Builders Vision

It’s inspiring to see the private sector stepping up at #COP29. Our Investment Director, James Lindsay joined forces with Majid Al Suwaidi, CEO of the Altérra Fund; Régine Clément, CEO of CREO; Erich Cripton, Director at Caisse de dép?t et placement du Québec (CDPQ); and Emma Dries of the Investor Leadership Network, for a panel discussion focused on how public-private partnerships are essential to closing the climate finance gap and protecting people and the economy from the impacts of climate change. Family offices have a critical role in the transition and must leverage all forms of capital at their disposal to help build an economy that protects both people and the planet. They are essential in climate finance because they can deploy capital with agility, taking on unique risks in early-stage projects that larger institutions might avoid. Their long-term, generational mindset aligns well with the time horizon needed for impactful climate investments. A key element of this work is innovation and creative solutions. Specifically, we’ve been focusing on scaling first-of-a-kind (FOAK) projects, which are invaluable to reaching our long-term decarbonization goals. These projects, which are often new yet proven technologies, require investment to reach commercial adoption. However, they often lack investors who can help bridge the gap from early funding stages. By acting as catalytic capital, family offices like ours can help de-risk projects and attract additional institutional investment, enabling broader scale in climate solutions. Together, we’re pushing forward a vision for climate finance that matches the urgency of our time. https://lnkd.in/ggc_pQ9p???

#Philanthropy plays a critical role in addressing today’s most urgent challenges. It is one of the most valuable and flexible tools we have at our disposal to catalyze capital and move the climate transition forward, faster. On this, #NationalPhilanthropyDay, we’re deeply grateful to our Builders Initiative team for their unwavering dedication, day in and day out, in driving this important work. Their commitment to creating lasting change and their tireless efforts fuel the success of our shared mission. Philanthropic capital empowers innovators to push boundaries, supporting projects that might otherwise be overlooked by markets but have tremendous potential for impact. It accelerates progress by bridging critical funding gaps, creating the conditions for market development through policy, research, and development, and most importantly, putting power in the hands of those closest to the challenges to drive lasting change. We’re proud to uplift our team’s multi-faceted approach to philanthropy, one that not only funds but empowers sustainable, scalable solutions. Over the years, we’ve partnered with hundreds of changemaking organizations working to solve systemic challenges across the oceans, food & agriculture and energy sectors. Through these partnerships, we’ve contributed over $500 million across more than 1,000 grants since 2018, supporting innovative solutions that drive meaningful change. Additionally, the power behind our philanthropy - the Builders Initiative Foundation’s $1.7 billion endowment - plays an important role in advancing progress by being over 90% invested in impact. As we look ahead, we’re energized by the opportunity to deepen our impact and accelerate progress alongside our dedicated team and partners.Together, we’re moving toward a more climate resilient future.

Join us for an inside look at the new Supply Chain Infrastructure Asset Map during our webinar on?Thursday, December 5, from 10:00 to 11:30 a.m. CT!?In this 90-minute session, we’ll walk you through real-world scenarios, host a live Q&A, and dive into how this tool can help build a more resilient, diversified cropping system in the Midwest. Register for the webinar here: https://lnkd.in/gP77KJqn Launched last month with The Climate Source, the Supply Chain Infrastructure Asset Map is an interactive tool featuring a heat map of production zones and market access options for diversified crops like fruits, winter oilseeds, small grains, pulses, and tree nuts. It’s designed to help stakeholders across the food and agriculture sectors make more informed decisions and support the transition to a more climate-resilient, sustainable system. If you haven’t already, you can access the map here: https://lnkd.in/gk2XHT2u Both the webinar and the map are free and open to everyone — we hope you’ll join us!

A very happy Builders Vision anniversary to Michael Heller, who brings a sharp sense of humor and teamwork to our Finance and Accounting department. During his first year, he brought a transformative level of support to our work, and we're so excited to see what the next 12 months hold!

Happy anniversary to Sarah Walczewski, who steers our broad strategies with a fine balance of patience and urgency — a vital, inspiring approach in the face of climate change. Thanks for all you do, Sarah!

