We can’t innovate our way to a new future without addressing structural inequities in the design of any solution. And we can’t do this effectively without focusing on power: who has it, who doesn’t and why.
Our financial systems wield incredible power, yet they’re controlled by a relative few. Finance is also sustained by complex language and processes which stop those who would most benefit from understanding how they really work.
We work to transform relationships of power in finance by:
Inviting and equipping leaders to engage systems of finance
We work to radically expand which change makers see themselves using finance, paying particular attention to those typically left out.
We craft meaningful invitations to engage and practice together, adapt our resources and tools to for new audiences, ground work in places to commit to and stay in difficult conversations on specific issues, build frameworks and practices that prioritize lived experiences, and amplify invitations and narratives to reach new audiences.
Imagining new approaches and strategies
We work with partners breaking past boundaries of current approaches to address power, expertise, and bias in investment strategies.
Focusing on Gender-Based Violence
We have made a long-term commitment to gender-based violence, directing one third of our resources over the next five years toward reimagining possibilities for using finance as a tool to effect change on the issue.
We are building a coalition of investors, engaging gender-based violence experts to design financial solutions, and working with fund managers to develop products that address gender-based violence. Through this work, our goal is to move US$10 billion in investment capital by 2022.
Here are some of our current projects:
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Blueprint on Using Finance for Social Change
As we continue to face challenges to achieving equality, we need to deploy all the strategies at our disposal...
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A Commitment to Address Gender-Based Violence
FINANCE AS A TOOL TO ADDRESS GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE Criterion Institute is making a long-term commitment to addressing gender-based violence,...
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Gender Lens Investing and Market Risks (GLIMR)
In 2016, along with our sponsors Calvert Foundation, The Caprock Group, Eileen Fisher Foundation, Fulcrum Capital, Grand Challenges Canada, Honeybee Capital, Trillium Asset Management, and Veris Wealth...
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Bridging Expertise of Gender and Finance through Investing in Women
The State of the Field of Gender Lens Investing in Asia, published September 2015, documents a year-long collaboration between...
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Pacific Readiness for Investment in Social Enterprises (Pacific RISE)
In the Pacific Islands, women make significant contributions to communities and economies. There is a growing recognition among governments...