The faiths should be a
natural powerhouse
for ethical, faith-based
and impact investing
– Martin Palmer
FOR PEOPLE
AND PLANET
OUR MISSION
FaithInvest is an international, non-profit organisation that supports faiths to invest in line with their values for the benefit of people and planet. We believe that doing so is vital to efforts to achieve a just and sustainable world.
WHAT WE STAND FOR
We support faiths to do something that is both simple and complex – to ensure that where they place their financial assets on the global stock markets is as important as the good work they do with the income they receive from their investments. In other words, to ensure their money reflects their values at all points in the ledger.
We serve all faith traditions, whatever their size, geography and sophistication of investment portfolio, to align their finances with their beliefs and values. Our work builds on the rich tradition and commitment of the major faiths to core values and principles such as human rights, social justice, environmental protection, and care of the poor and vulnerable.
OUR MISSION
We exist to grow the scale and impact of faith-consistent investing worldwide by supporting faith groups to invest in line with their values – for the benefit of people and planet.
OUR VISION
A world in which faith groups and people of faith – motivated by their passionate conviction that investing in line with their values will achieve a just and sustainable world – actively use their investments for people & planet.
OUR VALUES
We believe in justice, dignity and fair access to global resources for all. Discover more about the values that motivate and drive us.
WHAT WE BELIEVE
The faiths are major stakeholders in the planet. They have billions of dollars invested on the global markets. They should be a natural powerhouse for ethical, faith-based and impact investing that supports the aims of the UN's Sustainable Development Goals. Yet for many faith groups, this is currently more of a potential than a reality, and the potential impact of the faiths has not yet been fully realised. Why not? We explain some of the reasons below.
OPPORTUNITIES
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Faith beliefs naturally align with environmental, social and governance (ESG) or socially responsible (SR) investing.
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They are deeply and strongly motivated.
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They represent a large pool of investable assets as well as vast ownership of property and land.
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Together, the faiths represent a significant investment bloc in the financial world.
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They have unique grassroots reach that can generate investable projects, local know-how and operating infrastructure in almost any part of the world.
CHALLENGES
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Many faith groups are complex and opaque to outsiders – especially the commercial world.
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Faith groups are not monolithic: their beliefs vary, their approaches differ, they express themselves differently.
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It is hard for outsiders to know who to engage and how.
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Faiths diverge widely in their investment experience and goals.
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Many faiths have traditionally relied on charity for impact.
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Their investments have historically focused on what not to do rather than proactive investing.
HOW FAITHINVEST CAN HELP
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SUPPORT US
By donating to FaithInvest, your gift helps us develop the free-to-access tools, programmes and resources needed to support faith groups as across as wide a range of geographies and capacities as possible. We are very grateful for any support you can give us.