By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment, Inspirit Foundation Over the past couple of years, we’ve experienced the ebbs and flows of pandemic waves. The same is true for the financial markets. While last year produced peak performance, we’re now facing a steep valley in 2022. Inspirit Foundation’s portfolio is not immune to … Continued
By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment The past two years have been a reminder of devastation, turmoil, and fear across the globe. This past year was also tumultuous for Inspirit’s portfolio. In 2021, energy (primarily fossil fuels) and financials were the biggest sector performers in Canada. Given Inspirit’s focus on companies that … Continued
Read the in-depth feature on our journey to a 100% impact portfolio. Board Chair Mitchell Anderson and Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment, share the strategy and the practical steps in this Future of Good story by Gabe Oatley. Read about our impact portfolio makeover here. An excerpt from the article: In 2014 and 2015, the foundation made its first impact investments in several … Continued
By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment A lot has happened since my last post. As the pandemic’s fourth wave continues to persist, Jill and I welcomed our second (and almost certainly final!) baby into the world. Crosley was born in early September, and while we never really set out to do this, Jill and … Continued
SVX has released the results of the 2021 Annual Canadian Impact Investor Survey, finding that investors want to significantly grow their asset allocation to impact investing. This work was supported by Impact United, a movement of leading investors, including Inspirit Foundation, who want to mobilize their investment capital towards social, economic and environmental justice. In April 2021, investors from the SVX and Impact United … Continued
By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment Despite the pandemic, by the end of 2020, Inspirit had transitioned 98% of our portfolio to increase positive social and environmental impact. The lone asset class that had yet to be transitioned to increase impact? That is our cash, approximately 2% of Inspirit’s assets and the … Continued
By Jory Cohen, Director of Finance and Impact Investment With a first dose in my arm, I’m feeling like we’re finally seeing the first rays of light at the end of the tunnel. There’s still a long way to go until we shed the masks and social distancing, but the first dose definitely injected a … Continued
Leading investors across Canada publicly launched a movement that seeks to mobilize billions in capital towards tackling our most pressing problems, from climate change to housing affordability to inequity. The initiative, known as Impact United, is a national peer-led movement and community of investors seeking to mobilize capital towards social, economic and environmental justice, comprised of … Continued
In May 2020, SKETCH, a not-for-profit that works with youth navigating marginalization and poverty through the arts, launched Project Home–a capital campaign to purchase its studios located in Artscape Youngplace in Toronto. Their $4 million campaign goal involved two revenue streams: fundraising and issuing community bonds to the public. Inspirit Foundation invested in these Home … Continued
As the pandemic drags on, life continues from home for my family. While I’ve been working from my home office, Jill’s been painting at the kitchen (turned art) table. A highlight for us during this period of isolation is that Jill decided to share her artwork publicly for the first time. Jill’s been painting the … Continued
