Catholic Impact Investing Pledge

In October 2019, CIIC officially launched the Catholic Impact Investing Pledge. This Pledge is an effort to galvanize the Catholic investment community to commit to take meaningful and accountable steps to incorporate impact investment into their portfolio in alignment with Catholic Social Teachings and the urgency for action on environmental and social justice issues.

The Pledge is comprised of two sections: principles and commitments. The Principles outline why CIIC believes impact investment is an important element of a Catholic investor’s portfolio. The Commitments are the explicit next-steps that any signatory is agreeing to pursue.

read, download and sign the pledge here

CIIC Pledge - Spanish Version
(Compromiso por la Inversión Católica de Impacto)

To become a signatory of the pledge, please reach out to info@catholicimpact.org.


Pledge Partners

Our community of 40 pledge partners includes a global group of pioneering Catholic institutions who have led the way on impact investing, representing 7 countries and over $40B in assets. This group has committed not only to maintain their focus on internal impact investment programs but is also helping to grow the broader ecosystem of Catholic impact investing. The organizations featured below are a subset of our signatories who wanted to share a brief excerpt in their story.

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The Adrian Dominican Sisters have been impact investing for nearly 50 years through the community loan program of their Portfolio Advisory Board, which offers low-interest loans to promote microenterprise, low-income housing, and community development across the United States and selected regions abroad. In 2020, the Adrian Dominicans and 15 other US congregations of Dominican Sisters together launched the Climate Solutions Funds in collaboration with Morgan Stanley, providing market investments in climate solutions that also address the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

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Ascension is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As one of the leading non-profit and Catholic health systems in the U.S., Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable.

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Bon Secours Mercy Health is one of the 20 largest health systems in the United States and the fifth-largest Catholic health system in the country. The Mission of Bon Secours Mercy Health is to extend the compassionate ministry of Jesus by improving the health and well-being of its communities and bring good help to those in need, especially people who are poor, dying and underserved.

“To further the mission of the ministry, Bon Secours Mercy Health has prioritized impact investing as part of its broader Socially Responsible Investing Program. Impact investments are investments made with the goal of both generating a strong financial return while also producing a positive environmental or social impact. Bon Secours Mercy Health is especially interested in driving positive impact around the social determinants of health broadly and in the communities it serves.

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The Catherine Donnelly Foundation is committed to promoting positive social change by funding a combination of programs and projects in our priority areas of Environment, Housing, Adult Education and Impact Investing. Our efforts in this respect are intended to promote joint action and networking by enabling key institutional actors to combine their efforts, to build on one another’s strengths, constituencies and common experiences in pursuit of social change objectives.

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Since its founding in 1992, the Catholic Community Foundation of Minnesota (CCF) has become the largest Catholic community foundation in the nation, managing more than $408 million in assets (as of 12.31.19) and granting nearly $17 million each year to important Catholic and nonprofit causes. Through partnership, financial stewardship, and grant-making, CCF perpetuates the Faith, continually making Minnesota’s Catholic community stronger and more robust.

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Since its founding in 1943, Catholic Relief Services has evolved into an international humanitarian and development organization that alleviates suffering and provides assistance to over 130 million people across more than 110 countries. CRS recognizes that impact investing presents an important opportunity to bring further innovation, scale and sustainable solutions to programs that lift the poor out of poverty.

“We invest a percentage of our reserve in established impact funds and commit funds to make mission-aligned investments that enhance the scale and sustainability of CRS development programs. We feel that it is important that we all remember that the point is not to make investors feel good, it is to catalyze resources to empower those in need – to have an impact on the lives of others.”

The Congregation of the Sisters of Mercy has an outreach in Ireland, United States, Kenya, South Africa and Peru. Our founding principle is expressed in the commitment of the Sisters to the relief of poverty in its diverse expressions. Our solidarity with people who are voiceless and left behind inspires us as we collaborate with Mercy Associates, work colleagues and others for the achievement of a global society where all people find a home.

