Authors Mago Smith is a co-founder of Gamsa Gardens, an agroecology collective based on Hawai’i Island, and Kumsa Maphalala, daughter of NI advisor Malaika Maphalala, is a Mahi’ai Technician at Malama I Ke Ala ‘Ulii. In March, the 2026 Bioneers Conference brought hundreds of people together to reimagine our connection to land as a personal […]
Stories of Resilience: Reflections from the Bioneers Conference 2026 Read More »
“In brainstorming ideas for our organization’s name, we reflected on the famous line from Mary Oliver’s poem ‘The Summer Day’,”says Tandy Taylor. “What is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? We settled on Wild Vision Coalition, because these students have a wild vision for their lives that we can
Social movements are grappling with a deepening crisis — one measured not only in lost funding, but in the collective emotional toll of watching philanthropy quietly walk back promises to Black and brown communities. Much of this retreat stems from a chilling effect across the philanthropic sector, as foundations and funders grow increasingly fearful of
Stories of Resilience: Philanthropic Organizations are Sustaining Movements Under Attack Read More »
I learned through Robin Wall Kimmerer’s book, Braiding Sweetgrass, about the Three Sisters: beans, squash, corn, and the magic they create together. Kimmerer explains how each of these serves the other, that the byproducts of one plant nourish the others to create a mutually beneficial environment that makes each plant stronger. A similar type of
Bringing the Wisdom of the Three Sisters into Financial Services Read More »
I recently returned from a delegation to Emilia-Romagna in Italy and the Basque Country in Spain, organized by the Center for Cultural Innovation (CCI). CCI’s initiative, called Reimagining Scale, brought together a group of U.S.-based solidarity economy practitioners ranging from academics to organizers to investors. Emilia-Romagna is a region in Italy with a decades-old robust
What Can We Learn from Cooperative Economies in Italy & Spain? Read More »
The last weekend in September, I drove from Washington, D.C. to upstate New York for the Black Farm Fund’s (BFF) annual Abundance in Autumn Festival, a special event for BFF’s community of farmers, funders, and investors. The event, held at the queer- and BIPOC-owned Rise & Root Farm, was a day of planting, listening, eating,
The changing climate is inextricably linked with our capital markets. In the face of this rapidly changing reality, economists are scrambling to price its impacts into financial models. It’s increasingly clear that many of the constants we once relied on—energy, water, homes, insurance, and public safety—are now unpredictable variables with climate-related disasters destabilizing our daily
Protecting Your Home & Financial Assets in the Age of Climate Change Read More »
One Acre Fund (1AF) is an innovative, nonprofit organization dedicated to helping smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa improve their yield, increase their income, and build sustainable food supply and livelihoods. In 2024, Natural Investments finalized its due diligence of 1AF and added its Notes Fund as our newest investment open to clients looking to make
One Acre Fund: Putting Farmers First for Lasting Impact Read More »
Long-time followers of the organic food industry have seen many of their favorite companies bought out by corporations that do not share their values. General Mills bought Annie’s a decade ago. Dairy brand Horizon Organic is now owned by the global investment firm Platinum Equity. Kellanova (formerly Kellogg’s), Colgate-Palmolive, Clorox, Coca-Cola, and PepsiCo are also
While physical health and wellness are often our focus during these months, don’t forget to check in with your financial health as well.