Evol Foods’ Terikayi chicken bowl makes the cut of one of the top five packaged foods that are good for you. Not only are Evol Foods healthy, but they are dedicated to sustainable agriculture, using impressive ingredients, including humanely and sustainably raised meats and proteins, hormone-free cheese, delicious fresh produce, and traditionally made tortillas.

Dr. Oz also encouraged people to add grapefruit juice — Uncle Matt’s Organic, specifically — to their shopping carts. With a track record of and continuing success in converting conventional Florida groves to organic ones, Uncle Matt’s does more than produce and distribute clean and healthy citrus juices; they are changing the soil of Florida itself.

We couldn’t be more pleased that these two borrowers are getting such positive and well-deserved attention. If you want to try Evol and Uncle Matt’s and for some reason can’t find them at your local grocery store, please ask the stores to carry them!

Click here to see Dr. Oz’s video. The list is here

By Ellie Lanphier

There are many organizations dedicated to land conservation, but not many are founded with the intent to act quickly when action is needed.  In 2011, the RSF Seed Fund provided start-up funding for The Land Conservation and Advocacy Trust (LCAT) of Framingham, Massachusetts. LCAT was founded by lawyer and environmentalist Steve Meltzer with the goal to protect and preserve natural spaces. During his time spent as a real estate development lawyer, Meltzer watched local land interests struggle and repeatedly fail to raise funds on short notice to protect their natural spaces. LCAT seeks to meet the need for immediate action and ready means to defend the environment from unrestricted, profit-driven development.  Able to provide emergency funding and legal support within 48 hours, LCAT also promotes smart-growth ideals that foster land conservation values in the long term.

Cattails have many lives - Photo by Steve Meltzer, LCAT Founder

Of the many programs LCAT facilitates, the RSF Seed Fund grant specifically supports the Community Food System Project and the Neighborhood Revitalization Program. Following their mission to preserve natural spaces, The Community Food Systems Project intends to turn a vacant land parcel in Boston’s MetroWest area into a year-round, sustainable garden. Hoping to involve the whole community, the project promotes employment of respite center clients, community volunteers and students from local schools. The garden’s harvest will remain in the community, being sold to local restaurants and farmer’s markets.  The Neighborhood Revitalization Program is working with local banks to review bank-owned properties that may be appropriate for donation and intends to partner with the local community to turn these properties into micro-parks or community gardens.

LCAT is playing an important role in ongoing struggle to preserve natural spaces.  To find out more about LCAT, visit their website, blog or Facebook page. You can also follow Steve Meltzer on twitter @preserveland.

To learn more about the RSF Seed Fund and how you can help support new and inspirational projects like this one, click here.

Ellie Lanphier is Receptionist and Administrative Assistant at RSF Social Finance.

The RSF Shared Gifting Funds support an innovative new form of giving that turns grantees into grantors and transforms competition into collaborations. Grantees that participate come together to share a pool of money and ideas while building community within one of RSF’s three focus areas. The first round of  grant making was held in February 2011 in support of Food & Agriculture. This article shares that story.

It is thrilling to see this work in such a notable publication and it is a testament to the innovative nature of the program.

Visit http://rsfsocialfinance.org/services/giving/shared/ to learn more about the history of the Shared Gifting Funds or to make a donation in support of the next round of grant making.

I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality, and freedom for their spirits.

[From Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech, Norway, 1964]

By John Bloom

Freedom is such a challenging word. It stands for a political view encompassing civil liberty; it stands in for the aspiration of the human spirit. What freedom means to me is personal. It informs how I go about the day as an individual and make my decisions, and it governs my communications and relationships as first principle—a capacity to respect the inner freedom of others even as I practice my own. Understanding what freedom means to others, as a right bestowed or limited by the state, as democratic practice, or as an inwardly determined guide to being, is fundamental to healthy relationships.

