Why an Investment Portfolio?

An investment portfolio enables the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia to extend our Franciscan spirit and further our mission as we help improve the social and economic well-being of financially at-risk communities. Through this portfolio we are able to effect systemic change to promote justice, human dignity, sustainability, as well as advocate for the preservation and protection of the environment for present and future generations. In addition, our investments enable us to exert influence on corporations through shareholder advocacy.

Our investments allow us to participate in the work of such organizations as Leviticus 25:23 Alternative Fund, an organization rooted in faith and the call for economic justice. Formed in 1983, Leviticus works to create opportunities for vulnerable, low-income people–especially those harmed by systemic racial and ethnic discrimination– to thrive and live with dignity. Their first two loans, deployed in 1984, supported a tenant-owned cooperative in New York City and a workplace and training center for mentally challenged adults in Nyack, NY. It led them to become one of the nation’s first certified Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) in 1994, to expand their investments into early care and education in 1997, and to more recently launch new programs for real estate entrepreneurs of color, community health centers, charter public schools, and healthy food-access.

What is an Investment Portfolio?

An investment portfolio is an aggregate of investments such as stocks and bonds. In 1971 our General Council approved the engagement of an investment administrator; in 1974 the investment portfolio was established. Until this time, monies were invested in savings accounts and certificates of deposit.

In 1980, the Committee for Responsible Investment (CRI) was established to assist our congregation in fulfilling its social responsibility for its financial resources. It is the responsibility of the committee and staff to monitor the investment portfolio for consistency with our mission, engage in shareholder advocacy, increase membership awareness on issues of social responsibility, communicate with investment managers and advisors, and process community development investments.

The Director of Corporate Social Responsibility is accountable to the Corporation of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia and maintains ongoing communication with the Congregational Treasurer, and the Financial Advisory Board.

Using our investments and working with other mission-driven organizations such as The Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility (ICCR), Religious Communities Impact Fund (RCIF), Partners for the Common Good, the Investor Environmental Health Network (IEHN), and a variety of community development organizations we believe that we are able to bring about systemic change and promote justice, human dignity, and sustainability.