Category: Make The World Better Magazine

Taking Ownership PDX: Building Up the Black Community

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Post date August 2, 2023
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White supremacy in the United States has led to a deep-rooted history of discriminatory economic practices, from redlining to forced displacement due to gentrification, negatively impacting the Black community to this day. In order to right historical wrongs and create an inclusive, equitable future for Black homeowners and small business owners, reparations are needed.

We spoke with Randal Wyatt, Founder & Executive Director of Taking Ownership PDX, about how this Portland-based organization is building a diverse and compassionate community dedicated to providing reparations, renovations, and advocacy to Black homeowners and small business owners.

Tell us about Taking Ownership PDX’s mission.

Taking Ownership PDX’s mission is to provide reparations to the Black community in the form of free repairs, renovations, financial assistance, and advocacy to Black homeowners and small business owners in an effort to fight back against gentrification and displacement, to bridge the wealth gap that’s been created from historical oppression and exclusion, and to fight back against some of the city’s inequitable practices that have disproportionately impacted Black homeowners and small business owners.

Randal Wyatt, Founder & Executive Director of Taking Ownership PDX. This headshot was featured in a Portland State Magazine article about his journey starting Taking Ownership PDX while pursuing his Bachelor’s at PSU.

What inspired you to start Taking Ownership PDX?

During the Black Lives Matter movement protests, after George Floyd was murdered, a lot of people asked me how they could be stronger allies to the Black community because of all the work I’ve done in the community in the past. I told them because people who are considered white or fit into the social construct of white have a hell of a head start in this country as far as being able to get resources and financial stability and build generational wealth, they need to share their resources with the Black community by supporting businesses or donating or volunteering. I thought of the idea of creating a platform where they can donate and volunteer, and it would provide reparations to the Black community.

Why I chose homeowners and small business owners is because of my studies at Portland State. I finished my Bachelor of Social Science with a double minor in sociology and Black studies, so I studied white supremacy in society and kind of put it all together that white supremacy is predicated on land ownership — finding ways to take land and take whatever land they want, especially from vulnerable populations — because that’s the fastest way to build generational wealth.

So, I thought supporting Black homeowners and small business owners would be a good way to give allies a clear path of reconciliation and justice, allowing them to share their resources and get quick, tangible results; give them a chance to volunteer and meet and humanize the Black community of Portland; and get their hands dirty so that they don’t feel like they just need to write a cheque.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

Constantly raising money and having enough money to finish up the projects. We’ve had an influx of people reach out wanting support and services, and we just don’t have the infrastructure to get through the amount of need there is as quick as I would like. We’ve made a great impact, but there’s just so much more need out there than my small organization is able to take on.

Finding all the resources to take on such a big task has been a challenge; the costs of materials going up so much has been a challenge; starting this during COVID-19, during a time when we aren’t supposed to be in close proximity had made it a challenge when we’re doing volunteer efforts; and being the one person that everything’s going through is a lot of work when something like this took off so fast.

Everybody wanted an interview. It’s a lot of pressure, and I’ve never done this before, so I was learning as I was going, building the plane while flying type of thing, and just doing it all in front of people with a lot of eyes on me. So, there’s a lot of pressure — it could get stressful at times. And just learning how to set boundaries and find a work-life balance. Those have been some of the biggest challenges.

What do you consider Taking Ownership PDX’s biggest success?

Our sustainability so far. Going on our third year and to have people still supporting us — being that we’re culturally specific and providing reparations, which is a controversial topic in America, unfortunately — and to raise over US$1.5 million in our time here, helping over 150 homeowners and small business owners, are all huge accomplishments.

So, just to be able to keep this thing going for as long as we have, I really wasn’t expecting that. I thought something like this would be a trend for a little while. I’ve seen other protests and things like this be supported just for a short while, and then it falls through the cracks, so this is exciting.

Bora Architects staff helped finish cleaning a vacant home on the market, which was a hoarding situation with an overwhelming mess for the new owner that impacted its ability to be sold. After the clean-up, the house went pending!

What makes Taking Ownership PDX unique?

I think what makes us most unique is that we started out as a protest. We started out really guerilla-style. I didn’t have any kind of business plan or anything, I just kind of was like, “here’s my idea, if anybody’s interested in supporting it, let’s do this,” and people trusted me. I raised my first US$100,000 through my own personal Venmo and PayPal, so much so that both those platforms actually banned me — for whatever reason, but I have to assume that it’s because of the amount of money that came through there and not being a business account.

Then there’s the fact that we are helping middle-class Black people and making it really easy, with very little, if any, hoops that you have to go through to receive these services, other than waiting on our waitlist as we try to raise money. There are not a whole lot of stipulations and requirements for you to get this, other than being a Black homeowner or business owner, and we’ll support you however we can and allocate as much money as we possibly can, and I think that’s unique because I know a lot of other organizations have a lot of rules and requirements and stipulations that make it really difficult to access their funding.

How do you feel Taking Ownership PDX makes the world better?

I think it’s the model that is really the most impactful, and what we’ve done with this model, being able to provide a clear path of reconciliation and justice for allies to be on; to be able to volunteer their time toward something they believe in; to donate their money and get quick, tangible results; to have a model that promotes compassion. I think what we’ve done with this model is big. Due to our limited size and funding, the work we’re doing is like a band-aid on a really major wound; however, this model I’ve created has the power to be extremely impactful, especially if it spreads and gets supported.

One thing we like to push is that the reason why a lot of Black people lose their homes in gentrifying areas is because affluent neighbours move in and complain about the property maintenance of their Black and Brown neighbours who typically do not make nearly the annual income as these new, affluent neighbours. That leads to the Bureau of Development Services putting liens and fines on their homes, which perpetuates their financial instability and leaves them vulnerable to predatory developers and real estate professionals.

So, I like to push the narrative of compassion that neighbours need to ask their Black and Brown neighbours why it is they’re in the situation they’re in and maybe see if they can help them in their situation, rather than call the city and put them in a bad financial place. I think all of this is inspiring people to take action toward what they believe in and what they want to see changed. I think it also inspires people to see that they can make a change, one neighbourhood at a time, or with just their ideas, which can become a really big deal overnight.

How would the world be better off if it were more diverse, equitable, and inclusive?

White supremacy, from colonialism, has definitely taken over most of this world in so many ways, but most of this planet is non-white, and I think that’s the importance. We need to create a world where everybody is included, where everybody gets an opportunity, where we’re not judging each other off of our skin colours or cultures and instead are appreciating each other’s differences. I think if we could do that, we could learn more from each other, we’d all have better human experiences.

One thing I always like to talk about a lot is how racism impacts white people. It actually excludes them from a lot because they’re the ones who usually end up in homogeneous communities due to things like redlining, and wealth, in general, leaves them in homogenous communities where they miss out on getting to know other cultures and getting to know other types of people, in general.

And quality of life. One thing that I always focused on since becoming a young father was community. I was never the type of person who believed the capitalism hype of greed and individualism; I always knew the world is a much better place when my community is a better place because that’s where I’m going out into. I want people around me to be happier because that’s going to leave me in a safer, happier environment, and same with my kids. So, I think that’s the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion — just quality of life for everybody. If everybody’s doing good, I think we’re all going to be healthier and happier.

Youth from the Blueprint Foundation and Constructing Hope’s Pre-Apprenticeship Youth Summer Program. The youth transformed this homeowner’s overgrown yard.

Tell us about Taking Ownership PDX’s goals.

My organization’s goals are to help as many Black homeowners and small business owners as we can with funding and resources and to continue to provide opportunities for people to volunteer, so we can help each other and create a more compassionate community where we help each other rather than tell on or create more obstacles for each other.

I hope to continue to raise more and more money every year. We are getting our 501(c)(3) status, so we should be a non-profit this year. That will hopefully create more funding opportunities, which will create more stability and help me hire staff and delegate more work so that Taking Ownership PDX is more efficient and sustainable. That’s a big goal as well.

Another goal is to partner with pre-apprenticeship programs, so we can provide hours for these students to get their certification in whatever their trade is and contribute to the next generation of construction workers, as the older generations of construction workers are going to be retiring at a pretty high rate here. I think it’s going to be great to be a part of the next generation of construction workers, to provide them with rewarding work, and hopefully, they will have more progressive minds, which I think will contribute to a healthier and more equitable, inclusive infrastructure that we create in our community.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

Currently, we are working on a kitchen remodel for a woman whose kitchen burned down, which left her house uninhabitable. We are in the process of remodelling the kitchen and trying to clean up the rest of the house to get her back into the home as soon as possible, as she’s been couch-surfing since the fire back in October 2022. That’s our biggest project at the moment.

And then we have Portland YouthBuilders building a deck for one of our homeowners. The deck before was a safety hazard as it was dilapidated, so that’s another big project that we have. We are constantly doing volunteer efforts, with at least three to four volunteer jobs a month, which include landscaping, and we just did an interior paint job. I have a couple interior clean-up jobs coming up as well.

What do you most want people to know about Taking Ownership PDX?

We’re very small, and we need people to be patient with us, particularly people on our waitlist. Just know that we are doing our very best to raise money and use it efficiently, so that’s the biggest thing — that we’re doing our best. We’re kind of in a transitional period right now.

I also want to let them know that they can support us by donating financially, spreading the word and letting people know that we need to raise money, sending us grant opportunities, and signing up to volunteer.

We have a community resource list on our website where they can submit their organization/company or somebody else’s (if they have permission), and they can get a little more exposure through our website, which gets pretty good traffic and also gives us a database to reach out to people whom we could utilize for our mission. It also has a place where it’s categorized by identity, which shows who’s BIPOC-, 2SLGBTQIA+-, and/or woman-owned, so for people who care about supporting marginalized business owners, that’s a good place to go.

How can people help or contribute to Taking Ownership PDX’s mission?

The best way is by helping us financially. Funding has dropped a bit because the economy’s in a bit of a recession, and I think people are being a little more conservative with their money. I understand donating to an organization isn’t always priority, but for us to remain operating and serving the Black community, we will need to continue to raise money. Donations can be made on our website.

They can also sign up to be a volunteer. We do have over 400 currently signed up, so we have a plethora of volunteers; I can’t say we have a need there, but we do encourage people to sign up because it’s a great experience, and we want as many people as possible to experience one of our volunteer projects since they’re really good networking and community-building situations.

And there’s the community resource list. It’s a great place to get some exposure for your business and show that you are a part of this mission and movement.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

Tags Amplify Good, DEI, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Make the World Better, MTWB, Taking Ownership PDX, Vancouver

Make The World Better Magazine

Diversity in Sustainability: Fostering DEI in the Sector

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Post date August 2, 2023
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Sectors meant to help make the world better should not be exclusionary and inequitable. In order to ensure the sustainability sector lives up to its mission, people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life must have equal opportunities in the field.

