Charlotte, North Carolina embodies a tale of two cities. It is a leader in economic development in the South and a hub for the financial services industry. But it is also a dead-end place for people seeking to escape poverty. Harvard economist Raj Chetty, in his 2014 study, The Equality of Opportunity, ranked the city dead last of […]
What Does Lilly’s New $10M Philanthropic Investment Mean for Rural Engagement?
The Lilly Endowment, one of the world’s largest private foundations with assets of more than $10 billion, recently announced a $10 million grant to the new Center for Rural Engagement at Indiana University Bloomington. This investment is both encouraging and thought-provoking, raising important questions about the glaring geographic disparities in rural access to such private investments, […]
Can Ford Foundation’s $1 Billion Impact Investing Commitment Alter the Field?
Darren Walker, president of the Ford Foundation, made headlines in April 2017 when he announced that Ford would commit up to $1 billion from its $12 billion endowment over the next decade to support mission-related investments that offer both social and environmental returns. So far, out of that billion-dollar commitment, Ford has made a $30-million […]