If you are here, you have received a personal invitation to a two-day thought leadership summit, hosted by the Impact Entrepreneur Center and Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors. The event will take place from 10am on July 11, 2018 to 5pm on July 12, 2018 at Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, Massachusetts. Participants are invited to arrive in the afternoon/evening of Tuesday July 10th. Dinner will be served.

Program

Private foundations in the United States alone hold approximately $1 trillion in endowment assets and spend approximately 5 percent of that figure each year on their grant-making and other charitable distributions. Moreover, philanthropists are expanding their use of other funding vehicles – not least LLCs and donor advised funds – and leveraging a variety of instruments including program- and mission-related investments and innovative financing models - to invest in social enterprises and revenue-earning not-for-profits, in order to more effectively advance their charitable missions and better align the totality of their resources with those missions. This growing movement has different aspects and scales — from the place-based to the globally scalable.

But so far, the contributions this capital is making to anything more than incremental change is limited. Viewed and deployed using a wider, systemic perspective, with a more ambitious and courageous agenda, and with an emphasis on transformation, the sector’s resources can meaningfully contribute to building an impact economy. This would represent a proactive approach to solving social and environmental challenges, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, by putting economies and finance in service of the well-being of people and the planet.

This two-day convening will bring together funders and leaders in systems thinking who have a commitment to working collaboratively and proactively to move the impact economy agenda forward. We will explore the landscape, problems, gaps, opportunities, resources, and action steps, aiming to define approaches and build momentum that can be maintained both as a group, and through our respective networks. Some preparation and pre-reading will be required to make the most of our time together.

Location of Event

The Berkshires has long been known for its extraordinary natural beauty, “farm-to-table” consciousness, creative culture and easy proximity to major urban centers of the northeastern U.S. We have chosen Race Brook Lodge in Sheffield, MA as the site for this program. Intentionally eschewing the tendency for impact-related conferences to gather in luxurious urban or academic settings in favor of one that is reflective of the Berkshires' rich historical and modern day culture, Race Brook Lodge is rustic and comfortable — an attractive yet humble venue that we feel will inspire minds and imaginations as we engage with each other on the program's leading questions. As this event takes place in the midst of festival season (Tanglewood Music, Jacob's Pillow Dance, Williamstown Theater, etc.) we urge all attendees to extend their stay to fully enjoy the many summer Berkshire pleasures!

Registering for the Event

You can register for the event on this page. This invitation is only for you, the recipient of the personalized email. If you cannot attend and/or would like us to consider inviting one of your colleagues, please contact us to discuss.

Registration covers your attendance at the event and five meals (dinner on the 10th, lunch and dinner on the 11th and breakfast & lunch on the 12th). It does not include accommodation. Since Race Brook Lodge has a variety of accommodation options, each registrant is asked to make their own reservation directly with the Lodge (we have negotiated very reasonable in-season rates). If you prefer to stay off site, there are an array of other accommodation options 10-20 minutes away, such as the White Hart Inn in Salisbury, CT (we have a block of rooms reserved for our group) and the Egremont Village Inn in South Egremont, MA. Note: Race Brook Lodge has blocked off all their rooms for us. Call them at 413-229-2916 to reserve a room.

IMPORTANT: Since we will be limiting numbers to this gathering, you are urged to register sooner than later. Also, note that there are a limited number of Early Bird tickets available; the deadline for Early Bird tickets is May 7th, although they may sell out before that date.

We are excited to have your participation! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to contact IEC's Laurie Lane-Zucker (by phone at 413-822-2483 or email at alchemist.impact@gmail.com) or RPA's Heather Grady at hgrady@rpa.org.

Participating Organizations

A partial list of organizations that will be participating in this program:

Impact Entrepreneur Center - Organizer

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors - Organizer

Ford Foundation

Ellen MacArthur Foundation

Rockefeller Foundation

Boston Impact Initiative

Porticus

Cornerstone Capital

BALLE

Neighborhood Economics

WEALL - Wellbeing Econonomy Alliance

Center for Economic Democracy

Transform Finance

SDG Transformations Forum

Capital Institute

Solidago Foundation

Philanthropy4Life

Centered Wealth

ANDE (Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs)

The B Team

Partners for a New Economy

Confluence Philanthropy

Echoing Green

Cienega Capital

Global Hub for the Common Good

Schumacher Center for a New Economics

Impact Assets

E3

Lab for Social Change

Libelula

Luc Hoffman Institute

Edge Funders Alliance

HuffPost

Christopher Reynolds Foundation

United Nations Development Program (UNDP)

B Lab

Toniic

Impact FInance Center

Sistema B (B Lab S America)