We spoke with Marie Jurcevic, Co-Founder of Diversity in Sustainability, about how this organization is equipping BIPOC leaders with the network, resources, and support they need to accelerate our transition to a sustainable and just future.

Tell us about Diversity in Sustainability’s mission.

Our mission is to equip current and future Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) sustainability leaders with the skills, networks, and resources to accelerate the transition to a sustainable and just future. We also aim to shift the wider ecosystem in sustainability to create an inclusive sector for underrepresented populations.

What inspired you to start Diversity in Sustainability?

Our organization was founded in 2020. At that time, waves of protests were sweeping the globe in support of racial justice, building upon decades of action on issues of civil rights and social and environmental justice. During this moment of reckoning, we turned the lens on ourselves as sustainability practitioners and thought about our own experiences in the sector. We realized that even as a sector that is trying to create a more just world, the people in the sector were not diverse and organizations were not equitable.

This conclusion prompted us to create the organization, and we also conducted some research in our State of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Sustainability Survey that validated this. We believe that it’s incumbent upon those of us who were able to break into the field to use our voice to challenge the status quo and create opportunities to live up to what this field is supposed to stand for, which includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and social and environmental justice.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

One of our challenges is resourcing both from the perspective of time and finances. All three co-founders have day jobs, and we manage our organization on top of full-time jobs, other volunteer commitments, and young families. This also applies to our volunteers and Advisory Panel members, as the organization is volunteer-driven.

It’s also challenging for us to find and secure funding for our organization as our current governance structure limits our ability to access certain grants. We also want to ensure that we’re thoughtful about where our funding comes from so we’re not compromising the values of our organization; we seek to partner with like-minded organizations.

What do you consider Diversity in Sustainability’s biggest success?

We’ve managed to accomplish a lot over the past three years, and our achievements have been possible with the network we’ve built. Our organization has a network of about 5,000 people who are members of our Google group, our various social media platforms, and those who attend our events and support our work in various capacities — and all this has grown through word of mouth. This strong network of supporters has enabled us to continue to build the organization.

In addition, we’ve been amazed to hear back from people in the network about how it has helped them grow, find new opportunities, positively impacted how they hire, and connected previously disparate networks.

What makes Diversity in Sustainability unique?

What makes our organization unique is our focus. There are many organizations focused on sustainability and organizations dedicated to addressing diversity, equity, and inclusion, but there are only a handful that are doing both. As diverse sustainability practitioners, we’re proud to be taking a leadership role in fostering diversity, equity, and inclusion within our field of practice, and we also think that we are doing important work in cross-pollinating new concepts, organizing groups, and connecting people to new opportunities in many different geographies and of many different backgrounds.

How do you feel Diversity in Sustainability makes the world better?

We make the world better by fostering a sustainable world built through diversity, equity, and inclusion. BIPOC are disproportionately affected by social and environmental issues, yet our voices and perspectives are not often included nor are we part of critical conversations to address sustainability challenges. Our perspectives must be valued and integrated into institutions at every level, particularly at a time when societal systems and institutions are being rethought. Centring the needs and thoughts of the most vulnerable will help create the most resilient systems for all of us to thrive. It is our goal to ensure that diverse people and perspectives are advanced in our field.

How would the world be better off if it were more diverse, equitable, and inclusive?

There is a lot of great research on this question. First of all, creating an environment where diversity, equity, and inclusion are at the centre, underpinned by a sense of psychological safety, helps us make better decisions. These different viewpoints help us to understand different dimensions of problems. This has many benefits, including:

Increased profitability: According to a McKinsey study, companies in the top quartile for racial and ethnic diversity are 35% more likely to have financial returns above their respective national industry medians.
Innovation: A diverse and inclusive workforce is crucial to encouraging different perspectives and ideas that drive innovation. A Boston Consulting Group study found that companies with more diverse management teams have 19% higher revenues due to innovation.
Team collaboration and commitment: Workers in highly diverse and inclusive organizations tend to see a significant increase in team collaboration and team commitment.
Employee retention: Employees at highly diverse organizations also reported a higher intent to stay than peers with lower levels of diversity.
Enhanced decision-making: According to Cloverpop, inclusive teams were also found to make better decisions 87% of the time.

Tell us about Diversity in Sustainability’s goals.

Our goals are to contribute to a sustainable world and inclusive society by centring BIPOC voices in the mainstream, including BIPOC individuals within institutions at all levels, helping build a continuous pipeline of BIPOC talent, increasing opportunities for BIPOC practitioners, and working with non-BIPOC allies to contribute to enabling inclusive environments.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We’d like to share more about our Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues. To provide a bit of context, in 2021, we conducted the inaugural State of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Sustainability Survey. The survey explored the demographics, barriers to entry and advancement, and individual experiences of those within the sector, as well as organizational support on diversity, equity, and inclusion for sustainability practitioners. It also highlighted the inherent privilege in the sector and the value of further discourse and conversation to drive concrete action on diversity, equity, and inclusion within the sector.

For example, 75% of survey respondents come from middle-class backgrounds or higher levels of social mobility, 62% have at least a master’s degree and 90% have at least a bachelor’s degree, and only 27% feel as though the leaders in their organizations are diverse.

Following the survey, we created the Inclusion Blueprints Dialogues. Building an inclusive sector of sustainability requires active participation from all corners of the sector. We are looking for those participants and partners who wish to inquire deeply, build empathy, and take bolder interventions in their professional roles and environments to create an inclusive sector. Through the Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues, we aim to work together to build a plan to get us there. The dialogues were formulated by assessing the life cycle stages of a sustainability professional — looking at youth, admissions, academics, career counsellors, recruiters, HR practitioners, and sustainability leaders of different backgrounds and examining key influences, inhibitors, and enablers to entry and advancement.

To learn more about this initiative please go to our website: Inclusion Blueprint Dialogues – Overview — Diversity in Sustainability. We’d love to have more people involved.

What do you most want people to know about Diversity in Sustainability?

We want people to know that our organization is here to support current and aspiring BIPOC sustainability practitioners. Our vision is to foster a sustainable and prosperous world built through equity and inclusion, and anyone that wants to support our efforts to achieve this vision is welcome to join us in whatever capacity they can. We encourage them to reach out to us to learn more about our organization.

How can people help or contribute to Diversity in Sustainability’s mission?

There are many ways to contribute to organization, which include:

Volunteering for our organization – Please reach out to [email protected] if you want to learn more about volunteer opportunities with our organization.
Donating to our organization – More information on how to donate can be found on our website: Donations/Sponsorship — Diversity in Sustainability.
Attending our events, which include community calls and career series – We host quarterly community calls, which are an open forum for sustainability practitioners to learn from one another, share resources, and ask for career advice. We also host career series sessions where we profile BIPOC sustainability practitioners who work in various sustainability roles.
Joining our Google group – We created this group as a space for current and future BIPOC sustainability professionals and allies to share resources and learn from each other, whether it is job/board/speaking opportunities, relevant events, and articles. To sign up and learn more about our Google group, please go to our website: DiS Google Group — Diversity in Sustainability. Currently we have around 2,500 members.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

Tags Amplify Good, BIPOC, DEI, Diversity, Diversity in Sustainability, Equity, Inclusion, Make the World Better, MTWB, Vancouver

Make The World Better Magazine

Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion: Championing DEI

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Post date August 2, 2023
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Diversity, equity, and inclusion impact businesses in a tremendous way, enabling them to access a wider talent pool and opening the door to unique perspectives that enhance the capacity for agility and innovation. Unfortunately, the full picture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is often overlooked or lacks support. To rectify this, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) is helping organizations across Canada understand the value of developing and implementing DEI practices and plans.

We spoke with Anne-Marie Pham, CEO of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, about how this national charitable organization is supporting workplaces through every step of their DEI journey.

Tell us about the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s mission.

Founded in 2013, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion is a national charitable organization that helps businesses and organizations understand the value of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). We aim to build a more inclusive Canada for all, and we do this by offering learning, research, and knowledge solutions to our Employer Partners and DEI practitioners. We elevate the DEI profession through our certification program, and we partner with like-minded organizations to educate the workplace, as well as youth in schools and communities.

We are a workplace that aims to model the behaviours we want to see developed in our partners and clients. We are focused on our mission with a passion that continues to make a difference in the lives of working Canadians, and we endeavour to make an impact where it matters.

What inspired your founder to start the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion?

Twenty twenty-three is our 10-year anniversary. CCDI was founded by Michael Bach at a time when there was no national umbrella organization that existed to support workplaces to be more equitable and inclusive on a wide spectrum of diversity dimensions. Organizations existed to support specific aspects such as gender, sexual orientation, religion, age, etc., but there was no organization that was intentionally pan-diversity. CCDI met that gap and slowly developed employer partnerships across Canada.

We listened to the needs of workplaces and developed a solid and ever-evolving suite of learning offerings, case studies, reports, toolkits, podcasts, blogs, advice, and support to employers so we can walk alongside them on their DEI journey and to be, we hope, their trusted advisor.

What were some of the challenges CCDI’s founders encountered?

Any new organization needs time to build its profile and visibility and, certainly, that was the case for us as well. Building this organization from scratch meant we needed to create a lot of new connections and host many consultations with employers so we could develop the types of resources and services that were most relevant to them.

It took time to build that critical mass of Employer Partners to get us to a strong enough foundation upon which we could build our organization. That is why we are so thankful to our Founding Employer Partners who believed in the vision and took the risk to join us from the very beginning of our journey.

What do you consider CCDI’s biggest success?

If I were to reflect on the journey, our biggest success has been our ability to pivot and stay relevant and resilient in times of hardship and transition. We almost doubled our Employer Partner base in 2021–2022, and today we have over 730 Employer Partners across Canada, from tiny organizations to large multinational corporations, in all industries and sectors.

Workplaces continue to reach out to us to get connected, find resources and materials, and seek practical advice to help them advance on their DEI journey. This is encouraging to us! It makes us feel that our hard work and efforts to challenge ourselves and pivot where needed are making an impact.

What makes CCDI unique?

Our uniqueness lies in our ability to address a wide spectrum of topics on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We have a diverse team of professionals with lived experiences who can provide advice in many areas, such as race, religion, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Where we don’t have internal expertise, we partner with great organizations and associates who bring their unique expertise and perspectives to best support our clients.