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The Connors Foundation for Catholic Activities focuses on the intersection of technology and Catholic philanthropy. We coach and fund founders building technology-based solutions to help the Church and the vulnerable.

For more than 25 years, Cordaid Investment Management has been investing in positive social impact. We are one of the few investors committed to deploying capital to the world's most underserved and fragile markets. We believe that access to capital plays a catalytic role in creating decent jobs and building sustainable livelihoods.

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The Daughters of Charity - Province of St. Louise are a community of women who devote our lives to serving the poorest and most abandoned individuals in today’s society. We minister in the everyday worlds of the poor and the marginalized. We live a life of humility and simplicity dedicated to charity. Christ’s unwavering compassion and selfless generosity energizes our spirit and inspires our work. Strengthened by this deep spirituality, we are a joyful community that lives, prays, and works together.

On September 8, 1565, a small band of Spaniards celebrated Mass on the shores of North Florida. They named their new home St. Augustine in honor of the saint on whose feast day they sighted land. Today, the Diocese of St. Augustine is home to more than 150,000 Catholics embracing 17 counties and spanning the northeast section of Florida from the Gulf of Mexico to the Atlantic Ocean.

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The Felician Sisters of North America are a congregation of women religious who sponsor and serve in various ministries in the United States, Canada and Haiti, joyfully serving the people of God as we respond to the needs of our times.

“It is important to us that while our finances support us, they are also furthering our mission in an effort to do good with positive impact investments and engagement. We are happy to sign the pledge and join a network of Catholic investors focused on the common good.”

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As a religious congregation and UK charity based at Ladywell Convent, just south of London, we aim to support the religious and other charitable activities of the sisters of the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood. These activities are in healthcare, social work, pastoral care and education and the sisters work in England, Scotland and the congregation's overseas missions in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Nigeria, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, Ireland, Gaza and Italy.

"The leadership team are passionate about Impact Investing and so making CIIC’s Catholic Impact Investing Pledge seemed the natural thing to do. We are excited to both further expand our impact investing portfolio, and promote its benefits to others.”

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The Franciscan Sisters of Mary are a Roman Catholic congregation of women religious based in St. Louis, Missouri. As the founders of SSM Health, they have a long legacy in compassionate care. FSM continues this legacy through impact investing and philanthropic giving focused on the care of creation in collaboration with others.

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The Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration are a community of vowed Franciscan women centered in Eucharist, committed to be loving presence through prayer, witness and service. True to our Franciscan Calling, we commit ourselves to building Christ's Kingdom of justice and peace. With our partners in mission, we continue our efforts to preserve and nurture God's creation, to increase social and global consciousness and political awareness, and to encourage action to effect change where necessary.

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The Institute of Sisters of Mercy of Australia and Papua New Guinea (ISMAPNG) is a community of Catholic Religious Sisters in Australia, Papua New Guinea and further abroad. Whatever and whenever our ministry is, we are part of the one Mercy mission, part of the ongoing mission of the compassionate Jesus. In furthering our charism, we partner with thousands women and men as employees, associates and volunteers. Together we have a proud and continuing history of serving people suffering from injustices related to poverty, sickness or lack of education.

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Mercy Investment Services, the asset management program for the Sisters of Mercy and its ministries, works for systemic change in the areas of non-violence, racism, environment, concern for women, and immigration through socially responsible investing. Mercy Investment Services’ multifaceted approach includes corporate engagement, proxy voting, portfolio screening, and impact and community investments, maximizing our effect on our community, nation and world.

"In a world filled with poverty, violence and racism as well as the widespread denial of human rights, the degradation of Earth, the continued oppression of women, the abuse of children, the mistreatment of immigrants and the lack of solidarity among people and nations, Mercy Investment Services challenges everyone to take action to create a just and sustainable world. From our beginning, we have sought to collaborate with other organizations to develop strategies and directions to achieve a common goal. Our participation in the Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative, which provides a forum for building and sharing experiences about impact investing, has been instrumental in the growth of our program.”