Given this brief background, I was bothered by a thought written by Harold Bloom [no relation], the esteemed author, in a recent New York Times article entitled, “Will This Election Be the Mormon Breakthrough?” [November 13, 2011, Sunday Review p.6] He wrote: “Obsessed by a freedom we identify with money, we tolerate plutocracy as if it could someday be our own ecstatic solitude.” If you have read the sentence a time or two, perhaps you are with me in my disturbance. Do we identify money with freedom? Is tolerance even a fair way to characterize our feelings about being ruled by the wealthy? And do we tolerate it because each of us secretly desires or imagines we could one day be wealthy enough to join the ruling class? I cannot think that participants and supporters of Occupy Wall Street share this implied aspiration. In fairness to Harold Bloom, the next sentence in the article links the experience of freedom with religious solitude. While it seemed to me either a non-sequitur or a leap based on unspoken assumptions, the swift shift is a microcosmic example of the muddled or manipulated boundary between politics and spirit. That blurring has allowed the political to pollute the domain of the spirit, and for spirit (or religion) to be used in the name of the political. Inserting money only further complicates the mix.

How can we possibly identify money with freedom, really? Money is an emanation of the material world moved by the inner forces of need and intention. While it has many and varied forms, money is a function, not a thing; money’s meaning is embedded in its service to economic life, that is to say as it supports the circulation of goods and services. When we treat it as a thing and tie our self-worth and identity to how much we have of it, we add to the complex that creates and “tolerates plutocracy,” and part of the complexity that sustains it. Money is no more a commodity than freedom. One cannot have money and be free of anyone else, because money in its true function holds or marks a value that is created through our economic interdependence. Freedom serves an important role in relation to economic life but should not be mistaken as an outcome of it.

Before exploring money further, I would like to return to the boundary between freedom as it pertains to political life and the freedom associated with solitude. The democratic principle of freedom, one person one vote, is a system of governance that is the result of community agreement—such as a constitution. Democracy is essentially a non-hierarchical form in that each member of the community is an equal of the others. And, it requires an “informed citizenry” to function effectively. What exactly does this mean? It is the responsibility of each individual member of the citizenry to engage in educating him or herself, to develop capacities of discernment, to seek insight into the matters at hand in order to effectively contribute to the democratic process. It also assumes that every member of the community has the capacity, if not the desire, for self-development. This responsibility for self-development, and how each of us designs that process for him or herself, what each of us wants to undertake and define as accomplishment is the evolution of individuality and the locus of spiritual freedom. This, I believe, is what Dr. King was referring to as “freedom for their spirits.”

To squelch this inner freedom, to organize a society in such a way that some individuals matter more than others, especially in the body politic, translates into laming that society’s economic well-being. What self-governed inner freedom provides the economy is people’s fresh ideas and insights that can then be brought into service to the community as a way to earn a living. Each individual has a need for right livelihood to use the Buddhist phrase. It seems that this human capacity, left free, is an infinitely renewable resource for reinventing the economy, governance, and culture. But it requires trust in others and sharing of power, an education that brings us together rather than driving us ever further apart in the division of labor, and a sense that there is something more than the material world at stake. What we have not yet resolved is how to organize our society to recognize and support such a clarity of function and principle. But Dr. King certainly had the audacity to believe that we could and can. Our interdependent existence depends on it.

John Bloom is Senior Director, Organizational Culture at RSF Social Finance.

So, you might know that RSF provides investing, lending, and giving services, but did you know that those services sometimes overlap, that a single organization and relationship can represent all three? We here at RSF are thrilled when such intersections present themselves in our day-to-day work as it helps us validate that our service areas are in alignment, making our goal to transform the way the world works with money that much more powerful. In December, we were reminded of the ability of different parts of our organization to work together when our RSF donor advisors chose to make grants to two RSF borrowers – B Lab and Pachamama Alliance.

