Beyond Grantmaking

The John Larsen Foundation works to achieve its mission through means other than grantmaking.  In particular, we leverage our role as an economic entity through active relationships with those with whom we do business.

We request all our vendors sign our certificate of non-discrimination as a prerequisite to forming a relationship.  In this way, we feel confident we are supporting businesses that share our values.

We also attempt to achieve our mission when investing.  We do this in two primary ways: Program Related Investments (PRI’s) and shareholder activism (voting our proxies and participating in shareholder resolutions).

Program Related Investments (view current PRI’s here)

The JLF invests a portion of its assets at below-market rates with organizations that align with our mission.  We use two primary vehicles: low-interest loans and low-interest lines of credit.

Proxy Voting Guidelines (view guidelines here)

Similarly, when investing in corporations, we take an active role in voicing our opinions through voting our proxies and, when possible, participating in shareholder resolutions.

We would like to extend special thanks to the following organizations for their leadership around Mission Related Investing:

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors (http://rockpa.org/)

Rockefeller Brothers Fund (http://www.rbf.org/)

Nathan Cummings Foundation (http://www.nathancummings.org/)

F. B. Heron Foundation (http://www.fbheron.org/)