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Founded by Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, the Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart of Jesus are a worldwide, mission-driven and faith-based congregation of Catholic women. The Missionary Sisters of the Sacred Heart signed the pledge because they are committed to being responsible fiscal and moral stewards of their temporal goods. As bearers of the love of Christ to the world, they believe in the power of using temporal goods to support the needs of the world’s most vulnerable populations.

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The OIP Investment Trust, established by the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, provides faith consistent investment management of the long-term financial assets of the Oblate Congregation and of Roman Catholic related organizations, ministries, religious orders and dioceses located throughout the world. The OIP Investment Trust is a United States domiciled nonprofit tax-exempt charitable trust.

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The Order of Carmelites Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary call "Carmel" a way of life in which we try to be aware of the Presence of God in the most ordinary, everyday things. We're contemplative, but we live out our service in the world. We're prayerful, but we're also practical. We were founded 800 years ago on a mountaintop, but we have our feet firmly planted in today's problems and concerns.

The Raskob Foundation for Catholic Activities is a family foundation with five generations of family service. Our mission to aid the Roman Catholic Church and organizations in any way identified with it. Through our impact investing journey, the Raskob Foundation strives for a shared vision of a portfolio that grows responsibly and in concert with our philanthropy.

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The Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary is a community of Catholic women religious whose members, in response to a personal call from God, have chosen a vowed life of prayer, ministry and community. In response to that call, BVM Sisters express their mission of being freed and helping others enjoy freedom in service to God’s people though their core values of freedom, education, charity and justice.

"The Sisters of Charity, BVM fully embrace the principles and commitments set forth in the CIIC Pledge and are grateful for the integration of them with Pope Francis’ Laudato Si! As women religious pursuing justice for migrants and refugees, the elimination of capital punishment, and an end to human trafficking, we recognize that persons pushed to the margins by our society suffer a disproportionate impact from climate degradation. We are pleased to join with others in advancing the work of the CIIC.”

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The Sisters of Mary Reparatrix are an international community of women religious rooted in the love of Christ, led by the Spirit, who manifest the tender love of God, and seek to bring healing to a broken world. Impact investing has been a part of the Sisters of Mary Reparatrix portfolios for many years. In the United States through Leviticus Fund and Opportunity Resource Fund; and internationally through GAWA Capital we invest in organizations and funds which have the intention of generating a social and environmental impact and signing the Catholic Impact Investing Pledge will add our voice in this area of investing in the future of our global community.

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The Sisters of St. Francis, Clinton, Iowa is a congregation of women religious whose mission is living and promoting active nonviolence and peacemaking in the spirit of Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi. We have taken public corporate stands to care for creation, work for income equality and basic human rights, end human trafficking, promote immigration reform, end the death penalty and work for the abolishment of nuclear weapons.

“Joining the Catholic Impact Investing Collaborative by signing the pledge is the next step in committing our resources toward furthering our mission and corporate stands. We look forward to learning with other members of the Collaborative about expanding our collective impact to create a more just, sustainable and peaceful world.”

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The Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace is an international Catholic community of vowed women religious and women and men associates serving in the United States, United Kingdom, Haiti and El Salvador. Founded in 1884 to promote social justice as a way to peace, their charism calls them to practice radical hospitality, nonviolence, and care of creation.

The Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary of Aberdeen, South Dakota are a global congregation of Catholic women who share in God's mission to alleviate oppression and promote human dignity in God's people.  We believe that doing justice is at the core of attending to both the cries of earth and cries of those made poor.  

"By committing ourselves to the CIIC Pledge, we deepen our commitment to recognize and acknowledge our complicity in systemic injustice, to establish right relationships and to seek means of reconciliation, especially with our Native American Sisters and Brothers."

SSM Health is a Catholic, not-for-profit health system serving the comprehensive health needs of communities across the Midwest through a robust and fully integrated health care delivery system. The organization is committed to providing exceptional health care services and revealing God’s healing presence to everyone it serves.