What also makes us unique and brings tremendous value is our focus on convening employers and amplifying the voices of DEI champions and practitioners who are doing the hard work within their organizations. We find that their stories and experiences bring grounded, real, and practical applications to our Employer Partners and our listeners.

How do you feel CCDI makes the world better?

In addition to making workplaces across Canada more ready and courageous to start or strengthen their DEI journey, we also have two other programs that help to make the world better in our view. The first is the Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional (CCIP) designation, Canada’s only certification program designed to assess an individual’s existing knowledge or skills against a set of pre-defined competencies. This helps to elevate the profile of DEI practitioners and helps employers hire qualified and experienced individuals in DEI-related functions.

The second is the See Different program, which focuses on empowering students to make meaningful change in their communities. We offer learning certificate programs where students explore concepts of identity, diversity, and inclusion, as well as power and privilege; learn about Canada’s history of systemic racism and discrimination; and engage in conversations to support their ability to enact change in their own communities and schools. We are excited to be able to support the next generation of workplace and community leaders!

How would the world be better off if it were more diverse, equitable, and inclusive?

I often imagine a world where there is no hate, no bullying, no covering of one’s authentic self, and there’s no need to feel anxious because you can be “outed” — where everyone has the same opportunity to succeed because systemic barriers have been identified and removed.

This is a world where we have solutions for everyone to thrive, not in spite of their differences but because of their differences and all the wonderful things they bring to our team, our clients, and our organization. This is a world where we feel hope; we know we are not perfect, but we are progressing in the right direction!

Tell us about CCDI’s goals.

We have ambitious goals for the next few years, which were developed in consultation with our clients, our team, and our board. We are hoping to build our profile to new markets in Canada in order to tell our story — not only the story of our people, but also the story of our employers, schools, and communities where we have partners. We also plan to do more research to advance knowledge on the most pressing DEI trends and concerns that are being felt in the workplace or that we anticipate will become emerging areas we will need to address.

We will also strengthen our team, which has been working very hard, by ensuring they are well-supported and are growing with us. And, like many organizations, we will be spending some resources to invest in our infrastructure and technology. There is much to be done, but we are ready for this challenge!

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

This year, we have launched a partnership with the UN Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC) to support the Government of Canada’s 50 – 30 Challenge, which asks organizations to aspire to two goals: gender parity (50% women and/or non-binary people) on Canadian boards and/or in senior management; and significant representation (at least 30%) on Canadian boards and/or senior management of members of other equity-deserving groups. We are working with UN GCNC, as their learning partner, delivering content on a variety of topics to accomplish these goals.

I am also excited to share that, in February 2023, CCDI was a founding member of the new Global Inclusion & Diversity Alliance (GIDA). GIDA partners are not-for-profit organizations working across the spectrum of diversity dimensions and are specifically focused on workplace inclusion. We come together to partner and collaborate, to learn from each other how to do DEI better, and to share thought leadership across our jurisdictions. We do this for the benefit of our respective membership networks and to make workplaces all over the world more equitable.

What do you most want people to know about CCDI?

Our bilingual website www.ccdi.ca is filled with information, resources, reports, and details about upcoming webinars and events. Take a moment to browse through and learn more. You can also follow us on our social media platforms via @ccdisocial.

How can people help or contribute to CCDI’s mission?

Please reach out to us if you are looking for support on your organizational DEI journey, if you’re looking for a speaker, if you’d like to learn more about the CCIP professional designation, if you’d like youth in your community to get connected to a DEI learning network, or if you have a story to tell that we should amplify. You can reach out to us via our website.

Additionally, as a national charity, we always appreciate any donations to help us fulfill our charitable mandate. Donations can be made on our website.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

Tags Amplify Good, Canada, CCDI, DEI, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Make the World Better, MTWB, Vancouver

Make The World Better Magazine

Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe: Heartfelt Inclusion

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Post date August 2, 2023
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If you’re reading this, there’s a good chance you’re striving to be the best human you can be, to treat others the way you’d want to be treated, and leave the world better than you found it.

Perhaps you also feel overwhelmed at times by the sheer volume of content out there to guide you, wondering if you’re doing enough as an ally or if you’re even on the right track. There are many perspectives out there, but from Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s worldview, leading the best lives we can for ourselves and others all has to do with our hearts.

In November 2022, Hamish Khamisa, Sparx Publishing Group’s Founder and President, attended an event hosted by the BIPOC Sustainability Collective (also featured in this issue of the magazine) and the Vancouver Economic Commission at which Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe spoke and posed a challenge to the audience: to use whatever platforms they had access to in order to create a space for Indigenous voices.

Sxwpilemaát Siyám, also known as Chief Leanne Joe, is one of sixteen Hereditary Chiefs of the Squamish Nation and the first female Chief of her Lackett Joe Family. She’s also the Owner of Siyam Consulting, where she holds space in many organizations, focusing her work on Economic Reconciliation.

After reading Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation, which Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe co-authored with Lily Raphael, we wanted to bring her voice and worldview on diversity, equity, and inclusion to the readers of Make The World Better Magazine. To honour her voice and wisdom, we have attempted to present as much of our conversation as the space permits and edited where appropriate for clarity.

During our conversation, Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe reminded us of the importance of not pan-Indigenizing any space, adding that her perspectives reflect where she is from. “My worldview is Coast Salish. It is based in my language, it is based in my ceremony, it is based on my connection as an Indigenous woman born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia. My interconnectedness and my reciprocity is based in that language, based in that place.”

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s Worldview

In Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation, there’s a powerful statement: “A just world means that all children, families and communities are thriving, not just surviving.” For Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, this statement is so much more than words on a page; it’s how she was brought up, the teachings as an Indigenous woman passed down to her, her worldview — all deeply embedded in her DNA.

“My teachings as an Indigenous woman come from that place of humility, integrity, all of the values that are in that framework, all of the values that are instilled in us from the moment that we were created and the moment we were brought into this world. And every minute throughout our lifetime is around those spaces, being the best possible human being that you can be. And through that is a place of being in service, consistently, constantly, and again, it’s just my natural state of being. And I have difficulty understanding why you would be otherwise. Why would anybody teach anything other than that?”

She goes on to say, “Every ounce of colonization, capitalism, our current economic structures, just everything is around this constant competition. And through that statement is [that] it doesn’t need to be that way. It’s really that simple. And how do we then be curious about what is possible, what can be done differently, how can it be done differently?”

She adds, “For me, the most important piece in diversity, equity, and inclusion is transforming our economic system. But that can only be done through full-on inclusion of our hearts, if we understand each other — that our equality is based in our humanness.”

Putting Children at the Centre

According to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, we are born with love and light, and it is “our education systems and our economic systems [that] constantly suck that love and light out of us.”

Reconnecting with this part of us is important so we can show up as better humans for each other, Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe recommends, but it’s a journey hinged on consistent unlearning.

“The longest journey is the length of a feather, from your head to your heart,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe tells us. “We have to consistently move out of here,” [points to head], “and move to here,” [puts hand on chest]. “And come from this place, because here,” [puts hand on chest], “when you’re authentically in a place of love and light, all of which we talk about, and what we’re gifted when we come into this world as a human being is already there. It is just pure love and light when you’re brought into this world.”

Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe would later tell us that the quote about the feather was shared with her by someone within her work who said an elder shared it with them. “And I have quoted this ever since. It is constant mindful quote for us to engage and centre everything we do with love and light.”

With this journey in mind, a core belief that’s reflected in Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s work, including the creation of the Step into the River framework, is the notion of putting children first — hers, yours, mine, everyone’s — for seven generations to come. “If we are constantly centring our children, and we’re constantly wanting them to be the best human being possible, then we have the responsibility, we have the accountability in reciprocity to transform our education systems, where we’re constantly teaching this siloed competition, one-world-view perspective on how we do things.”

Adults may have fond memories of papier-mâché art classes and muddy games of tag, but education systems, as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe suggests, are also where children first learn to fall in line. And for those in a position to attend a post-secondary institution, they find themselves in a competitive space that often isn’t inclusionary, equal, or diverse in its worldviews, and as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe also puts, doesn’t “[come] from a space of love and light.”

Essentially, as children move through the education system, they learn to uphold oppressive systems, like capitalism and the heteropatriarchy, before they may even enter the “real world.”

“What are we teaching our young ones? From the moment that they’re born, around just, gender identity. And how do we create inclusion around the diversity of gender identity, or, again, just humanness. We come from such a bias of ‘you need to be this, you need to be that’ or everything else is exclusionary. It begins with breaking the barrier,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe shares.

The Importance of Uplifting Indigenous Women

When it comes to the intersecting systems of colonial oppression for historically-excluded groups, there are ways of thinking from Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s worldview we could embrace for more meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canada, including the concept of rematriation. Contrasted with the more familiar “repatriation,” which reflects the patriarchal and colonial perspective of reinstating the proprietorship of things lost, rematriation is about “a restoration of relationships of care and connection,” as discussed in Step into the River.

Photo Credit: BIPOC Sustainability Collective

“One of my core values in this framework is rematriation. And the reason it is such, for me, personally, it being a core value is the notion of uplifting, centring, and creating, intentionally, space for Indigenous women. And the whole purpose of that intentionality of uplifting Indigenous women is, you then, all of which we speak about follows after that. Because being in service, centring children, centring families, centring Mother Earth, being a water protector, a land protector, being a decolonizer, being a mother, being an aunt, being a wife, being a daughter […] centres all of that wellbeing. All of the intentionality comes from allowing that particular worldview. And I’m not saying it because I think we’re better than; we’re not greater than. I’m just as human as the next person. I’m just as gifted as the next person. I’m just as powerful as the next person,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe says.

Indigenous women continue to bear the brunt of persistent and deliberate rights violations and abuses, due in part to the Indian Act which consistently causes oppressive spaces for them. Additionally, there are currently 231 Calls for Justice for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) epidemic directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries, and all Canadians, outlined in The National Inquiry’s Final Report.

Indigenous women also continue to be excluded from decision-making bodies and economic spaces. About 1 in 10 women executives belong to a visible minority group, according to the exploratory estimates in an archived 2021 Statistics Canada study, but very few Indigenous women were identified. And as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe discusses, embracing rematriation and centring Indigenous women in the diversity, equity, and inclusion conversation will not only be a step to reconcile past and ongoing injustices, but it will allow Indigenous women to lead us in the transformation of these exclusionary systems.

“If you allow women all across Turtle Island, all across the globe, to bring in their hearts to space, then we intentionally create and embed that knowing, that way of being, that way of doing into these systems, and we can create more intentional heart-led spaces around both economic transformation, around inclusivity, around diversity, around equity, and really look at embedding multiple worldviews. Because those women know what it is to be oppressed and will be able to create a space for other voices to be uplifted, to be heard, to be amplified — and that includes every woman of colour, every diverse being,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe states.

