Heart Rating Bond Form - Natural Investments

Heart Rating Questionnaire (Bond Funds)

Questionnaire for majority bond/fixed income mutual funds or ETFs labeled as socially responsible or ESG integrative in any way. A “Save and Continue Later” option is available at the bottom of the form. Please direct questions to the Research desk at research@naturalinvestments.com

Company Information
Company*
Name*
First Last
Title
Email*
Phone
Funds*
List all funds associated with the responses on screens and policies at the company by ticker symbol. If funds have different ESG screens and policies, please enter in a new form.
Research Process and Governance
Do you have a social and sustainability research policy that is readily accessible to prospective and current shareholders?*
Do you have a social and sustainability research policy that is readily accessible to prospective and current shareholders?
- Yes
- No
Social and Sustainability Research
Who conducts social and sustainability research at your fund?
Staff
How many staff work on social and sustainability research full-time?
External resources
What external social and sustainability research resources do you use to assist your process (e.g. Sustainalytics, MSCI, Verité, Institutional Shareholder Services, etc)?
Does your ESG methodology require that companies meet the criteria of these outside research firms?
Does your ESG methodology require that companies meet the criteria of these outside research firms?
- Yes
- No
Explain
Ownership Structure
Does your firm have an alternative ownership structure or B Corp certification?
- Employee-owned
- Nonprofit-owned
- Benefit Corporation
- B Corp Certified
Diverse Leadership
Does your firm have diversity in leadership?
- Yes, diversity in executive team
- Yes, diversity in board of directors
- Yes, diversity in both executive and board levels
Diverse Portfolio Team
Does your fund have diversity in the portfolio managers and research teams?
- Yes, diversity in portfolio management
- Yes, diversity in research analysts
- Yes, diversity in both management and research
Shareholder Advocacy
Do you engage company management in dialogue on issues of shareholder concern?*
- Yes
- No
Approximately how many such engagements do you conduct annually?
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 15+
Do you testify at company annual meetings?
- Yes
- No
Approximately how many company annual meetings have you testified at?
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 15+
Do you testify at government regulatory agencies on issues of shareholder concern?
- Yes
- No
Approximately how many government testimonies do you give annually?
- 1-5
- 6-10
- 11-15
- 15+
Community Investing
Concerning as a core aspect of your holdings or merely the cash positions.
Do you support any of the following community development investment types?
- Community banks, credit unions, loan funds
- CRA pools, community projects, taxable munis in low-income communities
- Agency securities, SBA loans, taxable munis in moderate-income communities
- Agency bonds, Sallie Mae
- Conventional loans, CMOs, corporate bonds
Please indicate any other types of community development finance in which you may be involved
Avoidance Screening
Please indicate which of the following industries, issues, practices, or ethical criteria are taken into consideration when EXCLUDING companies/holdings from inclusion in your funds.
- Always Excluded*
  Mark those for full exclusion. Choose “Not Applicable” and continue to second column if only ESG integration and/or restrictive policies apply to the fund(s).
  - Alcohol
  - Tobacco
  - Gambling
  - Pornography
  - Firearms/Weapons & Defense
  - Nuclear Power
  - Serious EPA Violations
  - Fossil Fuels – Oil, Coal, Gas
  - Animal Rights/Non-testing
  - Board Independence
  - Board Diversity
  - Accountants’ Independence
  - Corporate Disclosure
  - Options Expense Policy
  - Bribery, Fraud, SEC Violations
  - Political Contributions Disclosure
  - Excessive Executive Compensation
  - EEO Violations
  - ILO Standard Omission (sweatshop or child labor)
  - National Labor Relations Board (violations)
  - For-profit Prisons
  - Operations in Repressive Regimes
  - Unsafe or Hazardous Products
  - Deceptive Marketing/Consumer Fraud
  - Offensive Images in Labeling/Marketing
  - Digital Data Privacy
  - Relocation to avoid US laws
  - NONE OF THE ABOVE/NOT APPLICABLE
- Case-by-Case Exclusion*
  Mark for criteria where companies are evaluated but only excluded on a case-by-case basis or included within certain parameters defined by policy.
  - Alcohol
  - Tobacco
  - Gambling
  - Pornography
  - Firearms/Weapons & Defense
  - Nuclear Power
  - Serious EPA Violations
  - Fossil Fuels – Oil, Coal, Gas
  - Animal Rights/Non-testing
  - Lack of Board Independence
  - Lack of Board Diversity Policy
  - Accountants’ Independence
  - Corporate Disclosure
  - Options Expense Policy
  - Bribery, Fraud, SEC Violations
  - Political Contributions Disclosure
  - Excessive Executive Compensation
  - EEO Violations
  - ILO Standards Omission (sweatshop or child labor)
  - National Labor Relations Board (findings)
  - For-profit Prisons
  - Operations in Repressive Regimes
  - Unsafe or Hazardous Products
  - Deceptive Marketing/Consumer Fraud
  - Offensive Images in Labeling/Marketing
  - Digital Data Privacy
  - Relocation to Avoid US Laws
  - NONE OF THE ABOVE/NOT APPLICABLE
Affirmative Screening
Please indicate if you INCLUDE companies/holdings in your fund based on any of the following industries, issues, practices, or ethical criteria.
- *
  - Organic/Natural Foods
  - Holistic Medicine/Healthy Lifestyle Products
  - Environment-friendly Products (Recycled, Biodegradable)
  - Pollution Prevention
  - Renewable Energy
  - Public Transportation
  - Sustainability Risk Reporting (e.g. GRI, SASB)
  - Women & Minority Diversity Policy
  - Responsiveness to Shareholder Concerns
  - Positive Relations with Organized Labor
  - Employee Health & Safety
  - Progressive Family Benefits Policy
  - Sexual Orientation Policy
  - Supply Chain Monitoring
  - Positive Community Relations
  - Ethical Code of Conduct
  - Protect Indigenous Peoples’ Rights & Land
  - CERES/Principles for Responsible Investment Signatory
  - NONE OF THE ABOVE
Additional Information
Please include any additional information regarding screening criteria relevant for consideration to the Heart Rating.

Save and Continue Later

Heart Rating Questionnaire (Bond Funds)

Company Information

Research Process and Governance

Shareholder Advocacy

Community Investing

Avoidance Screening

Affirmative Screening