Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment (SGI) was awarded a $250,000 grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to provide capacity building support. Founded in 1973 by pioneers in corporate shareholder engagement, Fr. Michael Crosby, O.F.M., Cap., Sr. Alphonsa Puls, S.S.S.F., and Sr. Charlita Foxhoven, S.S.S.F., SGI members have engaged multinational corporations to promote more sustainable and just practices for five decades.
From SGI’s inception, Fr. Mike aided faith groups to ensure their investments reflect their beliefs and values, rather than unwittingly funding activities that conflict with those values. While smaller faith groups face particular obstacles given the complexity and challenges of investing, SGI has proven to be low cost and efficient as members implement faith-consistent investing with limited resources. SGI was the first coalition to join the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility to enhance its shareholder advocacy for systemic change.
SGI executive director Christopher Cox, said, “We find ourselves at a critical moment as vowed religious sisters age and become fewer. They are the largest part of our membership. As the number of vowed women religious decreases, our members seek to continue their legacy and charism. I hope that, decades from now, those who will continue this work will remember this as a time where we discerned a renewed, sustainable path to continue our mission for people and planet.”
SGI board president, Caroline Boden, of Mercy Investment Services, offered thanks: “On behalf of the board of directors of SGI, we are incredibly honored and grateful that SGI was selected as a 2024 recipient of a Conrad N. Hilton Foundation grant. This support will assist SGI in developing long-term systems and capacity to sustain the organization and empower SGI’s Members to carry on the legacy of Fr. Mike Crosby and the mission to build a more just and sustainable world for all.”
As interest in ESG and socially responsible investing has grown, SGI occupies an important space bringing a moral and faith-filled voice, especially the voices of those most impacted by corporate practices, into our dialogues with companies. The participation of those most vulnerable is critical if we are to create an equitable economy that works for everyone.
“Though we are a small organization, we have had an outsized impact,” said Cox. “It may seem like a big challenge for us to have a meaningful impact in all these areas, but the accomplishments we have witnessed since our founding five decades ago have shown that almost anything is possible when we work together.”
SGI’s 50-year track record promoting environmental and social corporate responsibility and facilitating values-aligned investing spans many of the most urgent environmental and social issues facing people today, including climate change, economic inequality, racial justice, workplace diversity, political spending and lobbying disclosure, and executive compensation.
The announcement coincided with SGI’s annual conference. SGI members gathered at SGI’s annual conference on Tuesday, October 15th at St. Francis Parish in Milwaukee, WI.
About the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation
International hotelier Conrad N. Hilton established the grantmaking foundation that bears his name in 1944 to help people living in poverty and experiencing disadvantage worldwide. Today, the work continues, concentrating on efforts to ensure healthy early childhood development and sustainable livelihoods for youth and refugee populations, support young people transitioning out of foster care, improve access to housing and support services for people experiencing homelessness, identify solutions to safe water access, and lift the work of Catholic sisters. Additionally, following selection by an independent, international jury, the Foundation annually awards the $2.5 million Conrad N. Hilton Humanitarian Prize to an organization doing extraordinary work to reduce human suffering. The Foundation is one of the world’s largest, with approximately $7 billion in assets. It has awarded grants to date totaling more than $3.2 billion worldwide, and $290 million in 2023. Please visit https://www.hiltonfoundation.org/for more information.
About Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment
Seventh Generation Interfaith Coalition for Responsible Investment (SGI) is a coalition of faith and values-driven institutional investors who view the management of their investments as a powerful catalyst for social change. Our membership comprises 34 organizations including faith-based organizations and socially responsible asset management companies located in the Mid-Western United States.
SGI is not an investment advisor, nor do we provide financial planning, legal or tax advice. The content of our programming, publications and presentations is provided for informational and educational purposes only, and should not be considered as information sufficient upon which to base any decisions on investing, purchases, sales, trades, or any other investment transactions. We do not express an opinion on the future or expected value of any security or other interest and do not explicitly or implicitly recommend or suggest an investment strategy of any kind.
