Author: Sophia Caira
In this webinar, as part of our Principles in Focus series, you will hear from Catholic fiduciaries and industry experts sharing practical advice on forming, structuring and strengthening Catholic foundations and trusts through best practice principles.
00:00 – Webinar opens, Zela Astarjian, CIS Managing Director, Welcome and Introductions
5:30 – Opening Prayer, Elizabeth Tomlin
6:16 –Why do Catholic Institutions Need Foundations?
10:00 – Three Models and Key Characteristics
15:01 – How Foundations Fund Missions
17:30 – Keys to Success: Catholic Boards and Leaders
26:24 – Best Practices for Charters and Bylaws
33:50 – Considerations for Conflicts of Interest
39:51 – Role of Self-Evaluation
42:00 – Q: What are the considerations to keep in mind while forming a Catholic Foundation?; Raising and allocating funds appropriately
47:52 – Q: How to include starting and endowment in your fundraising?
50:45 – Q: How do Catholic foundations compete with secular, local, and community foundations, as well as low-cost options?
53:10 – Q: How to address resistance to incorporating Catholic Social Teaching principles into portfolios?
54:55 – Q: What are the pitfalls for Catholic foundations to consider?
56:13 – Thank you and closing
In this session, Jack Brennan, CIS Co-Founder & Founding Board Chair, leads a discussion on managing institutional investment portfolios for the long-term. The panelists offer insight on working with varying constituent groups for Catholic institutions, guidance on decision making for committees during periods of stress, and other best practice concepts for boards to consider.
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CIS Completes Fundraising for Second Catholic Impact Fund
BOSTON, MA – June 7, 2023 – Catholic Investment Services (CIS) announced today that it has taken another major step forward in its private market strategies for Catholic institutional investors through a significant subscription in a newly closed $370 million impact fund.
The CIS Catholic Impact Fund II (CIF II) has subscribed for $58.7 million, or approximately 16%, of total committed capital for the Hamilton Lane Impact Fund II (HLIF II), which recently held its final close for $370 million.
Using a Catholic lens, CIF II will invest in businesses globally, notably those that focus on clean energy transition, sustainable processes, health and wellness, and community development. HLIF has made a total of nine investments thus far, and while not necessarily indicative of future results, has had strong performance out of the gate, breaking the “J-curve” in just three quarters.
“We are excited by the high level of interest shown by Catholic institutions in our second impact strategy” said CIS CEO Tom Lanctot. “We are investing in companies that not only are doing great things for the world, but are also great businesses offering Catholic institutions potentially attractive investment returns.”
CIS provides investment management solutions for a wide variety of Catholic organizations and their consultants/advisors, including dioceses, religious orders, educational institutions, social service providers, healthcare systems and foundations. All of its investors are non-profits.
Please note CIS Catholic Impact Fund II is closed and no longer available for new investments.
About Catholic Investment Services
CIS is a non-profit, SEC registered investment advisor that manages endowment, foundation and pension assets for Catholic organizations. CIS seeks to deliver strong investment returns aligned with Catholic principles so Catholic organizations can make a bigger impact in their communities. CIS was founded by some of the investment industry’s most respected leaders to address the investment challenges faced by Catholic organizations. CIS has over $900 million in assets under management. www.catholicinvest.org
Statements contained in this release that are not historical facts are based on current expectations, estimates, projections, opinions and/or beliefs of the Fund’s general partner. Such statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, and undue reliance should not be placed thereon. Moreover, certain information contained in this release constitutes “forward-looking” statements, which can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as “may,” “will,” “seek,” “should,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “continue” or “believe” or the negatives thereof or other variations thereon or comparable terminology. Due to various risks and uncertainties, actual events or results or the actual performance of the Fund may
differ materially from those reflected or contemplated in such forward-looking statements. This document does not constitute advice or a recommendation or offer to sell or a solicitation to deal in any security or financial product. It is provided for information purposes only and on the understanding that the recipient has sufficient knowledge and experience to be able to understand and make their own evaluation of the proposals and services described herein, any risks associated therewith and any related legal, tax, accounting or other material considerations.
In this session, Tim Connors, Founder, PivotNorth Capital, leads a panel discussion on how to define impact investing with focus on additionality and intentionality, while offering guidance on identifying companies and management teams with strong mission & alignment, the use of impact measurement tools, and concessionary vs. market rate returns.
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In this session, Dave Taiclet, General Partner & Managing Director, Lewis & Clark Partners, leads a panel discussion on differentiating private market investing strategies, and provides practical ideas for portfolio construction and asset allocation, and dispels several common misconceptions regarding private market investing.