Mad Capital provides long-term, flexible, and senior secured loans to US-based organic, regenerative organic, and transitioning farmers. At Toniic, we've now collaborated with Brandon Welch and Philip Taylor, Ph.D. and their team across two of their capital raises. They are now financing farmers in 17 states operating on over 117,000 acres of land with 18,425 acres actively in transition to organic. Part of our added value to investors of the Toniic community is to make connections with like minded investors and so we're grateful that Builders Vision were able to share some of their insights with us. Mad Capital's Perennial Fund II is an expansion of what worked in Perennial Fund I. Along with Toniic members and Builders Vision, the fund has also closed investments from The Rockefeller Foundation and The Schmidt Family Foundation. Thank you Brandon and Phil for your help writing this article, along with Kevin Dowdell, Sara Balawajder and Rachel Coleman. #impactinvesting #regenerativeagriculture https://lnkd.in/eFW72A4h

During his first year at Builders Vision, Andrew Yi dove into building meaningful relationships with our community and supporting our strategies with precision. We're so grateful for the perspectives and unique experiences (NASA!) he brings to our efforts — Happy anniversary, Andrew!

Yesterday, we held our last Community Investment Vehicle (CIV) Community of Practice meeting for the year at Builders Initiative. Special thanks to Laura Gutierrez for providing a great space for us to come together and end the year with fruitful takeaways and action items as we develop plans for 2025. Reflections from our meeting include: 1) Focus on our messaging to funders and mission-driven investors to help these critical stakeholders understand the importance of our definition of community wealth building and encourage them to look at ROI differently. 2)Through our collective power, we can build knowledge and networks to support each other's work and build economies of scale to grow the shared ownership ecosystem. 3) Hold CDFIs and other lending institutions accountable for supporting this work recognizing its importance to building sustainable communities long-term through financial literacy, small business growth, job creation, and blight reduction. Patrick Brutus Christyn S. Freemon Teresa Rufaro Prim Emma González Roberts Justin Essig Cecile De Mello Jenna Pollack, MUPP, MA Felicia Slaton Young, MBA Jennifer D McClain Alma Wieser Jonathan Trey Scott Tiffany Mikell Ja'Net Defell, PMP, LEED Green Associate

Last week, our Builders Initiative agriculture team sponsored a three-day Systems-Based Investing Field Lab in collaboration with Meridian Institute and McKnight Foundation in Minneapolis. Meridian Institute is hosting a series of these field labs aimed at bringing a polycapital approach to systems change work on specific topics. Last week's event explored how to allocate more diverse forms of capital to Midwest row-crop diversification, bringing together around 30 crop diversification leaders, including investors, businesses, nonprofits, and farmers. Attendees had the opportunity to visit two local farms making strides in crop diversity, including Organic Compound, which collaborates with Tree Range Farms to raise chickens under a hazelnut canopy. They also visited Kimber Contours, a highly diversified farm growing kernza, a perennial wheatgrass with impressive 10-foot roots that help capture carbon. Kimber Contours also incorporates cover crops, oilseeds, and oats alongside prairie strips, enhancing biodiversity by supporting over 38 different species. Seeing farmers explore alternatives to traditional corn and soy systems is encouraging, and this kind of innovation and creativity will help build a more resilient agricultural system. The event also highlighted the critical role of investors and wealth owners in leveraging their capital to support the sector, emphasizing how embracing diverse investment approaches can drive systemic goals in food and agriculture. Shout out to Haley Burns, Wil Crombie, Kurt Kimber, and all of our partners and attendees for their invaluable leadership and contributions in making this a successful event. #SustainableAgriculture #RowCropDiversification #Biodiversity #foodsystems #ag #agriculture #SBI #systemschange

In the battle of the Bruces, New Jersey has Springsteen, but we've got Bruce McNamer, climate philanthropy rock star. As President of Builders Initiative, Bruce has a peerless ability to lead from the heart while inspiring others to do the same. We truly couldn't do this work without him — Happy anniversary to the Best Bruce!