CROATAN INSTITUTE
Leveraging finance to build a just and resilient economy.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Croatan Institute tackles pressing problems at the critical nexus where finance, sustainability, and economic development intersect.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Racial Equity, Economics, Finance, and Sustainability (REEFS)
The Racial Equity, Economics, Finance, and Sustainability (REEFS) program is designed to encourage stakeholders in finance to think holistically about integrating racial equity across their investment portfolios, to advance opportunities for greater representation of Black, Indigenous, and other people of color (BIPOC) in the field, and to support frameworks and approaches that support wealth-building in these communities. This multi-faceted approach seeks to acknowledge and address the persistent structural race-based discrimination in the US, which underpins the significant gaps in access to career and financial opportunities.
https://croataninstitute.org/reefs/
Clean Portfolio Project
The Clean Portfolio Project takes a total portfolio approach to fossil-free investing in integrated climate solutions. With the input of an expert advisory panel, the project creates model portfolios that help individuals and institutions not only divest from fossil fuels but also invest in diversified solutions to climate change. The portfolios build upon Croatan Institute’s framework of total portfolio activation, encouraging investors to re-allocate capital to high-impact opportunities across asset classes.
https://croataninstitute.org/cleanportfolio/
Total Portfolio Activation
Building on the long-standing work of a wide range of sustainable and responsible investors and researchers, Total Portfolio Activation provides both a framework and a set of analytical tools to help mission-driven investors understand the specific impact opportunity set that can be pursued across every asset class in their portfolios.
https://croataninstitute.org/tpa/
Soil Wealth
Soil wealth encompasses the constellation of benefits that result when we build healthy soil and community wealth through regenerative and organic agriculture. Centered around financing farms, forestry, food, and fiber, this program provides resources, case studies, and on-the-ground engagement to demonstrate how a total portfolio, multi-asset class approach can be used to achieve soil wealth.
The Soil Wealth program encourages investors and funders to:
- Redirect finance from extractive models to regenerative ones;
- Make finance more accessible to land stewards, agricultural producers, and value-web enterprises; and
- Foster the magic in the middle by connecting both capital providers and capital seekers to accelerate the flow of capital in regenerative and organic food and agricultural systems.
Where we work
External reviews
Videos
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Reports and documents
Download strategic planLearn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Croatan Institute is an independent, nonprofit research and action institute whose mission is to build social equity and ecological resilience by leveraging finance to create pathways to a just economy. We envision an equitable world where finance supports flourishing communities, vibrant places, and resilient economies.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Croatan Institute works toward change by redirecting finance to support social equity and ecological resilience, making finance more accessible for place-based practitioners and frontline communities, and fostering what we call the “magic in the middle” by working in unique ways between these two pathways. We use research, convening, and advocacy, often in close partnership with practitioners in the field and movements for social and environmental change.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our interdisciplinary and diverse team including staff and affiliated fellows located in the Northeast, the South, the upper Midwest, and abroad in Geneva, Switzerland work to address the challenges facing various communities, including communities of color. The Institute works on issues such as climate change and energy, environmental and social impact investing, sustainable finance, regenerative agriculture and regional food systems, institutional accountability, social equity, diversity, and inclusion, and resilient community development. Over the last seven years, we have developed a reputation for rigorous research and actionable analysis that serves to redirect capital to investments to address inequities and develop new pathways and opportunities for underserved and marginalized communities.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our public launch in 2014, Croatan Institute has engaged with more than 200 organizations with combined assets of more than $2.2 trillion to push path-breaking initiatives at the frontiers of finance and sustainability.
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
CROATAN INSTITUTE
Board of directorsas of 05/30/2023
Dr. Joshua Humphreys
Croatan Institute
Abraham Jones
Law Offices of Abraham Penn Jones
Christi Electris
Croatan Institute
Sharlene Brown
Croatan Institute
Gerardo Espinoza
Local Enterprise Assistance Fund
David Sand
Community Capital Management
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
The organization's co-leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Transgender Identity
Sexual orientation
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 03/29/2023GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We use a vetting process to identify vendors and partners that share our commitment to race equity.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.