Discussing Gender Lens Investing with a true OG
Join me for a no non-sense talk about Gender Lens Investing with Joy Anderson of the Criterion Institute
All,
Here’s what’s included in this edition of the newsletter:
The launch of episode 30
Webinar invitation
New thought leadership content published
What I’m reading/listening to
What’s on tap
🎙 Episode 30 is live!
If impact investing requires us to address systemic inequalities, and it does, then you can’t claim to be an impact investor and ignore gender equality. Consider that women, girls and gender-diverse people represent half of the earth’s population and that in virtually every culture across the globe, for all of human history, they have been systematically oppressed.
That is why I have been particularly excited to have this episode, especially with this guest.
In this episode of the podcast, I sit down with Joy Anderson, the Founder and President of Criterion Institute and a true OG of gender lens investing.
Criterion Institute is a non-profit think tank that works with social change-makers to demystify finance and broaden perspectives on how to engage with and shift financial systems. The core mission of Criterion Institute is to expand the demographic of those who see themselves as able to use finance as a tool for social change. This is achieved by providing resources such as blueprints and toolkits to bring people to the table who normally would not feel welcome. Criterion Institute challenges the structural inequities that create barriers in the finance world, especially as it pertains to women.
Joy’s interest in social change and systems of power was formulated through her experiences in academia during her undergraduate studies and in her work as a high school teacher in the New York public school system. Joy has since worked in finance for 20 years and was listed in Fast Company’s 100 Most Creative People in Business in 2011. In founding Good Capital alongside Timothy Freundlich and Kevin Jones, Joy experienced firsthand the opportunities and challenges involved in impact investing.
What I love about Joy, besides her wealth of knowledge and commitment to the cause, is her no-nonsense attitude. In a world full of people and organizations using impact investing as a marketing hook, Joy spends all her time thinking deeply about gender inequality, challenging the patriarchal establishment, and producing a wealth of resources that can help drive real-world change.
During this episode, Joy and I discuss how highly complex jargon creates barriers in the finance industry; the importance of understanding context when moving money to create social good; and the link between increased political risk in investments and rates of gender-based violence. And be sure to stay tuned to the very end where Joy addresses the problem of keeping the finance field binary and the cultural shifts she hopes to see in the future.
Resources mentioned during the podcast:
Criterion Institute’s Website
Criterion’s latest publication: Disrupting Fields: Addressing Power Dynamics in the Fields of Climate Finance and Gender Lens Investing
Criterion’s Toolkit for Finance as a Strategy for Social Change
Criterion's Blueprints for Social Change for Women's funds, Grassroots organizations, International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs), and Faith-based organizations
🎗 Reminder
Don’t forget to check out the crowdfunding page of Geenees! This social enterprise is in the business of granting wishing to families in need. Listen in to Co-Founder Libi Berenson’s inspiration behind this venture and how you can make an investment for as little as $250 to help grow this impactful business.
🗓 Upcoming Events
Monday May 24th at 3pm ET
Webinar: Dynamics Between Central Banks, Regulators, Investors, and Inequality
In this webinar, in conversation with Raphaele Chappe, Chief Economist of The Predistribution Initiative, Karen Petrou will discuss her new book, Engine of Inequality: The Fed and the Future of Wealth in America, which explores unintended negative consequences of the U.S. Federal Reserve’s policies in this context and how they can increase systemic risks such as inequality, as well as systematic risks for investors and markets.
💡 Thought Leadership
I’ve added a new publication to the Thought Leadership Library on my website:
Disrupting Fields: Addressing Power Dynamics in the Fields of Climate Finance and Gender Lens Investing (Joy Anderson, Criterion Institute)
I haven’t had a chance to read this yet but I can’t wait to dig into it. It’s a publication by Joy Anderson, my guest in episode 30, that examines the power dynamics at play in the fields of climate finance and gender lens investing. The framework Joy outlines in this paper is meant to facilitate further inquiry and discussion into the power dynamics in these fields and increase the willingness of the folks building these fields to “disrupt systems of power more boldly in order to advance goals of justice and equity.” To put it another way, the goal here is to raise awareness of the power dynamics at play in these fields so that we can avoid unintentionally reinforcing existing power imbalances and inequities that will undermine our otherwise noble efforts.
📰What I’m reading/listening to
'Champions League of tax avoidance:' Uber used 50 Dutch shell companies to dodge taxes on nearly $6 billion in revenue, report says (Business Insider)
And in a surprise to no one, Uber appears to be going through an elaborate ruse to avoid paying tax. This, despite an entire section of its website dedicated to all the actions it’s taking to be a good global citizen, including supporting cities, providing new tools for urban planners, creating safer communities, ending distracted driving, promoting diversity & inclusion, and providing an opportunity for all.
This is a classic example of the type of corporate doublespeak that Anand Giridharadas calls out in Winners Take All.
It’s Uber’s Global Citizenship talk seriously until they, at a minimum, provide health insurance to their drivers, pay them fairly, and stop evading taxes.
📆What’s on tap?
Here’s what is coming up on The Impact Investing Podcast:
🎙 Upcoming Podcast Episodes
Andrew Parry, Head of Sustainable Investing at Newton Investment Management, joins me to discuss the practical challenges and opportunities in ESG and impact investing at an institutional level.
Garth Davis and Andy Broderick, Managing Partners at New Market Funds, join me to discuss their work in financing affordable housing.
Art activist Benjamin Von Wong joins me to discuss the power of art in driving impact at scale. Ben does incredible art installations that are at once beautiful and frightening! Click on his name, it links to his site where you can see his work.
Keith Ippel of Spring Activator joins me to discuss the work the organization does to support not only social enterprise startups and entrepreneurs but also training cohorts of impact investors.
Elizabeth Freele of Sympact (a think-tank and hands-on consultancy) joins me to discuss the opportunities for impact in the mining industry. This is an industry that many impact investors tend to opt out of entirely. But as Liz points out, the world can’t do without mining in the foreseeable future, so we need to engage these firms and direct capital to finding ways to mine more sustainably.
👋Upcoming Clubhouse Conversations
A series of conversations on financial feminism (Dates: TBD)
Impact investing opportunities in the mining sector with upcoming podcast guest Elizabeth Freele of Sympact. (Date: TBD)
A discussion with Joy Anderson of the Criterion Institute’s new paper, Disrupting Fields: Addressing Power Dynamics in the Fields of Climate Finance and Gender Lens Investing (Date: TBD)
See more by visiting www.kindwealth.club