She goes on to say, “We will speak on behalf of all living things because […] many non-Indigenous people speak about having a voice for those that don’t. Well, they do have voice — we’re just not listening. We’re not connected in ways that our spirit can speak to the water, to the trees, to the land, to the animals. Our origin stories, what we were once, prior to us being in this current state as human beings, we were able to transform. We were able to speak with the animals and be with them. We followed the natural law of all of those teachings, so if we can consistently create space for Indigenous women to lead, like wholeheartedly lead, and transform our systems, then I don’t see it being a difficult place to go where we all want to be. And, in particular, where our children are crying for us to be.”

Opening Up Our Hearts

So, how can we all transform our systems and show up as better allies for each other? Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe believes it “begins with our personal responsibility to be in that space to be open in our hearts to all of this.” And when we do this, she says, we begin to see what’s wrong with our systems and how we can work together to deconstruct them so that all of us can live a good life.

She builds on this by adding, “If I truly see myself as a human being that is living with you on this planet, to lead a good life, then our goals are really not that different. […] That’s where my heart is always in space, in my reality of being a spiritual being, having a human experience in this lifetime.”

And it really is that simple, according to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe. “We as human beings have a real tendency to over-over-complicate, when at the end of the day, what makes this world go ‘round [is] our love for each other.”

“Rather than go in circles and go into many different spaces, I’ll leave it at we just have to embed love and light into everything that we do, how we think, how we educate. And, also, if we got out onto the land and connected more. That’s the other thing — education does not connect with those things that it’s trying to have an impact on. I think that’s another important piece, as well,” she adds.

And she’s not alone. There are many others who share similar values of love being included in their space. Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, whom we also spoke with for this issue of Make The World Better Magazine, has a goal of revitalizing the Indigenous economy by investing in relationships first. Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe also highlighted Jeff Ward, Founder & CEO of Animikii Indigenous Technology (also a company in Raven Capital’s portfolio), a values-driven Indigenous digital agency that uplifts Indigenous peoples and communities.

The Reconciliation Journey

For settlers, or non-Indigenous people, wondering what they can do to uplift Indigenous peoples, and thus, make Canada a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place, a crucial piece is reconciliation.

“Reconciliation is every settler’s responsibility because we are literally the First Peoples of this land. Prior to us, there were no human beings here. And so, that puts us in a very unique position as being the First Peoples of this land because my identity is truly based in my place, where I was born, where I was raised. My language is based on the geography and my reciprocity and relationship to that space, to the waters, to the mountains, to the four seasons, to all other resources and the sustenance that was brought to us, to the relations in all the four directions of us,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe states.

The reconciliation journey for settlers isn’t going to be easy or comfortable, nor should it be; however, it’s important to take the leap and keep pushing through. In the words of Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, “Be brave and be willing to learn as well as unlearn in this journey. Grandfather Google knows a lot, I’ve stated this many, many times. Don’t be shy to do your homework. And you have to wade deeply into this space; you can’t just read one report and say, ‘I’m done in my reconciliation work.’ There’s so much out there, to educate, to learn.”

She also says of reconciliation, “I try to make things simple, but at the end of the day, the truth is reconciliation is very hard work. It’s not easy, it’s very uncomfortable, there’s copious amounts of healing that have to take place, there’s a ton of forgiveness, there are going to be tears, you are going to trip and fall. But you have to be able to be uncomfortable to take the first step. You’re in the infancy, you’re in your toddler stage of the relationship. And be brave like a toddler and take those first few steps and be willing to pick yourself up and begin again and to try again. Toddlers don’t see themselves as failures — when they trip and fall, they just get up and they do it because they’re ready, they’re ready to conquer the world. They want to explore; their curiosity overrides everything.”

If you’re just starting your reconciliation journey, it’s important to first learn about the truth of the injustices toward Indigenous peoples in Canada, according to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, then the real work can begin. “Once you learn the truth about the history of Crown-Indigenous relations in this country — and not only the history but this is an ongoing space — then the reconciliation journey [actually] begins because then you need to be in relationship once knowing that truth. Then you can begin these relationships with Indigenous people in a very different way moving forward.”

To check if you’re on the right track with your reconciliation journey, Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe poses a simple but thought-provoking question: “Do you have relationship with First Nations or Indigenous peoples? If not, why not?”

She elaborates with, “Be in relationship, honour that relationship, assume you know nothing when you’re going into the relationship, and let the Indigenous people lead. And then we’re going to have true allyship and true reconciliation happen in all of our spaces.”

We are grateful to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe for sharing her time and wisdom with us.

To our readers, we encourage you to check out Siyam Consulting and to download and read Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation as part of your own reconciliation journey.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

Make The World Better Magazine

Raven Indigenous Capital Partners: Capital as Medicine

Post author By user
Post date July 18, 2023
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For non-Indigenous Canadians, ourselves included, there are aspects of how we live and interact with the world that we may have never questioned, particularly when it comes to economic and resource-based systems. Many of us have been raised and educated in spaces that espouse ownership of assets, and consuming items extracted from a façade of “infinite” resources.

Every day, however, we’re closer to reaching critical breaking points environmentally, economically, and socially. From unprecedented natural disasters to housing crises to heightened threats faced by the 2SLGBTQI+, BIPOC, and disability communities, these issues stem from a disconnect between the wisdom of the past and what a good life truly entails.

“We need to right size our relationship with each other, we need to right size our relationship with Mother Earth, and we need to right size our relationship and heal our relationship with the ancestral world,” says Paul Lacerte, Founding Managing Partner of Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, the first and only Indigenous-owned and -led venture capital firm in North America.

We were honoured to sit down with Mr. Lacerte for this issue of Make The World Better Magazine to learn more about the work Raven Capital does and the importance of Indigenous economic participation.

Historically Excluded from the Conversation

Indigenous Peoples were the first, and, to this day, remain essential caretakers of the land. From managing wildfires to protecting waterways, they continue to hold this knowledge from their ancestors, which could sustain this beautiful land for generations to come.

According to Lacerte, “There’s this incredible richness that is resident in Indigenous epistemologies and ways of thinking and being that actually, if I’m being totally honest, […] it’s possible that Indigenous ways of knowing and being is our only hope to avoid the apocalypse.”

Unfortunately, the economic systems in place have excluded Indigenous Peoples from having a seat at the table due to centuries of historic injustices, including stolen land, denial of basic rights, and residential schools, of which Mr. Lacerte himself is a first generation survivor, along with being a day school survivor.

In addition to the generational trauma of these historic injustices, the effects of decades-long exclusion from economic participation are felt to this day.

“There’s a seven-year life expectancy gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people in Canada. Seven years. I want to live those seven years, and I want my loved ones to be able to live those seven years — and my kids,” Lacerte tells us. “And so, poverty, and the lack of access to own-source capital is one of those big drivers.”

He goes on to say, “Economic exclusion and poverty is [also] a big driver for violence against Indigenous women. And we’ve had a whole national inquiry as to why so many Indigenous women are murdered or gone missing, and I have that lived reality in my own family. So there’s a lot of urgency.”

Framing Capital as Medicine

The founders of Raven Capital seek to bridge this economic gap faced by Indigenous Peoples. Their mission is “to empower Indigenous entrepreneurs with the capital and expertise they need to succeed,” with a vision of a revitalized Indigenous economy. The Raven Capital team works closely with Indigenous entrepreneurs to get them investment-ready, then helps facilitate the investor-entrepreneur relationship.

“We’ve really been pretty heavily engaged in looking for the kind of medicine that we need to create the straightest line to a better future than the past that we’ve had. Because there’s such a big gap in Indigenous-owned capital and Indigenous-managed capital, so that we can change the way that it behaves for our people, that we can change the experience of entrepreneurs, so that it’s less extractive and harmful, and so that the money acts a lot more like love and healing. There’s just a big gap in that space,” he explains.

“And so, we saw the opportunity and the right time to approach investors and see if, in this reconciliation climate, that there is a level of confidence and readiness to invest in an Indigenous-owned venture firm, and acknowledging that we’re going to behave differently and that the capital might look a little bit different.”

From left to right: Paul Lacerte, Jeff Cyr, Stephen Nairne

Operating from an Indigenous Worldview

To help tell the story of their viewpoint to investors, Raven Capital shares the following on their website: “As an Indigenous intermediary, we honour the Seven Sacred Teachings and operate from an Indigenous worldview. We follow traditional Indigenous protocols, work for the well-being of people and the planet, and acknowledge our responsibility to the next Seven Generations and weave that into our investment process.” The Seven Sacred Teachings guide them toward mino-bimaadiziwin, which roughly means “to live a good life,” and are represented by the Eagle (love), the Buffalo (respect), the Bear (bravery), the Sabe (honesty), the Beaver (wisdom), the Wolf (humility), and the Turtle (truth).

It was important for Raven Capital to integrate the Seven Sacred Teachings into their business practices, not only to honour the teachings for themselves but to also build a trusting relationship with the Indigenous founders they work with.

When Mr. Lacerte and the Raven Capital team approach Indigenous entrepreneurs who are looking for capital, they say that the words these entrepreneurs share with them are medicine.

So, instead of asking, “are you looking for capital?”, Raven Capital would approach with something like, “can you please share your medicine of making a change in the well-being of our people?” Instead of “meetings,” they come together to lift up Indigenous Peoples, which, for them, is sacred and, therefore, a form of ceremony.

“When our team says that to Indigenous founders, there’s almost an immediate healing that starts to happen because of the love and dignity and humility and respect, and some of those Seven Sacred Teachings start to become activated. And because those teachings are activated in our conduct, in our words, in the way that we create the condition for communication and information exchange, it starts to become way less extractive and hierarchical and imbalanced, and it starts to become really loving and safe.”

Speaking the Same Language

Raven Capital also works with non-Indigenous investors who do things in congruence with the Western economic systems in place. Therefore, the Raven Capital team is focused on helping both groups speak the same language when it comes to capital.

According to Lacerte, decolonizing the exclusionary business lexicon is a necessary step, and Raven Capital is committed to doing just that. “One of the ways that we are decolonizing the process and bringing forward Indigenous values and the Seven Sacred Teachings is to change the way that we talk. And that is also risky because the ecosystem trades in the space of confidence, and confidence is often derived from mastery of those acronyms and mastery of the commercial concepts, and so people look for that. And so, the approach that we’re taking is to redefine the way that we speak with each other.”

