Why This Work Matters

By 2050, people of color will represent half the population in the U.S. and more than half of the working-age population. Growth in population does not automatically equate to economic growth. We must take deliberate action to dismantle systemic barriers to ensure that everyone has equitable access to opportunity. 

Through both grant capital and investment capital – using a systemic racial equity approach – we create pathways for equitable opportunity. Our Mission Driven Investment portfolio is disrupting the status quo and driving capital to communities of color. 

We value both social and financial returns. Each investment must meet specific criteria, including:

• Intentionally demonstrating equitable impact and influence 
• Making progress in areas that advance our mission
• Meeting metrics for financial and social targets on market-rate mission-related investments (MRIs) or below market-rate program-related investments (PRIs) 

What We Support

Launched in 2007, WKKF ‘s Mission Driven Investment program seeks to reorient the investor practices and behaviors that interrupt and influence traditional capital markets.

As one of the oldest and largest initiatives of its kind, we have committed more than $100 million of our endowment to market-rate mission-related investments (MRIs), and we have committed over $50 million from our program budget to strategically fund below market-rate program-related investments (PRIs). And our approach is distinctive. Primarily a private markets strategy, WKKF only invests in enterprises and fund managers that directly advance our mission

Additionally, WKKF’s Mission Driven Investment portfolio uniquely operates across both the foundation’s grantmaking and investment activities, allowing us greater flexibility to seize exciting opportunities and stay fully aligned with the foundation’s strategic focus.

Our mission investments come in all shapes and sizes. We invest in both nonprofit and for-profit entities across a range of asset classes, including real estate, private equity, fixed income, debt and cash deposits, and a variety of industries.

We also support fund managers, entrepreneurs and social enterprises to launch and scale innovative products and services. Our investments cover each of our program areas with a geographical emphasis in our priority places including Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans. In all instances, we invest where we can improve the lives of children, their families and their communities, with an emphasis on investments that help to dismantle the root causes of racial inequity.