As we further develop our business strategy of facilitating positive social impact and "doing good, better" we are rolling out a series of new investment vehicles that support this goal.
This quarter, we are highlighting the recent addition of Calvert Impact Capital's Community Investment Notes to our client portfolios. These notes are fixed income products (similar to how CDs pay out) that help finance mission driven organizations across the globe. Supported organizations include social enterprises, nonprofits, and others that finance community development, affordable housing, microfinance, small businesses, and environmental sustainability and sustainable agriculture.
Calvert Impact Capital describes its goal to create a more equitable and sustainable world by financing communities that are left out of traditional capital markets. About 2/3 of the notes are allocated to US based organizations, and the remainder goes to groups located globally. As they describe further on their website:
"We aim to serve sectors and regions that are often overlooked or underserved by the traditional capital markets. We invest debt capital through and alongside intermediary organizations and structures. We work with our borrowers to understand their specific needs and risks and customize our capital to best serve them.
We focus our investments on strengthening financial intermediaries and community development financial institutions (CDFIs) to allow capital to flow efficiently between the capital markets and impact credit markets and between impact credit markets and credit consumers. These two levels, although often overlooked, are critical to address our industry’s lack of infrastructure and intermediation.
The social and environmental mission of our portfolio is guided by our nine impact sectors. These sectors are shaped and ever-evolving by a maturing impact investing industry and macroeconomic shifts that affect these markets. Each sector has a unique impact thesis and strategy that outlines what change we seek in that sector, how we plan to measure impact, and what role our capital plays in strengthening the intermediation landscape in that impact area."
Our investment management clients have the option of buying these notes directly in the accounts we manage at TD Ameritrade. Current offerings are sold in $1000 minimums and include 1-year term notes paying 0.50% up to 15-year term notes paying 3.50%. These rates are comparable to commercially available CDs.
In addition, individual investors can set up accounts directly with Calvert Impact Capital.
We'd be delighted to discuss how these notes can be integrated into your diversified, risk managed portfolios. Schedule a call or meeting using the link on our website (or let's include this in your next scheduled meeting).
For more information on these notes, check out their website: Calvert's Community Investment Note Additional details are included in these two fact sheets: Community Investment Note fact sheet and how they are Managing Investment Risk
And for those who delight in reading a 78-page prospectus, we've got you covered!