2nd March 2023

What more can foundations do to scale investing for impact? With Roy Swan of the Ford Foundation

Welcome to 20/30 Visions, a new Bridges series in which we ask experts and thought-leaders from around the globe: what needs to change if we want to build a more sustainable and inclusive future in the next decade? And how do we make that change happen?

In the U.S. alone, private foundations hold more than $1 trillion of assets. So how do we deploy more of this capital to help solve our biggest challenges? And can foundations play a bigger role in catalysing investment from across the broader financial spectrum?

To discuss this, we’re delighted to be joined by a true leader in the field: Roy Swan of the Ford Foundation. After a career in Wall Street (latterly with Morgan Stanley’s Global Sustainable Finance division), Roy joined Ford to run Mission Investments, a ground-breaking programme that’s aiming to invest $1bn in funds seeking attractive social and financial returns. In our interview, Roy explains:

  • Why Ford decided to launch Mission
  • Its remarkable performance to date
  • What they’ve learned from the programme’s first five years
  • Why investors’ incentives need to change
  • The problem with fiduciary duty
  • And more

 

Watch the interview here:

Or you can download Roy’s insights to read as a PDF here

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