Benefit corporations, or B Corps, are a new class of corporation that are required to create a material positive impact on society and the environment as well as meet higher standards of accountability and transparency. There has been lots of press about B corps in the news lately, particularly here in California, which became the sixth state to pass benefit corporation legislation in October of last year. What is not widely known is that there is a non-profit behind all of that work and positive press. That non-profit is called B Lab and they are a RSF borrower and grantee. B Lab has staff in Pennsylvania, New York, and San Francisco and is dedicated to effecting systemic change through three interrelated initiatives that not only includes promoting benefit corporation legislation, but building a community around Certified B Corporations and accelerating the growth of the impact investing asset class through use of the GIIRS Ratings and Analytics. RSF has had a longstanding relationship with B Lab, not to mention that our very own Don Shaffer was given a B Corp MVP award in 2010 for his significant support of B Lab initiatives.

Another borrower, investor, and grantee (we should have a special award for being all three!) is Pachamama Alliance, one of our fellow neighbors here in the Presidio. Founded in 1995, Pachamama is dedicated to protecting the Earth’s rain forests and the indigenous people who live within them. They seek to accomplish their mission by delivering educational experiences that are designed to inspire and educate individuals everywhere to bring forth a thriving, just, and sustainable world. The grant from RSF was specifically to support Pachamama’s Rights of Nature program, an innovative initiative focused on establishing a legal basis for protecting our planet. Building upon success in Ecuador, the first country in history to include Rights of Nature in its constitution in 2008, Pachamama helped form the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature, a group of internationally recognized experts and leaders working for the universal adoption and implementation of Rights of Nature.

During the month of December, RSF’s donor advisors recommended 78 grants from their Donor Advised Funds for a total disbursement amount of $902,578! Donor Advised Funds are a unique charitable giving vehicle offered by RSF that allow donors to make tax-deductible contributions to RSF and then recommend grants from their fund to qualified nonprofit organizations of their choice. A donor can be an individual, group, family, corporation, trust, or a foundation, and they benefit from access to RSF’s innovative Impact Investment Portfolios. Unlike other Donor Advised Fund investment programs, a donor’s contribution is invested directly in enterprises and funds with core social and environmental missions to ensure greater mission-alignment and the deepest impact possible.

December 2011 Grantees:

Ecological Stewardship

American Himalayan Foundation
Earthfire Institute
Institut fur Stromungswissenschaften
Marion Institute
Ojai Foundation
Pachamama Alliance
Transportation Alternatives
Wildlife Conservation Network
World Wildlife Fund

Education & the Arts

Alaska Community Action on Toxics
Allgemeine Anthroposophische Gessellschaft
American Committee for the Weizmann Institute
Anthroposophical Society in America
Bainbridge Graduate Institute
Bay Area Center for Waldorf Teacher Training
Berkeley Public Library Foundation
Camphill Foundation
Center for Anthroposophy
Charter Foundation
Collective Heritage Institute
Cross-Cultural Thresholds
Detroit Waldorf School
Earth Island Institute
Family Planning Association
Fistula Foundation
Freunde der Erziehungskunst
Golden Courage International
GreatNonprofits
Homeless Children’s Network
Indiana University Foundation
International Media Project
J Street Education Fund
KQED
KRCB
Lionheart Foundation
Meadowbrook Waldorf Association
Mission Possible Kids
Muse Elementary School
Native American Community Board
Oberlin College
Pacific Institute
Peace Development Fund
Pine Hill Waldorf School
Proxy Democracy, Inc.
READ Global
Right to Dream
Rudolf Steiner College
School of Eurythmy
Seminary of the Christian Community
Shining Mountain Waldorf School
Spirit Rock Meditation Center
The Sonoma County Public Library Foundation
Threefold Educational Foundation
Triskeles Foundation
Trustees of Brantwood Camp
Union of Concerned Scientists
University of Central Oklahoma
University of Colorado Foundation
Waldorf Early Childhood Association
Walking the Dog Theater

Food & Agriculture

Growing Gardens
Maine Organic Farmers and Gardeners Association
Michael Fields Agricultural
Yggdrasil Land Foundation

Social Finance

Ashoka
B Lab

Other

Guide Dogs of America
STC Education and Leadership Fund

Catherine Covington is Senior Program Associate, Philanthropic Services at RSF Social Finance.