And the approach that they’re taking is working. In January 2023, Raven Capital closed a $100 million Indigenous venture capital fund, backed by some of Canada’s most prominent foundations and financial institutions, which provides patient and growth capital, as well as support, to start-up and growing Indigenous businesses.

Indigenous-Led Social Enterprises Driving Positive Change

Not only does Raven Capital’s fund directly support Indigenous social enterprises, these social enterprises also create meaningful and quantifiable impacts in Indigenous communities and beyond.

For example, Cheekbone Beauty, a company in Raven Capital’s portfolio, is the very first Indigenous-owned and -founded cosmetics company. They have a theory of change to empower people with make-up by making them feel seen and connected with others, and, thus, less likely to inflict self-harm, a cause near and dear to Cheekbone’s Founder, Jenn Harper.

True to Cheekbone’s mission to make a difference in the lives of Indigenous youth and women and to better the planet, Cheekbone has donated over $250,000 to important causes, uses recyclable packaging, and works with corporate leaders in the cosmetics industry to reduce the level of racism against Indigenous women.

And Cheekbone Beauty isn’t the only social enterprise in Raven Capital’s portfolio that’s advocating for and empowering marginalized groups.

Bobbie Racette, a queer Indigenous woman, is the Founder and CEO of Virtual Gurus, a marketplace of talented Canadian and American virtual assistants. Lacerte tells us that Bobbie’s theory of change is investing in people across the DEI continuum, betting on people that others have given up on.

“For Indigenous and non-Indigenous people along the gender continuum, when they see role models like Bobbie, I think that [it] is empowering, enabling, and it’s charting a pathway that other folks see and can walk in her shoes,” says Lacerte of Bobbie’s success in leadership roles.

Not only are these social enterprises in Raven Capital’s portfolio paving the way for more Indigenous representation in the broader economy, some, like OneFeather Mobile Technologies, are directly facilitating Indigenous participation through their services to ensure more Indigenous people have a spot at the decision-making table.

Lacerte states that OneFeather, “is removing barriers to participating in democratic processes by enabling Indigenous people to vote on their cell phone. And that, because of the mobility of Indigenous people, that is reducing barriers around travel and distance, it’s reducing our carbon footprint, and it’s enabling more fulsome participation in […] land-based decisions.”

“That wisdom, and the fulsome of the democratic process for Indigenous people to participate in land management decisions, is really good for Canadians, […] and enabling the voice of Indigenous people who often act as stewards and sometimes the last line of defence around sacred waterways, around sacred sites, around old-growth forests. And there is huge strength that’s being built in the Supreme Court of enabling Indigenous jurisdiction, but that jurisdiction can get given expression by removing barriers through technology and enabling people to vote with their phones, renew their status card on their phones, and make sure that the legal framework inside the jurisdiction of what we know as Canada is not allowed to continue to exterminate our people through legislative and regulatory processes.”

By making democratic participation accessible for all Indigenous Peoples and economic participation accessible for all purpose-driven Indigenous entrepreneurs, positive change happens, environmentally, economically, and socially — something that benefits everyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous alike.

Members of the Raven team at Raven’s CEO Retreat, 2023.

What’s Next for Raven Capital

Upon closing the $100 million Indigenous venture capital fund, Raven Capital will be deploying roughly $60 million of that in Canada and investing about $40 million in the United States.

Raven Capital has also updated their impact measurement framework, called Raven Impact Measurement (the RIM), which was published in December 2022. The RIM speaks to their epistemology, philosophy, investment practices, and alignment to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. It’s open source, so Lacerte invites everyone to go to Raven Capital’s website and download the RIM document to use it for their purposes.

“The idea is that we’re gifting that medicine into the ecosystem for folks to be able to draw those lessons and those teachings and use it to strengthen their own life, use it to strengthen their own personal investing practices, use it to understand that every dollar that you spend as a consumer is an investment decision. And we can start to shift people’s paradigm of the way that economic strength, for every single dollar is used, and that it can start to lean towards this reconciliation space and this regenerative economy and restorative economy.”

Additionally, Raven Capital recently brought together their portfolio companies for a three-day, land-based retreat to heal on the land, do some ceremony, spend time with elders and knowledge keepers, and engage in training and skill-building to prepare for the uncertain economic climate and scale companies for impact. Lacerte says the goal of these retreats is to focus on wellness, prevent mission drift, and continue facilitating the decolonizing trajectory.

“The inertia in the capital markets and the commercial ecosystem […] is towards extraction, the inertia is towards profit, the inertia is towards individual wealth as opposed to community well-being,” Lacerte tells us, pointing to his right. “And we want to go this way,” he adds, pointing to his left with a laugh. “We want to shift a lot of those things, but it takes a lot of intentional effort to do that.”

How You Can Get Involved

Reconciliation has been part of Canada’s discourse for years now, but many non-Indigenous Canadians may not know where to start or how to deepen their work. With a plethora of content to parse through, there’s one resource in particular that Mr. Lacerte recommends for everyone to engage with.

“Here in Canada, the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples is now legislated, as of June 2021. And so, we are going forward now, inviting both individuals and companies, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to familiarize themselves with the 46 articles of the UNDRIP and then understand where there are opportunities to take action to implement one or more of those 46 articles.”

He continues, “It’s been since 1982 ‘til today that there’s been this effort to bring this global consciousness about the fundamental rights that Indigenous people have and the way that there is mutual benefit. The more we give expression to those rights and remove the barriers to the fundamental human rights of Indigenous Peoples, the better off our land will be, the better off our society will be, and I think we’ll have a society that we can be proud of because we’re taking our foot off of the throats of Indigenous Peoples and good things will happen for all of us the more we do that.”

Additionally, if you’re an investor or are simply in the market for new consumer goods and services, Lacerte says there are plenty of opportunities for you to use your dollar to support Indigenous-led initiatives. “For investors, there is certainly going to be an opportunity this coming summer to engage and participate [with Raven Capital’s initiatives]. And, obviously, shop Indigenous. If there are opportunities going forward, folks can familiarize themselves with the Raven Capital portfolio and Indigenous marketplaces all over Turtle Island. There’s this massive opportunity to transform the Indigenous economy as consumers, as customers, and as allies, so there’s lots of opportunity in that space.”

We thank Mr. Lacerte and Raven Capital for the opportunity to listen and learn about the important work Raven Capital is doing, as well as the incredible Indigenous social enterprises within the Raven Capital portfolio. We appreciate you sharing your time, wisdom, and stories with us and our readers.

To our readers, we encourage you to check out Raven Capital and download their RIM framework. It’s crucial that we all do our part in Indigenous reconciliation.

This story was featured in the Make The World Better Magazine:

Tags Amplify Good, DEI, Indigenous, Make the World Better, MTWB, Raven Capital, Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, Vancouver

Make The World Better Magazine

Spring Activator: Growing Impact with Values-Aligned Capital

Post author By user
Post date February 28, 2023
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Money and impact can be the best of friends. Recognizing that generating a profit and doing good can actually live in harmony is an important step towards creating a better world where businesses are profitable, regenerative, and equitable.

Spring Activator launched in order to provide impact-driven founders with the guidance, tools, and community they need to build and grow their businesses. We spoke with Keith Ippel, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, and Caroline von Hirschberg, Co-CEO, about how this values-driven organization has evolved and grown to support entrepreneurs, investors, and ecosystems around the world to make impact entrepreneurship mainstream.

Tell us about Spring Activator’s mission.

Spring Activator was founded in 2014 with a simple but bold mission: to accelerate and amplify the activities of purpose-driven leaders to create an equitable and resilient world that is regenerative by design.

We envision a world in which every business is an impact business, every investor is an impact investor, and where entrepreneurship and investment ecosystems drive regenerative innovation.

We act globally, leveraging our know-how to provide the tools, knowledge, network, and mentorship needed to change the world.

What inspired you/your founders to start Spring Activator?

Spring Activator was launched to give impact founders and companies access to the tools, training, resources, and capital that was previously only available to tech companies. In parallel, Spring wanted to give tech entrepreneurs and angel investors a way to share their voice in impact.

Spring Activator team members at Vancouver Investor Social

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Early on it was apparent that convincing entrepreneurs, investors, and partners that companies could launch, grow, and create lasting positive impact and make money was actually possible.

We needed to work hard to convince people that impact entrepreneurs were out there, that they had great ideas to solve big problems, and that they could create momentum, success, and impact.

What do you consider your organization’s biggest success?

In almost 9 years, Spring Activator has worked in over 50 communities worldwide, supporting 2,100+ founders and 200+ investors, who have raised more than $30 million. We are helping entrepreneurs and investors create impact at scale.

What makes Spring Activator unique?

Our holistic and collaborative approach to creating change. Spring Activator partners with foundations, incubators, accelerators, governments, and donors to create, launch, and grow thriving innovation and entrepreneurial communities.

Authentic change within a system is complex, involving numerous stakeholders and interest groups. We see ourselves as a conduit between governmental institutions, who are primarily responsible for implementing top-down approaches to change, and the impact business and investment community, who are attempting to create positive change from the bottom-up through their products, services, processes, and capital.

Our mission of making impact entrepreneurship mainstream is in line with the B Corporation mandate of redefining successful businesses and inspiring organizations to not only be the best in, but for the world.

In September 2017, we became a Certified B Corporation. There are over 4,000 Certified B Corporations from more than 150 industries in 70+ countries. Spring Activator was also certified by the non-profit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability, and transparency. We’ve evaluated how our practices impact our employees, our community, the environment, and our customers.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We are committed to helping entrepreneurs make a positive social and environmental impact through our programs, global community, and by unlocking access to values-aligned capital. We do this through creating positive social impact by helping to enable and support immigrant entrepreneurs as they grow their businesses in Canada, increasing access to capital for impact ventures and encouraging investors of all experience levels to approach venture capital (VC) through an impact lens, and ensuring that early stage impact entrepreneurs are supported and align their growth with impact.

Some of our initiatives include:

Spring’s Impact Startup Visa Accelerator Program, which supports cohorts of entrepreneurs from around the world to move to Canada, apply for Permanent Residence status, and build their venture in Canada through the Canadian Startup Visa immigration pathway.
Our Impact Investor Challenge. This program is a comprehensive, 11-week program with an investor track for individuals interested in impact investing and an entrepreneur track for early-stage, fundraising startups seeking investment. The program introduces investors and impact-curious individuals to impact entrepreneurs who are seeking funding for their impact-driven initiatives. To date, over $780,000 has been awarded in impact investments to Challenge winners and more than $15 million has been catalyzed to participants as a result of the program.
Our Discovery Foundation Business Activate Program, which is designed to offer early stage impact entrepreneurs the tools and resources they need to gain confidence in activating growth. Through this program, participants receive access to resources and expertise around funding, talent, digital marketing, and other key interest areas. The program includes monthly webinars, video tutorials, actionable worksheets, themed monthly sprints, and 1:1 support calls. Thanks to our sponsors, this program is offered at a low cost, or for free, thus increasing access for early stage entrepreneurs looking to build out their skills.

