Strategy

Investing with Impact

Using the other 95% of our endowment for good.

Aligning All Of Our Assets Toward Impact
Finance First
Impact First
Impact Only
Values-Aligned
Investments
Mission-Related
Investments
(MRI)
Program-related
Investments
(PRI)
Grants
Investment Portfolio 95%
Minimum 5%
Investing with Impact
Total Portfolio Approach

Investing our endowment in alignment with our mission and values enables us to drive positive impact with the vast majority of our foundation’s assets, alongside our grant making.

By aligning our endowment with our mission and values, we:

  • Minimize investments that counter our values.

  • Intentionally drive positive impact, generating both social and financial returns.

  • Use our endowment to enhance ourprogrammatic objectives.

Values-Aligned Investments
Our Core endowment makes up 92% of our overall portfolio

92

%

Our Goal

Working in partnership with our advisors, we look to identify values-aligned investment managers who can achieve market-rate financial returns, as well as tangible social and environmental impacts. These investments are broadly  aligned with our mission to support Denver’s cultural community.

Portfolio Activation

We focus on socially responsible, thematic, and diversely-owned funds to activate impact themes throughout our portfolio.

Upstart Co-lab gathering NYC 2022 - Photo Credit
Mission-Aligned Investments
Up to 8% of our endowment supports Mission-Aligned Investments, including MRIs and PRIs with varied financial return expectations.

8

%

Program Related Investments (PRIs)

Program RelatedInvestments are impact-first investments directly in support of our programmatic and place-based mission. These investments are typically structured to have a below market rate of return.  Examples include: a loan to support a realestate project that includes creative spaces for a culturally under-resourced part of our community, affordable housing for the creative workforce, or access to capital for entrepreneurs in the creative economy. The Foundation treats PRIs as an addition to our annual grants budget, above and beyond our required 5% annual payout.

Photo Credit: Fresh-Lo groundbreaking

Mission-Related Investments (MRIs)

Mission RelatedInvestments are impact-first investments with a broader lens than a PRI, . with the expectation of a market rate of return. For example, while we might not invest in a manager focused on a single industry sector in our Core Endowment portfolio, we may consider an MRI in an equity fund focused on investments in creative economy businesses, or a fund investing in emerging diverse entrepreneurs.

Inline with our commitment to equity, we proactively source diversely owned investment funds.  A 2021 study by the KnightFoundation revealed that women and BIPOC owned funds manage only 1.4% of assets in the asset management industry.  While at the same time, research by McKinsey shows investing in diversely led teams can lead to materially positive financial outcomes.

BSF partners with As You Sow, a leader in using shareholder resolutions to bring about positive corporate change in areas such as gender inequalities, workplace equity, environmental health and more.

71% of Bonfils-Stanton's portfolio is now invested with a lens toward the Foundations values (as of August 2024).

Impact Monitoring and Measurement
Bonfils-Stanton's portfolio

Quantitative Approaches

Our advisors use proprietary software to monitor portfolio exposures and alignment vs. our benchmarks to relevant impact solutions and sustainable corporate practices. In addition, we also track manager alignment

Qualitative Approaches

We regularly review profiles of underlying investments held within funds and engagement efforts by managers that align with our mission. 

In Percentages

74% of the Foundation’s portfolio is aligned with values inherent to Bonfils-StantonFoundation’s mission.

63% of Private commitments are aligned with values inherent to the Foundation’s work 

37% of the Foundation’s portfolio is focused on DEI – either the strategy is diversely owned and/or is intentionally investing to address diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

3.0% of the overall portfolio consists of six Mission Aligned Investments strongly aligned with Bonfils-Stanton’s mission.

19

%

of the Foundation’s portfolio is aligned with values inherent to Bonfils-StantonFoundation’s mission.

16

%

of Private commitments are aligned with values inherent to the Foundation’s work

9

%

of the Foundation’s portfolio is focused on DEI – either the strategy is diversely owned and/or is intentionally investing to address diversity, equity, and inclusion.

1

%

of the overall portfolio consists of six Mission Aligned Investments (seven commitments) strongly aligned with Bonfils-Stanton’s mission.

How to Engage

Reach out to start a conversation

If you have a project or investment that you think aligns with our mission and our description of one of the Mission Aligned Investment categories and/or just want to know more, please contact our CFO, Ann Hovland at ann@bonfils-stanton.org or 303.825.3774.

Grant Opportunities