This marks the launch of the map but we won’t stop here! In 2011 alone, we supported hundreds of social enterprises through our lending, giving, and investment activities. Visit the map throughout the year as we will be adding new organizations on a quarterly basis. Interested RSF supported projects should contact us for more information on how to participate.

So please, take some time to dig into the RSF Impact Map and share with your friends and community. We hope you enjoy exploring it as much as we have enjoyed creating it.

Click here to view the RSF Impact Map

Benefit corporations are a new type of corporation required to: a) have a mission to create material positive impact on society and the environment; b) consider non-financial interests when making decisions including employees, community, and the environment; and c) report annually on performance using a recognized third-party.

California became the sixth state to pass benefit corporation legislation in October 2011, joining Maryland, New Jersey, Vermont, Virginia, and Hawaii. New York has since signed a similar law and legislation has been introduced in the District of Columbia, Michigan, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania.

RSF is delighted to see other states pursuing benefit corporation legislation and businesses embracing the new corporate structure. We believe this momentum represents the beginning of a transformation – one that will lead businesses to achieve deep social and environment impact.

Putting Your Money to Work for a Sustainable Future: the RSF Social Finance Model
We’ve all heard the phrase “make your money work for you”, which usually means: make sure you are getting a financial return on your savings and investments.  But how about making your money work for sustainability, healing, and transformation while still making a return?  The options are limited for the average person, but come hear how RSF Social Finance is approaching investing, lending and giving in the most direct, transparent, and personal manner possible, and how you can get involved in supporting some fantastic companies and non-profits.

Details
Time: 12:30-1:30PM
Location:
Thoreau Center for Sustainability
In the Pacific Room at Tides
1014 Torney Ave
Presidio, San Francisco
Cost: Free
No RSVP required

“AI enables the world’s leading water resource and climate monitoring agencies to take action in conserving what is arguably the planet’s most vital and stressed resource—water,” says Scott Hackenberg, RSF Lending Manager.

With increasing concerns over the Earth’s freshwater supply, the water monitoring industry is rapidly growing. Founded in 2003, this Canadian based company has become a leader in the field supporting two of the world’s largest water monitoring agencies—US Geological Survey and Water Survey of Canada. AI’s AQUARIUS Software enables water and climate monitoring organizations to make actionable decisions that are critically important to managing water resources and preserving the environment. These products help to improve global public health and safety through better, faster, and easier environmental management decisions—ensuring clean air and water, predicting floods and drought, and protecting wetlands and the wildlife they sustain.

“We structured an innovative credit facility tailored to AI’s unique business model, facilitating the company’s rapid growth,” says Hackenberg.   “Aquatic Informatics aligns perfectly with the type of high-impact, mission-driven organizations that RSF exists to support.”

“We are thrilled to be working with RSF Social Finance.  It’s important that RSF is able to support us as an experienced and flexible financial partner while sharing our values and focus on protecting the environment and supporting our communities,” says David Ferguson, Aquatic Informatics Vice President of Operations and Marketing.

RSF Social Finance is the lender of choice for values-driven social enterprise in the areas of Food & Agriculture, Education & the Arts, and Ecological Stewardship. Borrowers not only receive financing to meet their capital needs through a close relationship with RSF, each becomes part of a larger community working to transform the way the world works with money. RSF is proud to support Aquatic Informatics and the positive social and environmental impacts they generate.

About Aquatic Informatics

photo courtesy of Aquatic Informatics

Aquatic Informatics™ provides software solutions that address critical water data management and analysis challenges for the rapidly growing environmental monitoring industry. Aquatic Informatics is focused on providing software solutions to a range of different customer groups including  federal, state/provincial and local government departments, hydropower operators, watershed and basin authorities, irrigation districts, mining companies, academic groups and consulting and engineering organizations, who collect, manage and process large volumes of water quality or quantity data.

For more information about Aquatic Informatics, go to www.aquaticinformatics.com.