The most common Mission-Related Investment (MRI) approaches include socially responsible investing (SRI), and environmental, social, and governance (ESG). While private investments generally account for 20% of an institutional investment portfolio, public investments can represent more than 75%. Unlike impact investments, which primarily target private investments that intend to generate positive social/environmental benefits alongside a financial return through mostly venture capital and private equity investment vehicles, this course explores how endowments, foundations, pension firms, and other organizations can invest in public investments using environmental, social, governance (ESG) selection criteria. This style of investing has captured the attention of asset owners (investors), asset managers (fund managers), and service providers (consultants) globally and is one of the fastest growing areas of finance.
This course will also broadly cover the relationships among the main MRI approaches. The application of ESG factors to investment selection is no longer in its infancy. It is a distinct career specialization for finance professionals requiring both traditional investment acumen and awareness of complexities and nuances necessary to gain a diverse skill needed to effectively engage stakeholders—such as policymakers, millennials, and the generations to come—that will shape the future.