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This presentation is furnished or informational purposes only and is intended solely for the person to whom it is delivered by or on behalf of Catholic Investment Services (“CIS”). This presentation is confidential and may not be reproduced in its entirety or in part, or redistributed to any party in any form, without the prior written consent of CIS. This presentation does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to purchase any securities offered by any funds or accounts managed by CIS. Certain statements contained herein that indicate future possibilities constitute forward-looking statements and should not be construed as predictions of performance. Actual results may differ materially. In calculating projections and case targets, CIS utilizes certain specific inputs that, in some cases, are estimated, and certain assumptions that ultimately may not hold true with respect to any investment. These estimates and assumptions may deviate materially from modelled expectations. No assurances can be made that the investment philosophy, investment objectives, projections or case targets will be achieved. The information and assumptions included in this presentation are made in good faith and based upon information reasonably available to CIS as of the date noted herein and will not be updated. The information contained herein does not purport to present a complete picture of the activities, results, actions and/or plans of CIS or any fund or account managed by CIS. Clients or prospective investors should consult advisory agreements, private placement memorandums and/or other documents describing any securities and explaining the services and risks associated with an investment in such securities prior to investing. Investing involves the risk of loss and investors should be prepared to bear potential losses. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results.
“Mensuram Bonam” Faith-Based Investment Measures
Sustainable Grace
In November 2022, The Vatican gave Catholic fiduciaries a valuable new resource for aligning their institutions’ investments with their Catholic faith. “Mensuram Bonam” provides guidelines for those beginning their alignment process and those seeking to refine their approaches. This podcast, part of our Principles in Focus Series, explores Mensuram Bonam’s role and scope, and dispels underperformance myths about Catholic-aligned portfolios through a dialogue between true pioneers in this area: Paul Schott Stevens, Trustee of Catholic Investment Services; Scott Malpass, CIS Co-Founder and Board Chair; and Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, President of the Board of the Vatican Bank.
Keys to Envisioning, Creating and Sustaining a Successful Investment Strategy
Sustainable Grace
Catholic institutions work diligently to advance their good works while striving to ensure that their missions can be sustained financially over the long term. In navigating the investment complexities that all organizations face they also must take steps to align their portfolios with the tenets of the Catholic faith – which presents unique challenges.
Fortunately, this new Sustainable Grace podcast – part of our Principles in Focus series – brings you practical ideas for securing the future of your Catholic institution by improving board and committee governance structures and applying best-practice investment principles. This podcast, hosted by Zela Astarjian of Catholic Investment Services, brings together three leaders with extensive experience in these vital areas. Sharing their insights are:
- Suzanne Brennan, CSC, Councilor of the Sisters of the Holy Cross, with broad experience in leading Catholic entities across the country and has served on many Catholic investment committees.
- Mary Burke, Partner at Lakeshore Food Advisors, with deep investment banking experience and service of the committees of several Catholic entities.
- Eileen Alexanderson, Investment Consultant for BMT Management and Financial Services, who works with a broad range of religious institutions on financial, investment and other key matters.
This podcast will sharpen your knowledge of how to align your investment approach with your Catholic values and unique mission.
This recording was taken at the 2022 RCRI National Conference in Dallas Texas.
This content is for educational purposes only. Panelist opinions expressed are their own and thus do not necessarily reflect CIS’s opinion, investment advice, or strategies. This is not a solicitation to purchase securities, nor is it meant to be investment advice. CIS has not verified the content for accuracy, nor will it update it in the future.
Why Venture Capital Investing…Why Now?
Sustainable Grace
Today’s session is part of our Managers in Focus webinar series, which explores the role that impact-focused investment solutions play in the strategies of Catholic institutions. It was enlightening to hear the views of true pioneers in this arena: Tim Connors, Founder of Pivot North; Michael Kim, Founder of Cendana Capital; and Miguel Luina, Managing Director at Hamilton Lane.
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Please join us for another exciting episode of our Sustainable Grace Podcast. This episode, the first of our State of the Markets Series, delves into the current state of the financial markets, the effects of inflation and other dynamic factors, and the risks and opportunities ahead for institutional investors. Sharing their views are industry leaders: Jack Brennan, CIS Founding Chair and Former CEO of Vanguard; Jay Willoughby, CIO of TIFF Investment Management and the CIS Catholic Endowment Fund; and Ted Disabato, Managing Principal/Consultant at Meketa Investment Group.
Please join us for another exciting episode of our Mission in Focus series, which explores the innovations of Catholic non-profits as they advance their missions around the world. This episode discusses the work of Daughters of Charity International Project Services. In this podcast, Sister Mary Louise Stubbs and Kathleen Bissa of Daughters of Charity International Project Services join Dan Coyne, DOC board member, for a dynamic conversation about their work and how IPS has advanced its’ mission to decrease human suffering while investing to increase human potential.