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Consulting
Contact us to discuss how CSP can work with your organization.
The Center for Social Philanthropy provides highly tailored consulting services to foundations, donors, family offices, corporations, philanthropic consultants, investment advisers and financial services firms interested in leveraging philanthropic assets more fully for long-term social and environmental impact.
Research and Benchmarking
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C-SocPhil is one of the philanthropic field’s most innovative data aggregators. We survey and monitor the field, develop trend-tracking databanks of foundations and mission investments, and use our research to customize reports for clients based on the latest available data. We closely monitor the growing number of foundations that are deploying strategies of fully leveraged philanthropy – from small private foundations to community foundations, from corporate foundations to large independent foundations. We also track hundreds of asset managers and investment vehicles, across all asset classes, incorporating mission-related environmental, social and governance criteria into their investment strategies.
Based on our research, C-SocPhil can benchmark foundations’ use of fully leveraged philanthropic strategies in relationship to peers. The Center’s Active Ownership Index, currently being beta-tested, is the first tool to quantify the intensity of foundation involvement in shareowner initiatives such as proxy voting, resolution filing, dialogue and engagement.
We also evaluate the social and environmental exposure and impact of foundation investments – individually or across entire portfolios.
Mission Investment Consulting
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With our expertise in mission-related investing and other fully leveraged philanthropic strategies, the Center can help foundations identify appropriate opportunities across asset classes in social, environmental and community investments. We can help structure mission investment portfolios or work closely with other philanthropic consultants and investment advisers to help ensure your investments are meeting your social and environmental criteria and having the desired impact – using a wide array of portfolio screening and analysis tools.
Manager and Consultant Searches
The Center closely tracks the work of leading philanthropic advisers, asset managers and investment consultants with the necessary expertise in mission-based and program-related environmental, social and governance investing. We can help foundations to conduct independent searches for advisers – and make sure they focus on your mission.
Convening and Speaking Engagements
The Center convenes highly focused meetings and workshops on specific issues in fully leveraged philanthropy. Convenings range from retreat-like meetings for family offices or foundations to training workshops designed specifically for foundation trustees, finance officers or philanthropic advisers. Center staff and advisers also speak regularly at conferences and meetings.
Active Ownership Advice
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The Center helps foundations become more active owners of their assets. We advise foundations on mission-aligned opportunities for more active involvement in shareowner initiatives – from proxy voting to shareholder resolution filing to engaging through investor coalitions. We provide access to tools to simplify proxy voting, and we help foundations develop proxy-voting guidelines. We can also work with investment managers, foundation staff and boards to ensure proxy votes are being cast in responsible ways that fulfill both philanthropic mission and fiduciary duty.
Historical Asset Management
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“Historical assets” remain some of the most underutilized philanthropic resources, but they are the cornerstones of a philanthropic legacy. The Center can help foundations and philanthropists more responsibly and transparently manage their historical assets – from archives and records to cultural assets such as art and antiques to real property. We assist foundations in the appraisal of collections, identify appropriate storage facilities or repositories, and provide highly tailored guidance on digital preservation.
The Center can also help foundations and philanthropists manage their legacies and reputations through compelling storytelling. Based on archival research and oral histories, the Center can help tell your story, whether it be a founder’s biography, a family’s intergenerational transformation, or a foundation’s institutional history.
Responsive Grantmaking
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The Center can help foundations and donors evaluate the social and environmental responsiveness of their grantmaking programs and identify new opportunities for deepening the impact of grants.
Sustainability in Foundation Operations
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The Center helps foundations become more sustainable philanthropic enterprises by “greening” their workplaces and facilities, reducing their carbon footprint, and providing their employees with social and environmental investing options in employee retirement plans.
