The Presbyterian Foundation (FDN) has faithfully followed the investment guidelines of the General Assembly throughout its 200+ year history. The investment approach to socially responsible investing is faith-based — drawing on Presbyterian Values of theological, social and economic considerations.

The Presbyterian Foundation uses three main ways to execute a socially responsible investment strategy:

  1. Shareholder Advocacy:
    1. Proxy Voting — The FDN votes all proxies for companies that we own in a socially responsible way, that seeks to encourage companies to be better corporate citizens.
    2. Shareholder Engagement — The FDN engages alongside MRTI (Mission Responsibility Through Investment) with companies that we own to bring about corporate change for social good.
    3. Shareholder Resolutions — The FDN uses shares owned to file and co-file corporate resolutions that encourage better corporate practices for environmental, social and governance issues.
  2. Community (Impact) Investing:
    1. Microfinance — The FDN makes loans in economically depressed areas of the world by providing working capital to communities not served by traditional financial services.
  3. Screening:
    1. Positive Screens — Environmental, Social and Governance research, ratings and analysis on business practices of companies for which we invest.
    2. Negative Screens — The FDN follows General Assembly guidelines and prohibits investment in alcohol, tobacco, weapons, gambling, human rights offenders and for-profit prisons. All other sectors of the market are available for investment by FDN investment managers.

 

Presbyterian Foundation is a signatory of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (UNPRI). Further information regarding the Presbyterian Foundation’s signatory status and the Principles for Responsible Investment can be found at www.unpri.org. The Presbyterian Foundation has also developed a Responsible Investment Policy and is committed to integrating ESG risk factors into its investment process, which entails a bottom-up fundamental approach to each investment opportunity. The primary objective of the report is to enable signatory transparency on responsible investing activities and facilitate dialogue between investors and their clients, beneficiaries and other stakeholders.