Trinity Church Wall Street: Social Investing

The current economic climate presents both challenges and opportunities. The visible failings of the traditional investment world are driving demand for a different answer, a new opportunity to engage in the investment vehicles that reflect our social principles and respond to a vision of justice in our world.  

Criterion is working with Trinity Church Wall Street (TWS) to create social impact through investments and stimulate a movement of churches and church bodies to engaged in mission by leveraging their investment assets for good.

TWS has a long history of social engagement both in the local community and around the world.  Engaging religious assets for social investments is a bold vision. This is a strategic moment, a moment ripe for a call for churches and church bodies to invest in communities and a moment for the voices of the church to speak both with words and actions. Faith-based organizations have a role to play in the conversations about markets, both as investors in and consumers of those instruments and as a voice for social justice, stewardship and hope in a time of challenge. And, Trinity Wall Street has a unique ability to help create mechanisms through which all sizes and shapes of churches and church bodies can engage, and to elevate a platform where the voices of leaders in the church can be heard.

Criterion has been a part of these conversations - both in the church, and in the realm of the social capital markets. Our partners serve on boards of organizations struggling with these questions, we founded Good Capital with our partners, in significant part, to address the movement of religious assets to good, and we have worked through our Center for Public Theology to explore opportunities directly in New York City. We bring to our work on social investment with TWS a deep knowledge of both the potential, and the practical challenges inherent in this vision.

To learn more or to get involved in Trinity Church Wall Street: Social Investing please contact Dawn Thomsen at thomsen[at]criterionventures.com