Co-founder Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan and Senior Director of Indigenous Futures Ted Piccolo recently spoke at the 9th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening.
9th Annual Native CDFI Capital Access Convening
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News & insights
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Employee Rights Center: Gender equity at work
Our COO Shreya Sasaki joins Dr. Hei-ock Kim, Marci Bair, and Michelle Burkart to discuss gender equity at work in this Employee Rights Center Facebook Live event.
Why I invest: Rachel Lozano Castro
One of the youngest people to support Mission Driven Finance portfolio companies, Rachel Lozano Castro leaned into her passion and know-how to organize a shared donor-advised fund (DAF) with her family that supports our flagship place-based strategy Advance.
Our fund is a “myth-buster and courageous innovation”
We are proud to be a part of Integrated Capital Investing’s The Transformative 25 List, funds that are transforming finance for people and the planet.
Impact investing and anti-racism: From contemplation to action
We were honored to speak with Shereen Daniels of HR rewired about our journey to being an anti-racist company.
Impact investing deep dive — How to generate impact across different asset classes
Impact investing is often misunderstood. Is it a subset of investing or philanthropy? Come learn about how to incorporate impact investing into your investment strategy, and explore possible career paths in the impacting investing space.
How Lauren Grattan thinks about risk
Shoutout Socal recently checked in with our Co-founder and Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan in its local stories series and asked her how she thinks about risk.
Now is the time to try philanthropic investing
In a nutshell, the federal government built temporary tax incentives into the CARES Act to urge Americans to make charitable contributions in 2020 and support our neighbors. For those who are in a position to give or do impact investing, there’s no time like the present.
Community Finance Fellowship showcase
Hear directly from the 2020 cohort fellows— Andrew Moncada, Essence Rodriguez, Louise Jordan, Crystal Sevilla, and Benson Ochira—about their career goals and their experiences thus far changing the face and flow of finance.
![San Diego Foundation Sends First $1.5 Million To Nonprofits Hit By COVID-19 [KPBS]](https://www.missiondrivenfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/cafe-KPBS-story-800x500.jpg)
San Diego Foundation Sends First $1.5 Million To Nonprofits Hit By COVID-19 [KPBS]
The first $1.5 million in loans from The San Diego Foundation’s small business and nonprofit program have gone out to eight local organizations, the foundation announced Tuesday, part of a $5 million fund for organizations impacted by COVID-19.
First $1.5M deployed to San Diego County nonprofits hit by COVID-19
San Diego-based impact investment fund manager Mission Driven Finance has deployed $1.5M in loans to San Diego County nonprofits that have been impacted by COVID-19, thanks to $5M in seed funding from The San Diego Foundation as part of the San Diego County COVID-19 Small Business & Nonprofit Loan Program.
![San Diego County expands small business loan program to include businesses in cities [The San Diego Union-Tribune]](https://www.missiondrivenfinance.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/SD-County-admin-building-800x500.jpg)
San Diego County expands small business loan program to include businesses in cities [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
“San Diego County supervisors unanimously agreed Tuesday to expand the county’s $5 million small business loan COVID relief program regionwide to small businesses operating in cities,” The San Diego Union-Tribune reports.
Real estate for early care & education: A promising venture
We’re honored to share that David—along with early care and education expert Laura Kohn and community finance fellow Essence Rodriguez—has joined the 2020 cohort of the Promising Ventures Fellowship to explore using real estate and finance to improve access to quality early child care.
Why I invest: Laura Galinson
Meet Laura Galinson, director of community relations at Mission Driven Finance and a dedicated philanthropist. Laura has worn an impressive number of hats, from a world-traveling and award-winning Associated Press photographer to a publicist at Harper Collins. Laura explains, “Even though I’ve had very different roles, my work has always been rooted in being a connector and changemaker.”
Blended capital for immigration bonds: Introducing the Freedom100 Fund
Recently, our Co-founder and Chief Community Officer Lauren Grattan, and Freedom for Immigrants Co-founder and Co-executive Director Christina Mansfield spoke with Morgan Simon of Candide Group in Forbes.com to discuss why they launched the Freedom100 Fund—and how it’s a vital tool for investors and activists to join the fight for immigrant freedom.
Our commitments to being anti-racist
As a financial services firm, we must address long-held racist beliefs in the world of finance and commit to doing better. Here’s how we are working on it.
I am a White man. I must do more to fight systemic racism.
The best anti-racism advice I’ve gotten so far is from my teammate Louise Jordan: Whatever we do, we have to stop recreating the same narrative. Unfortunately, many of the actions we White people take end up reinforcing existing power dynamics and telling the same, false story—that Black people and people of color have inherent risk and problems and that White people must “save” them from themselves.
Community Finance Fellowship: Learning to use finance as a tool for change in a time of action
The inaugural cohort of Community Finance Fellows—Louise Jordan, Andrew Moncada, Benson Ochira, Essence Rodriguez, Crystal Sevilla— impress and inspire us every day and it’s not fair to keep their wisdom to ourselves. So we invited them to share their thoughts on how finance can invoke true racial and economic justice. The fellows’ perspectives and lived experiences give us invaluable insight into how we can use finance as a tool for real impact.
Building a new, more equitable normal for small business and nonprofits
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and exacerbated the effects of centuries of racist policies. If we don’t act fast, this crisis will rob our communities of vibrancy, diversity, and strength for many generations to come. The current global recognition of the deep roots of racism reinforces how critical it is to use all the tools in one’s toolbox to advance racial justice. As such, finance can and should be used as a tool for change in advancing economic and health equity in our communities. Together, we can turn the tide.
