The Gates Foundation Reveals How It Makes Program-Related Investments
The Chronicle of Philanthropy highlights the program-related investment strategy of GIIN Investors' Council member the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which was described in detail by Senior Program Investments Officer Andrew Farnum at the Skoll World Forum.
From original article:
"All of the investments focus on the foundation's areas of interest - education in the United States, international development, global health - and are the result of close collaboration between program and investment officers. Since the program was announced in late 2009, the Seattle foundation has made investments totaling $150-million.
"When a program officer suggests a potential investment, the investment team analyzes the deal to estimate what the financial return is likely to be and compares that to the 5 percent annual return that the foundation expects from its traditional investment portfolio."