Additionally, as members of 1% for the Planet, we give one percent of our gross revenue and provide in-kind consultations to environmental not-for-profits. We also work towards meeting the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily through SDG 4: Quality Education, SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth, and SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Capital can be used to invest in companies that are focused on delivering products, services, and/or technology that make the world a better place for people and the planet. Investing capital into companies dedicated to climate solutions, healthcare, education, the circular economy, sustainable food and agriculture, and sustainable retail and supply chain initiatives will help these companies accelerate their growth, success, and impact.

We can also use capital to support thematic approaches to positive changes, such as investing in businesses that are led by or serve underrepresented communities including women, BIPOC, rural and remote communities, and persons with disabilities. As a result of this, the Spring community represents 40% women and 75% BIPOC-led businesses, with 88% of the winners of our Impact Investor Challenges being women. By investing in these businesses, capital can move the dial on equitable access to funding and finance, leadership roles, jobs, and products and services.

In short, by using capital to invest in companies that actively make the world a better place, either in what they do or how they do it, capital becomes a massive force for positive change.

Tell us about Spring Activator‘s goals.

Spring Activator acts globally as a collaborative partner to guide and empower changemakers with high-impact knowledge, tools, and a network to help them thrive. Our services span training programs, capacity-building, mentorship, advisory services, and more. No matter where you are on your impact journey – from impact-curious to impact-committed – we invite you to become a part of the Spring Community.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

The Women-led Impact Investor Challenge, presented by the TELUS Pollinator Fund for Good, is our most recent Impact Investor Challenge cohort.

This challenge focuses on stimulating impact investing in women-led impact businesses by facilitating connections between those looking for purpose-based investments with women founders working on solutions to local and global problems. The goal is to promote gender diversity in the impact investor and startup ecosystem. The competition includes a cohort of aspiring and serial impact investors and a group of 15 women founders seeking funding. After a series of pitches, the cohort of investors puts forward a $100,000+ investment to the winning women-led company.

In 2023, Spring Activator will be collaborating with Foresight Canada, Cycle Canada, and HSBC Foundation to run the inaugural Quebec Cleantech Investor Challenge.

We are also excited about the launch of the Spring Investing Collective – an organic extension of the Impact Investor Challenge. This collective will bring together impact investors and high-growth entrepreneurs seeking funding to facilitate deal flow, connections, and foster impact-driven innovation. This community-centric approach to capital is something we see as missing in the world of VC.

On the entrepreneur side, the Impact Startup Visa Program (ISV) remains one of our largest programs. ISV combines a traditional startup program with processes and support to help entrepreneurs solidify their business in Canada. The ISV Program operates under the banner of Canada’s Start-Up Visa – a Canadian immigration channel.

What do you most want people to know about Spring Activator?

Spring exists to change the world through innovation, and we love to roll up our sleeves and get to work with investors and entrepreneurs to make that happen.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

Become an impact investor! Become a partner!

We run programs like the Impact Investor Challenge to grow the impact investor community and introduce investors and impact-curious individuals into impact investing by providing a learning experience that culminates in making an actual investment in a high-impact company. The program not only educates investors, but helps fund impact entrepreneurs so they can change the world through innovation.

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COIL | Our Food Future: Getting it Right on a Local Level

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Big things can happen when you start small and the path to achieving ambitious national or international net-zero targets requires getting things right on a local level first.

We spoke with Andrew Telfer, Lead, Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad and Development, about two circular economy initiatives: Our Food Future and COIL and how the combination of collaboration, a “think and do” attitude and strategic funding have helped them accelerate climate-smart efforts through building an inclusive circular food system and advance the economy toward net-zero.

Tell us about Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities’ mission.

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) is a collaborative committed to driving circular economy development utilizing its local place-based urban-rural testbed. Our developed best practices, learned lessons, and discovered obstacles are shared with other cities and regions across the country to accelerate the shift to a circular economy (CE) across Canada.

We lead two CE-building initiatives: Our Food Future and Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL).

Our Food Future, unveiled in mid-2019, is creating and implementing a robust circular food system in the Guelph-Wellington area of Ontario. We have four focus areas: reduce food waste; increase food access; drive circular collaborations; and affect systems-level change. Our Food Future includes 45+ currently-active or past projects. Projects, innovations, and ideas are tested and piloted in our living CE lab.

COIL, announced in spring of 2021, is an innovation platform and network aimed at developing, proving, and scaling transformative solutions that will move Canada toward a prosperous, low-carbon circular economy. It contains a comprehensive suite of programs, tools, and resources developed to achieve our goals of embedding and accelerating circularity through businesses and organizations, as well as across supply chains and material streams. Our resources include an accelerator, an incubator, upcycled-product certification, innovation challenges, CE-learning curriculum, material flow analyses, as well as other circular economy advancing programs and tools.

What inspired you to start your organization?

Our Food Future, our flagship initiative, was inspired by Infrastructure Canada’s Smart Cities Challenge to build upon our region’s (City of Guelph and County of Wellington) strengths in agri-food and environmentalism. Our region is an internationally-recognized hub of food innovation, production, and processing; the City has goals to become a net-zero community and to use 100% renewable energy in all its facilities by 2050; and the County has the largest municipal tree-planting program in North America – with over two million trees planted.

Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad (COIL) was inspired by our efforts with respect to business and organization collaboration under Our Food Future. We quickly realized that there was a growing need to help enterprises understand circular economy principles and implement related thinking in their processes and planning. We announced COIL in April 2021 and launched our first set of CE-building programs by the end of that summer.

What were some of the challenges you encountered?

The unexpected COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge we have encountered. We started our first efforts under Our Food Future in mid-2019, and the pandemic’s full effect struck 6-8 months later. Many programs had to be moved online and delivered with new approaches, with planning meetings and collaboration events being held via video conferences – and they all had to be just as engaging as if held in person. We persisted and, to this day, our stakeholders remain committed to our shared vision.

What do you consider to be Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities’ biggest success?

Collaboration. The Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) team is fewer than 10 full-time people. We rely heavily on the enthusiastic efforts of our collaborators. We have both local and national subject-matter-expert networks, and locally and provincially, we work with our City and County colleagues, social enterprises, innovative businesses, resource producers, and related academics. Across Canada, we stay connected with other leading circular economy organizations to ensure our priorities and efforts are aligned. Collaboration is key as it ensures incremental value is truly delivered and that there is little to no duplication of work. Best practices and learnings can quickly and easily be shared along established stakeholder networks so that developed knowledge can inform the current priorities and actions of all involved.

What makes your organization unique?

Our attachment to both the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington makes us unique, provides us a distinct perspective, and allows us to experiment within an urban-rural municipal setting. Our organization is a collaborative between two local governments, many community agencies, and multiple business leaders. We have an executive director, however we follow a distributed leadership model with a focus on community-capacity building.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) helps affect positive change in the world by sharing our circular economy expertise and experience. We know that circularity is an improved economic model versus a linear one – a circular economy is more efficient, uses resources more productively, and protects biodiversity. We also know that the shift to a circular economy is essential to achieve net-zero targets, as simply transitioning to renewables is not enough to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions going into our atmosphere. How we help make the world better is by acting on this knowledge. Our organization shares its work and impact with other communities and municipalities so that they understand both the urgency for and the opportunity of a circular economy.

We use our expertise and experience to educate businesses and organizations across supply chains and within material streams on how circular practices and systems-thinking can help reduce both their costs and their impact on the environment. We consider ourselves a “think and do” organization – we learn from testing ideas and piloting projects, and we share our gained knowledge with others in an effort to broaden and accelerate actions that will drive the circular economy across Canada and around the world.

Our work helps identify the strongest ideas and innovations that have the greatest positive impact on the development of the circular economy in Canada.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

We are a not-for-profit organization. Our circular economy initiatives are primarily funded by Infrastructure Canada (Our Food Future) and Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario (Circular Opportunity Innovation Launchpad). We receive in-kind support from the City of Guelph and the County of Wellington in the form of services such as legal, IT, finance, and HR – as well as office space. Some of our specific efforts and research projects have received support from private-sector funders such as Co-operators, Desjardins (GoodSpark Fund), Maple Leaf Foods, and Scotiabank (Net Zero Research Fund). On a larger scale, both public and private sectors provide capital to support organizations, such as ours, to boost circular economy development, as they have identified the economic, environmental, and social benefits of such efforts. Then, the capital can be deployed further to enterprises in the form of educational programming or innovation funding to test new ideas, products, or practices. Our work helps identify the strongest ideas and innovations that have the greatest positive impact on the development of the circular economy in Canada.

Thank you to the governments and businesses who have recognized the need for change and who have provided capital to positively affect it.

Tell us about Guelph-Wellington Smart Cities‘ goals.

Our goal is to accelerate the transition to a circular economy across Canada, rather than continue with the current linear take-make-waste economic model. Not only will a circular economy be more productive and efficient in its use of resources, but it is also essential for our country to achieve its net-zero targets under its climate plan.

Specific to Our Food Future, our goal is to build a technology-enabled and modern circular food economy in Guelph-Wellington, Ontario: a more resilient model where we reimagine an inclusive food-secure ecosystem where access to affordable, nutritious food is increased by 50%; where surplus and excess materials are perceived as resources and not “waste;” where at least 50 new circular businesses and/or collaborations are created; and where circular economic revenues are increased by 50%.

