Criterion is a nonprofit think tank dedicated to expanding possibilities for how finance can be used for social change.
We work with changemakers, investors, governments, and institutions to shift who has power in financial decision-making.
Our Work
We work with changemakers, investors, governments, and institutions to shift who has power in financial decision-making.
Our WorkBy Joy Anderson, President and Founder of Criterion Institute and Teresa Wells, Managing Director and Partner at Tiedemann Advisors More than 29,000 acts of rape or sexual assault are committed against women in the U.S. while at work each year.
Wharton Social Impact Initiative and Suzanne Biegel presented a generous group of investors, philanthropists, advisors and analysts from all sectors and asset classes.
Investors’ goals are reflected in a portfolio that is composed of a diversified set of asset classes. In order to build their portfolio, asset holders invest in financial products.
Finance has its own business model. A set of processes define how finance works and those processes have costs. Those processes are paid for by a set of revenue sources based on the functional role(s) played.
Intermediaries are institutions with a particular legal form that use instruments or vehicles to move capital. The instrument is defined by the terms written out in documents.
Systems of finance assign value. They analyze worth. Finance looks at opportunities and the risks in those opportunities over time. The result of that analysis determines what return is seen as possible.
Systems of finance assign value. They analyze worth. Finance looks at opportunities and the risks in those opportunities over time. The result of that analysis determines what return is seen as possible.
Gender-based violence is ubiquitous. More than 1 in 3 women worldwide experiences physical or sexual violence...
A virtual event in which we celebrate partnerships in the work we do to expand possibilities for how finance can be used for social change.
“What if we had a “gender search fund”? What if we pooled capital for women of all identities who have been systematically stalled in their professional path but have amazing skills? The search fund c
As an activist think tank, our day-to-day work takes many forms. Whether via interdisciplinary research, trainings for investors and social change organizations on how to engage finance for change, or the design of strategies and tools that enable actors to incorporate power analysis into existing processes, all our work ultimately furthers one or more of our pillars.
About UsOur work spans research, design, and field-building. Below is a sampling of some of our recent work.
Explore our extensive library of resources on using finance as a tool for transformative social change. Browse by category and sub-categories to find the most relevant materials for your needs. Our library contains reports, case studies, toolkits, and other content aimed at investors, governments, civil society organizations, and anyone interested in harnessing capital for positive impact. Dive in and discover insights and guidance to help drive progress on critical issues.
From the beginning, Criterion has played a significant role in establishing the field of gender lens investing. We began with (re)Value Gender, which built key research methodology that bridges gender expertise and finance expertise and creates a space for leaders to practice, build insight, and produce evidence. We looked for examples of bias in investments, where gender patterns were undervalued and, as a result, risks and opportunities missed.
The State of the Field of Gender Lens Investing report was published in October 2015. This groundbreaking piece of research culminated from Criterion’s many years of field building and relationship cultivation through sixteen innovative Convergence gatherings.
The "Gender Lens Investing" champions a holistic approach towards integrating gender equality into financial systems, underpinning the belief that finance can and should be a force for social good.
The purpose of Criterion Institute is to expand who sees themselves as able to use finance as a tool for social change. At the core, we are changing “how” social change happens. As a result, over the past 20 years, Criterion has had a significant focus on our “how.”
In recent years, a variety of financial innovations enabled by Web3 and blockchain technology have emerged as transformative forces, aiming to challenge the status quo and address the systemic inequities ingrained in traditional financial systems.
Criterion Institute, in partnership with UNICEF, created a guide for investors to understand the risk their investments are exposed to as a result of gender-based violence, and to incorporate that risk assessment into their existing due diligence process.
The Blueprints demonstrate how a variety of social change organizations can design strategies that use systems of finance as tools to create positive social change.
These roadmaps lay out insights for how finance can be used to address gender-based violence in a range of sectors, asset classes, geographies, and investor types.
The TOOLKIT is designed to support your journey as you explore how finance can be used as a tool to create social change.
1K Churches was launched in 2012 to galvanize a movement in the faith-based community and engage US churches to invest in the local economy.
These gender-based violence due diligence tools analyze existing due diligence categories – including political, regulatory, operational, and reputational risks – and show how they can be affected by gender-based violence.
Gender-based violence is ubiquitous. More than 1 in 3 women worldwide experiences physical or sexual violence, and millions of men, boys, and gender-diverse individuals are affected by physical, sexual, and emotional abuse daily.
Our work depends on an ever-expanding community of team members, advisors, donors, and other partners who help us demonstrate our theory of change and ultimately achieve our mission. Learn more about how you can become more engaged in our work.
Invitations to Engage