Investing to Provide Hope and Opportunity

Calvert Foundation and Starbucks Partner to Support Fair Trade

Starbucks Coffee Company has over $1 million invested in Calvert Foundation’s Community Investment Notes to support Latin American coffee farmers. These funds, along with another $1 million from other investors, have been "recycled" (paid back and then lent out again) to create over $4.5 million worth of loans to coffee cooperatives in Nicaragua, Mexico, Peru, and also Root Capital, a Massachusetts-based nonprofit. The financing benefits 30,000 of the world’s smallest independent coffee farmers’ efforts to export tens of million of pounds of Fair Trade and shade-grown coffee.

Beyond Fair Trade: Supporting US Communities through Investment

Community investment helps close the gap in access to financial services by channeling affordable capital to areas underserved by traditional financial institutions. This capital allows nonprofits and social enterprises to build affordable housing, create jobs, fund small businesses and help individuals and families out of poverty.

How can I participate in community investing?

There are multiple ways to fight poverty through investment:

JOIN: Learn more about community investment and the great work it does to help communities around the globe. You can browse the profiles of organizations in our portfolio, calculate the impact you can make through investment and sign up for our eNewsletter.

INVEST: You can help communities by investing in nonprofits and social enterprises! Calvert Foundation’s Community Investment Note provides a financial and social return, while ensuring your investment is used effectively to help disadvantaged communities in the US and around the world. Investing as little as 1% of your portfolio in communities can provide an invaluable return to those most in need.
Request a free Community Investment kit.

DONATE: Donations to Calvert Foundation go directly to supporting our core lending activity. Giving through our GiftShares program builds up the core capital necessary for us to make loans, and also allows us to higher-risk loans to groups that can make a powerful social impact but whose eligibility may fall outside of our portfolio criteria.
Make a donation through our GiftShares Program.

OPEN A GIVING FUND: Calvert Giving Fund is the only 100% socially responsible donor advised fund, offering a range of investment choices that help maximize the impact of your donated funds, even before they are granted out to charities.Your philanthropic giving power increases over time as your Giving Fund assets appreciate tax-free in an investment platform of socially-reponsible mutual funds and community investments.
Read a recent article about the Giving Fund.
Request a free Giving Fund kit.