wall Street Journal" of the philanthrophic world), and it is a testament to the innovative nature of the program.
Visit http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/giving/shared/ to learn more about the history of the Shared Gifting Funds or to make a donation in support of the next round of grant making.
RSF Impact Map Launch
We are very pleased to announce the launch of the RSF Impact Map! This is a new feature of our website designed to share the work of the social enterprises we support. Using photos, video, and narrative this section of our website offers a snapshot of the leading-edge, impactful organizations that we are so proud to work with.
This marks the launch of the map but we won’t stop here! In 2011 alone, we supported hundreds of social enterprises through our lending, giving, and investment activities. Visit the map throughout the year as we will be adding new organizations on a quarterly basis. Interested RSF supported projects should contact us for more information on how to participate.
So please, take some time to dig into the RSF Impact Map and share with your friends and community. We hope you enjoy exploring it as much as we have enjoyed creating it.
Click here to view the RSF Impact Map
What Does Money Have To Do With Freedom?
by John Bloom
Freedom is such a challenging word. It stands for a political view encompassing civil liberty; it stands in for the aspiration of the human spirit. What freedom means to me is personal. It informs how I go about the day as an individual and make my decisions, and it governs my communications and relationships as first principle—a capacity to respect the inner freedom of others even as I practice my own. Understanding what freedom means to others, as a right bestowed or limited by the state, as democratic practice, or as an inwardly determined guide to being, is fundamental to healthy relationships...Read the full post on the Reimagine Money blog.
December 2011 Grant Making Activity, B Lab & Pachamama Alliance
So, you might know that RSF provides investing, lending, and giving services, but did you know that those services sometimes overlap, that a single organization and relationship can represent all three? We here at RSF are thrilled when such intersections present themselves in our day-to-day work as it helps us validate that our service areas are in alignment, making our goal to transform the way the world works with money that much more powerful. In December, we were reminded of the ability of different parts of our organization to work together when our RSF donor advisors chose to make grants to two RSF borrowers – B Lab and Pachamama Alliance...Read the full post on the Reimagine Money blog.
So, you might know that RSF provides investing, lending, and giving services, but did you know that those services sometimes overlap, that a single organization and relationship can represent all three? We here at RSF are thrilled when such intersections present themselves in our day-to-day work as it helps us validate that our service areas are in alignment, making our goal to transform the way the world works with money that much more powerful. In December, we were reminded of the ability of different parts of our organization to work together when our RSF donor advisors chose to make grants to two RSF borrowers – B Lab and Pachamama Alliance...Read the full post on the Reimagine Money blog.
A Closer Look at Food Hubs: Common Market
Our friends over at Common Market Philadelphia (an RSF borrower) just released this awesome video. Check it out to learn more about their work and the growing Food Hub movement.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=RRzyIZK43tI
2012 Seed Fund - Apply or Donate Today!
It’s that time of year again to select a new class of grantees for the RSF Seed Fund. March 15th is the upcoming deadline for the fund, which makes small grants ($500-$5,000) to projects that provide innovative solutions to further the field of social finance or address issues in one of our three focus areas. Although the grants are small, they have a large impact on the projects they support by providing essential start-up capital.
Unlike most of the other funds at RSF, the money for this fund comes from small donations. While RSF has not engaged in active fundraising for the Seed Fund, we have been able to make $10,000 in grants annually thanks to contributions from RSF’s donor community. Click here to donate today!
The fund is advised by a rotating group of RSF staff members who review the proposals and then decide which projects will receive grants. Staff members enjoy a chance to participate in the grant-making process and their diverse professional backgrounds make sure that we have a fresh perspective in each grant-making cycle.
Despite being our smallest fund, the Seed Fund has always held an important place at RSF for the number of exciting new projects it has helped to kick-start. We hope that you will consider supporting this fund with a donation, however large or small. Thank you!
To apply for a grant from the Seed Fund (before the March 15th deadline), visit: http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/giving/seedfund/apply-for-a-seed-fund-grant/
To read more about our 2011 Seed Fund grantees, visit: http://rsfsocialfinance.org/2011/05/2011-seed-grantees/
Evol Foods & Uncle Matt's on Dr. Oz's Grocery List
Last week, two new RSF borrowers, Evol Foods and Uncle Matt’s Organic, were named on Dr. Oz’s list of 99 approved healthy foods to put on your shopping list. We’re excited to see that these brands, which meet the criteria to be endorsed by Dr. Oz — who aims to transform the ‘shape’ of America...Read more in the RSF Newsroom.
Upcoming Events
February 9 - HI Impact Investment Conference - Honolulu, HI
February 23 - AWSNA Great Lakes Regional Conference - St. Paul, MN
March 22 - Play BIG - Sausalito, CA
April 19 - SVN Annual Member Gathering - Stevenson, WA
April - 23 - GIIN Investors' Council Meeting - New York, NY
RSF20899