With COIL, our goal is to accelerate climate-smart circularity through businesses, organizations, supply chains, and material streams. We began our efforts in the food and construction, renovation and demolition sectors, however our goal is to advance circular- and systems-thinking across all segments of the economy.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We’re very proud to share that COIL has recently been granted $100,000 from Scotiabank’s Net Zero Research Fund to develop a circular economy assessment methodology to identify, evaluate, and validate the best innovations and practices that will accelerate circularity. We are piloting our project in the agriculture sector as there is no current method available for firms, NGOs, investors, and policymakers to recognize, assess, and incent the development of innovative practices. Our research work, focused on regenerative farming, will be field-tested in our local living lab here in Guelph-Wellington. Our newly developed methodology will then be replicated in other sectors to ensure that related efforts and funding will support only the strongest climate-smart ideas, innovations, and practices to advance a new circular economy.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Smart Cities (Guelph-Wellington) is here to help. Everything we do is in service to drive the transition to a circular economy across Canada. With Our Food Future, we share our developed best practices, lessons learned, and identified obstacles with all interested cities and regions so that they can work more quickly in their development of a local circular food system, and we have communicated our work and its impact on both national and international stages. With COIL, we provide funding, education, and a network to help companies and organizations either start on or move along the path toward circularity.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

It starts with rethinking waste. We must stop perceiving products at the end of their life-cycle as garbage, but rather as materials that can be used as resources for new and essential items. Our improved perception doesn’t just apply to consumer products – this new lens also concerns buildings, cars, industrial goods, etc. The less we have to go back to the Earth for its resources, and the more we reuse and recycle materials diverted from landfills, the better off we will all be.

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Vancity: Challenging Norms and Building Lasting Impact

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Andrea Harris, VP of Impact Strategy at Vancity

Thinking differently about economic participation and prosperity means being willing to challenge deeply embedded norms. While many Canadian financial services firms have only recently tried to integrate more purpose into their practice, Vancity is well down the track of building lasting positive change for people and the planet as a normal course of business.

We spoke with Andrea Harris, VP of Impact Strategy, about how this Vancouver-based financial co-operative is leading with their values without sacrificing profit.

Tell us about Vancity’s mission.

As a values-based financial co-operative, Vancity is committed to transforming how banking is done so we can help our members and their communities thrive financially, socially, and environmentally. This means that we use finance as a force for good to create lasting positive impact for people and the planet.

What inspired your founders to start your organization?

Canadian credit unions were established in the early 20th century, emerging at a time when traditional banks made it difficult for the average citizen to borrow or invest. Most credit unions formed around a common bond, such as a workplace, trade, church, or ethnic affiliation – which made sense since the original idea behind credit unions was to lend money on the basis of character, rather than wealth or property.

Although these common-bond credit unions increased access to credit among the working class, they still left out some groups in society. Frustrated by this, the founders of Vancity began promoting the idea of an open-bond credit union, one that was available to any resident, regardless of background. It was an unorthodox idea, but it had many supporters. And in 1946, this idea turned into reality with the creation of Vancouver City Savings Credit Union (Vancity), now the largest credit union in Canada.

What do you consider to be Vancity’s biggest success?

Since our founding, we’ve worked to widen economic participation and help our members and the communities they live in solve real-life problems and close barriers to economic participation.

Our close connections with the community and our ability to act quickly in times of crisis have allowed Vancity to provide support in ways usually limited to non-profits.

When COVID-19 broke out, we knew how we needed to respond. We supported our communities by pushing our governments to introduce broader support for everyone who was financially impacted by the pandemic. We also helped our members divert money to immediate life needs by reducing credit card interest rates to zero, deferring loan and credit card payments, and temporarily waiving fees for online and telephone transactions.

The Ryder: a 40-unit affordable rental community in Hope, BC that now houses seniors, people working entry- to mid-level jobs, people with disabilities, and small families.

What makes Vancity unique?

We often have to remind people that Vancity is not a philanthropic charity. We are a for-profit co-operative. But thinking about the impact of our actions on people and the planet is ingrained both in how we make our profits as well as what we do with them.

We share 30% of our net profits with members and community groups every year. By the end of 2022, we will have distributed $31.9 million between our members and into partnerships to address broad and systemic needs in communities.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

At Vancity, we’ve translated our values into ethical principles that govern all our business decisions, and we put policies in place that guide different teams in applying these principles to their decisions. We have such policies across our business lending, community investment, and procurement.

When we’re looking at a business loan application, for example, we apply a holistic assessment process. We do what every financial institution does: we look at the financial risks and returns. But at the same time, we also look at the impact that putting our members’ capital into a project will have with respect to people and the planet. We ask ourselves whether this aligns with our values, and we apply a specific set of guidelines to our assessment.

In your opinion, how can capital be a force for good?

Financial institutions and organizations with huge capital have the power to affect systemic change, and there are many ways of doing that. For example, Vancity uses shareholder engagement to push other companies to act on climate, inequality, racism, and discrimination.

With trillions of dollars under their control globally, financial institutions have a critical role to play in addressing the climate emergency and transitioning to a clean economy. This includes changing what they fund – moving away from emissions-heavy industries to cleaner jobs and industries – and factoring climate risks and social benefits into their financial planning and reporting, their assessment of loan requests, and their investment decisions.

Soroptimist Apartment House: 135 units of affordable housing in Vancouver.

Tell us about Vancity’s goals.

We have a vision of a transformed economy that protects the earth and guarantees equity for all. Our strategy to build a clean and fair world involves learning to become a proactively anti-racist organization, while continuing to oppose discrimination, promote Reconciliation, and widen access to financial opportunity and prosperity.

One of the ways we try to achieve that is by creating a roadmap for delivering on our climate commitment of reaching net-zero by 2040 – meaning that by 2040, the greenhouse gas emissions from Vancity’s lending portfolio (mostly commercial and residential properties) will be eliminated or significantly reduced.

For us, commitments to net-zero are worth zero without a focus on people. We’re trying to support our members and their communities in becoming resilient, like in the face of more extreme weather events, for example.

To ensure Reconciliation is embedded into every aspect of Vancity, we added Reconciliation as a core value back in 2016 and created an Indigenous Banking Strategy. This is not a one-and-done program, but a process that continues to be improved as we support our Indigenous partners – from how we distribute grants, to how we serve members, and how we work to advance Reconciliation.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

For many years, Vancity has worked with organizations that help people living along the housing continuum: from emergency shelters through to transitional and subsidized housing, cooperatives, below-market rentals, and property ownership.

Since 2011, the Vancity Affordable Housing Accelerator Fund has supported the development of 4,450 affordable rental homes by providing 75 loans for 59 unique housing projects developed by 31 non-profit housing organizations. In 2021, 3,150 units of affordable housing were constructed or renovated with financing from Vancity.

We are also working with non-profit housing partners to make homes more comfortable and sustainable. Our Non-Profit Housing Retrofit Program is available to hundreds of non-profit housing providers across BC, and aims to improve energy efficiency, reduce carbon emissions, and boost the overall sustainability of BC’s affordable housing stock.

What do you most want people to know about Vancity?

We are a member-owned financial cooperative that puts the needs of its members first. We are not accountable to large shareholders and we don’t maximize profits at all costs. Since 1994, Vancity has distributed more than $422.3 million to members and communities. We want to have a positive impact on people and the planet, while continuing to be profitable.

Mount Douglas Manor: 35 studios, and 48 one-bedroom units specifically built to house lower-income independent seniors in Saanich.

How can people help or contribute to Vancity’s mission?

It’s important for people to know where their money goes and make responsible choices when it comes to their investments. Vancity offers only 100% socially responsible investments, but there are also many other options available that allow you to invest in line with your values.

Outside of your investment choices, another way to contribute to Vancity’s mission is to support local businesses wherever possible. And if you are a business owner, remember that how you choose to run your business matters.

For Vancity, every decision in our organization needs to have an impact lens alongside the profit lens. Other businesses and organizations can do this as well by setting impact-based business targets alongside their profit targets.

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Una Terra: Fighting Climate Change with Impact Investing

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Post date February 15, 2023
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In the world of venture capital, financial returns reign supreme. While that remains true, there is a better path forward where passion, purpose, and profits converge into a model that ultimately produces a win for the planet as well as for investors.

Una Terra Venture Capital Fund was founded in order to champion the commercial solutions needed to create a sustainable world. We spoke with Chiara Covone, COO and Founding Partner, about how this European-headquartered venture capital fund is improving the world, one investment at a time.

Tell us about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s mission.

Una Terra Venture Capital Fund is on a mission to empower and endorse positive and sustainable change through backing the most promising sustainable technologies. As a venture capital (VC) fund, our vision is to combine focused strategy with passionate people and smart capital, with the aim of eliminating greenwashing and creating real change.

With climate change mitigation and biodiversity recovery in a race against time, Una Terra believes the next 10 years are critical for humanity. Radical acceleration in the adoption and scaling of sustainable technologies is required to achieve global targets.

What inspired you and your co-founders to start Una Terra?

Eager to make a difference, the founders started investing in companies that could accelerate solutions to climate change, but they were frustrated by the structure of the funding and decided there must be a better solution. As such, the germ of an idea – a fund focused on driving and supporting sustainable green tech and innovation – began to form in their minds. Luca Zerbini, Costas Papikonomou and I got together and decided to establish a fund that championed sustainability.

Founders (left to right): Chiara Covone, Chief Operating Officer; Luca A. Zerbini, Chief Executive Officer; Costas Papikonomou, Chief Investment Officer

What were some of the challenges you/your founders encountered?

Setting up a fund in Luxembourg was a lengthy process. Luxembourg is rated AAA for good reason – the due diligence behind the setup of the fund is incredible, something that many fund managers may be put off by because of the complexity of the process. Creating the right founding team was also a very interesting journey and we landed on a team that is very strong, and that shares the same vision and passion towards building a successful ESG fund where you don’t need to choose between profit and planet.

What do you consider to be your organization’s biggest success?

When it comes to the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund, we combine focused strategy with passionate people and smart capital.

Using our extensive experience, we work closely with startups, giving them hands-on support to actively help them scale up. The result? No green wishing, just green impact. This is our biggest success.

What makes Una Terra Venture Capital Fund unique?

Our edge is that we are commercially-viable innovators at heart.

In too many well-intended ESG startups and scaleups, we see good money going after bad. At Una Terra we hunt for ideas grounded in the commercial rigor required to be successful. Our founding team each brings over 20 years of experience in scaling products and services in the most competitive markets on earth.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

We only have one habitable planet, and climate change and biodiversity loss are threatening this beautiful world we live in. We are racing against time!

Una Terra (Italian for One Earth) is committed to scaling and accelerating the adoption of ideas the world needs more of – today! Our commitment is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 GT per year from the environment and 5% of plastic waste in the oceans by 2030. We can achieve this through our portfolio companies, by helping them with a full-fledged team to accelerate growth and impact.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

There are only eight large funds in Europe that are dedicated to the ESG agenda. This is a ridiculously small number. Despite the explosion in sustainability-themed investments, only a small percentage goes to highly disruptive businesses that are sector-shaping and fast-scaling through innovation. In fact, over US$30 trillion is flowing into large cap companies with questionable ESG credentials (according to the Global Sustainable Investment Review), while very little (around $0.2 trillion) is going to innovative growth companies and potential impact unicorns, whose business models are inherently impact-driven. Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s ambition is to help shift investment to where it is most impactful and meaningful.

