I am Guillaume Wateau, Finance Director of P.S. ARTS. I am really excited about the shift to ESG funds we made a few months ago with our Endowment, which I’m happy to report on in this blog.
ESG Investing (also known as “socially responsible investing,” or “sustainable investing”) refers to investing which prioritizes optimal environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors or outcomes. ESG investing is widely seen as a way of investing sustainably, where investments are made with consideration of the environment and human wellbeing, as well as the economy. Environmental factors evaluate the environmental impact a company has on the natural world, social factors examine the treatment of people both inside and outside the company, and governance factors consider how a company is run. As an organization committed to supporting the wellbeing of children and their communities, it was important to us that our investments reflect this commitment as well.
Thanks to the contributions of generous donors over the years, our endowment has grown to be worth about 3 million dollars today. Its primary purpose is to help withstand our programs in the long term. When the team sat down to discuss investing in ESGs, everyone was immediately thrilled by the idea of using our Endowment in a sustainable and socially responsible way that would align with our organizational values. A few months ago, we initiated a conversion of our endowment portfolio towards sustainable investing, and today we are very proud to say that 100% of our equity investments are made towards socially responsible companies.
