Impact Investing at Tides

Impact investing at Tides empowers our partners to align their investments with the positive social change they seek. Our impact investing approach mirrors our overall approach to advancing positive social change: customized and comprehensive.

What is Impact Investing?

Impact investing — also referred to as “socially responsible investing,” “sustainable investing,” or “social impact investing” — is about investing money to support social change. Impact investing is one of the tools we use to shift and strengthen the power of proximate leaders.

Our Impact Investing Approach

Demand for impact investing has grown exponentially over the last decade. As interest continues to climb, Tides is committed to crafting impact investing options that both advance social justice and consider key factors such as risk tolerance and investment goals. Here’s how:

Why Tides?

For nearly 50 years, Tides has fueled opportunities to use investment dollars to spur progressive change and meaningful social impact.

Meaningful

Recognizing there are multiple levers to advance social change, we work closely with our partners to understand how impact investing can shift resources and power to communities historically denied both.

Pioneering

Over the years, Tides has grown into a central player in the investing-for-impact sector. Our organizational history speaks to our leadership using values-aligned donor advised funds as a tool for change. Since the 1980s — long before the term “impact investment” originated — we’ve partnered with the pioneering socially responsible investment funds of Boston Trust Walden and Calvert.

Customizable and Values-Aligned

Not every impact investing toolbox is the same. Tides works alongside our partners to create portfolios for their donor advised funds that match their philanthropic and investment goals; whether that’s supporting a single issue or investing in a variety of social justice initiatives they admire. We pride ourselves on our ability to tailor creative solutions for our partners, bridge gaps, and inspire our network of partners to increase the amount of social change we can effect together.

Meet Our Partners

Success means something different to every one of us — there is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to measuring impact. With our core values at the heart of every partnership, the following stories showcase how investing alongside grantmaking from donor advised funds can increase our partners’ impact.

Jennifer’s Farm-to-Table, Sustainability-Focused Donor Advised Fund

Jennifer Kline is a longtime client of Tides who developed a custom donor advised fund that specifically supports her passion for sustainable and ethical farm-to-table initiatives. Today, her fund has invested millions of dollars in organizations, including EFM, One Acre Fund, Iroquois Valley Farmland, CNote, and more, which foster opportunities for farmers and protect the environment.

Impact Investing Partners Have Also Strengthened:

Oweesta | Impact area: Native community development

Sunwealth | Impact area: Clean energy, energy efficiency, green jobs

First Children’s Finance | Impact area: Women/BIPOC communities, child care businesses

Foodshed | Impact area: Women/BIPOC communities, equitable food systems

Seed Commons | Impact area: Non-extractive loan funds supporting local/community-owned businesses