Our commitment is to reduce CO2 emissions by 2 GT per year from the environment and 5% of plastic waste in the oceans by 2030. We can achieve this through our portfolio companies, by helping them with a full-fledged team to accelerate growth and impact.

Tell us about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund’s goals.

Una Terra aims to raise €300 million (C$430 million) to back and fuel European ESG startups and scaleups as the world looks to environmentally friendly innovations to create real change. We are focused on accelerating the adoption of today’s proven technologies and creating ecosystems for companies to flourish and have a positive impact on the world.

Ultimately, Una Terra’s goal is to mitigate climate change and support biodiversity restoration through the latest available technologies.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

We are extremely proud and excited about the Una Terra Venture Capital Fund. Not only does it bring together a diverse founding partner team of very accomplished professionals and friends, but also allows us to bring to fruition our proven commercial, financial, and operational capabilities to accelerate the profitable growth of ESG scaleups and transform entire industries that have an impact on climate change mitigation and biodiversity restoration.

For a couple of years, we prepared for this – listening to the advice of limited partners (LPs) and investors, we created the best possible Luxembourg-based fund, investing in various startups, assembling an incredible team, creating strong connections with impressive founders across Europe and beyond.

We are convinced that Una Terra will be the platform to invest in sustainable innovation, and truly have an impact for our only planet and our children.

What do you most want people to know about Una Terra Venture Capital Fund?

We scout for demand-side transformation, that is products and services with proven market pull, that are generating revenue and are scalable.

Our stringent selection, based on measurable impact and commerce-focused due diligence, allows us to identify impact scaleups. All companies selected for investment have commercially viable products or services that businesses and consumers can immediately put to good use.

Our fund is Article 9 compliant and B Corp pending. We are proud to be recognized as the “Innovative Fund For Our Future” by the World Economic Forum, out of a long list of other global funds.

How can people help or contribute to your organization’s mission?

Follow us on LinkedIn and get in touch! We strongly believe in joining forces to help make the transition to more sustainable technologies smooth and the best choice for everyone.

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Harvest Impact: Nourishing a Circular Food Network

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Post date February 15, 2023
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Food is not only central to many of our lives, but when paired with innovative and equitable approaches to finance, it can drive social, environmental and economic change.

Harvest Impact, a social finance offering of 10C Shared Space, was launched to nourish circular economy initiatives and build a truly equitable, community-driven circular food network. We spoke with Julia Grady, Executive Director, about how this Canadian fund is investing with impact, providing support to entrepreneurs and demonstrating what’s possible when smart communities invest in themselves.

Tell us about 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact’s mission.

10C Shared Space (10C) is a non-profit social change hub for those engaged in collaborative work to improve the wellbeing and vitality of our urban-rural community, which extends from Guelph and Wellington County across Southern Ontario.

The 10C team helps create platforms (physical, virtual, networks and financial) that support those working to create change, providing conditions for community members, practitioners, and researchers to explore ideas; create, test, and sustain new initiatives; and make discoveries. With this work, we aim to shift attitudes and behaviours and strengthen community resilience.

Harvest Impact is one of 10C’s social finance offerings designed to support the growth and development of a strong and equitable circular food economy by investing in sustainability-driven entrepreneurs. To achieve a successful circular food network, Harvest Impact aims to spark circular food economy initiatives, offer mentorship, network connecting, impact measurement, project funding and financing.

The Harvest Impact Fund provides agricultural, food and environmental startups with small business lending from $2,500 to $50,000, while offering direct, impactful investment opportunities to local investors, allowing them to secure a more equitable and sustainable food system in their own backyard.

When combined, Harvest Impact and 10C offer emerging circular food economy enterprises ways to incubate, test, develop, and finance new businesses and products in the food, farm, and environment sectors.

What inspired you and your co-founders to start your organization?

10C was founded in 2008 with a goal to “create space for change.” Back then, we saw that it was challenging for groups, individuals, and organizations to come together to collaborate. The founders also saw that core infrastructure such as spaces, places, content, networks and access to funding and financing could be best shared across multiple organizations.

10C’s core themes of authenticity, risk-taking, innovation, collaboration, reciprocity, and connection naturally extend to Harvest Impact, which is designed to provide new community-based social financing opportunities.

Harvest Impact was originally seeded by Our Food Future in 2018–19 as a result of Guelph-Wellington’s successful Smart Cities Challenge, and is funded by the Government of Canada. As a flagship project of this wider initiative, Harvest Impact was launched in 2019, with a goal to develop financial processes to invest in local enterprises, and demonstrate the opportunities, innovation, and more sustainable food futures that are possible when smart communities invest in themselves.

The concept for this delicious bread is rooted in the principles of the Circular Food Economy. This healthy and nutritious local food product reduces waste and reimagines how ingredients can be used, particularly with the use of spent grain, a key ingredient from Fixed Gear Brewing Company in Guelph.

What were some of the challenges the founders encountered?

Our core challenge can best be summed up as “building the airplane while in the air.” Creating Harvest Impact has been time and labour intensive, with simultaneous learning and ecosystem building.

To date, we have created robust infrastructure to provide outreach as well as project and investor intake. This includes building processes within the Harvest Impact team to support and review project applications, conduct financial due diligence, and manage investees throughout a financing cycle. We are essentially creating a community lending institution, and while doing so, are mindful of not simply replicating processes that create barriers to participation.

What do you consider to be 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact’s biggest success?

Harvest Impact builds upon 10C’s experience of providing investment opportunities that deliver a social impact with a financial return.

A community bond financing model enabled 10C, as a grassroots non-profit, to purchase and redevelop a landmark property. Through its real estate-backed community bond campaign, 10C has raised and maintained $2.3 million in social financing. In addition to a variety of social and environmental benefits, the 10C Community Bond Series delivers predictable and consistent financial returns of 2.5–4.5% to its 140+ investors.

What makes your organization unique?

As a living lab for social change, 10C provides the conditions for community members, practitioners and researchers, working in collaboration, to explore ideas, create, test and sustain new initiatives, while making discoveries. This work will shift attitudes and behaviours and strengthen community resilience.

Inter-related programming within 10C, such as Nourish, a shared commercial kitchen and incubation facility, as well as our role as the long-term operator of the Guelph Farmers’ Market, which serves 100+ local food and arts vendors year-round, illustrate the opportunities for us to weave together food, entrepreneurship, and access to financing.

Within this ecosystem, Harvest Impact places special emphasis on supporting entrepreneurs (including non-profits) that experience barriers or may not be considered creditworthy by mainstream financial institutions.

How do you feel your organization makes the world better?

As a social finance fund, Harvest Impact works directly with entrepreneurs, learning about their projects and working to find the right solutions for their financing needs.

The Harvest Impact team can extend support throughout the lifecycle of the business, which includes anything from mentorship to helping businesses identify the best ways to bring an idea to fruition, testing and evaluating prototypes, making the right connections with well-suited collaborative partners, supporting external promotion and network connections, and more.

Within 10C, we also provide value by helping companies measure their social impact in accordance with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. Building impact measurement capacity offers credibility for our investees and provides value to prospective investors, who are looking for impactful social and environmental financial opportunities.

Harvest Impact offers a compelling example of capital being used to decrease barriers and provide place-based community-supported solutions to early-stage financing. To date, in our first year of lending, Harvest Impact has made 12 loans valued at $115,000, with plans to increase this by 3x in the next year.

How can capital be used as a force for positive change?

Access to capital is key for small businesses, social enterprises, and non-profits. We frequently hear good entrepreneurs reflect on the challenges and discomforts of applying for financing in the mainstream financial system to grow their enterprises.

Harvest Impact offers a compelling example of capital being used to decrease barriers and provide place-based community-supported solutions to early-stage financing. To date, in our first year of lending, Harvest Impact has made 12 loans valued at $115,000, with plans to increase this by 3x in the next year.

As the Infrastructure Lead to the nationally-oriented Circular Opportunities Innovation Launchpad (COIL), Harvest Impact has also directed over $1.2 million in grant funds to organizations, offering a blend of funding and financing. The Harvest Impact team has also led and contributed to over $7 million in successful external funding applications with ecosystems, local non-profits, charities, and unincorporated Indigenous collaborators. This work is knitting stronger networks and creating social and environmental change.

Harvest Impact is delighted to support holistic nutritionist Beck’s Broth to scale a healthy cacao and pasture fed beef bone broth product in returnable glass jars. From start to finish, this product embraces the principles of a circular food economy.

Tell us about 10C Shared Space and Harvest Impact ‘s goals.

A robust circular food economy can’t exist without the ideas of innovative investees, and we connect daily with change-making individuals, entrepreneurs, and businesses. Our collective team has engaged more than 150 food businesses in Guelph-Wellington and southern Ontario that are working on circular food economy solutions – and we believe that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Harvest Impact will create a steady stream of circular food businesses through consistent outreach, education, and engagement, linking applicants to both granting and lending streams.

We are excited about opportunities to collaborate with established and emerging social finance intermediaries in Ontario and beyond, to explore syndication on larger loans, opportunities for convertible debt, and the potential for granting as part of its core offerings.

Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you’d like to share?

Currently, Harvest Impact is undertaking a capital demand survey to identify tangible local demand for various types of capital and other supports.

While engaging our client base, we will create new social impact investment products that are available to accredited and non-accredited investors alike, who want their investments to support a sustainable and resilient local food system.

Harvest Impact has current capacity to finance new projects and will increase its community lending across the next year, with intake and enterprise engagement already underway.

In 2023, 10C will launch Harvest Impact Community Bonds with a target of raising $2.5 million to be used as loan capital for Harvest Impact investee companies. These funds will provide equitable access to capital for a growing network of food, farm, and environment sector enterprises (including non-profits and social enterprises) who are building Southern Ontario’s circular food economy.

What do you most want people to know about your organization?

Harvest Impact Fund provides agricultural, food, and environmental innovators with social lending, while offering direct, impactful investment opportunities to local investors.

By offering sustainability-driven food entrepreneurs financing, funding, learning, mentorship, impact measurement, and network support, we aim to help circular food companies emerge and flourish.

How can people help or contribute to your Harvest Impact’s mission?

If you’re an individual, entrepreneur, or business with a circular food economy idea, we’d love to hear from you!

If you’re an individual, business, or foundation looking to place social purpose capital to enhance community, Harvest Impact could be the opportunity you’ve been looking for!

Learn more about Harvest Impact at www.harvestimpact.ca

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