Upcoming Events

CFAP Sustainable Investing Thought Leadership Webinar: Value-Aligned Impact Investing

Attendees of this virtual meeting will get a rare glimpse into the inner workings of a foundation Board, the role of an investment gatekeeper, and why foundations are investing locally. We will get under the hood of the Philanthropy Network’s Mission Aligned Investing (MAI) Cohort Program and ImpactPHL’s Optimpact’s locally sourced investment platform. Chris Capato, the Finance Director of the $120 million Independence Public Media Foundation, will be joined by Shira Hodges Senior Advisor with Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia, to discuss why he chose the Philanthropy Network to educate him and his Board on Mission Aligned Investing (MAI). Jason Ray, the Founder of Zenith Wealth Partners and CFAP member, will discuss how his firm reviews and implements investment opportunities for his nonprofit clients. John Moore, Board Chair of ImpactPHL, will highlight the explosion of place-based investing opportunities in the Greater Philadelphia area. Our moderator for this panel, Michael Cosack, is a Principal at ImpactWise LLC.    About Our Panelists      Chris Capato is the Finance Director of the Independence Public Media Foundation. Before joining the Foundation, Chris spent nearly twenty years in the administration, compliance, and investment of pension and endowment funds in bank trust departments and accounting/consulting firms.      Shira Hodges is Senior Advisor with Philanthropy Network Greater Philadelphia. Formerly Executive Vice President of the Network, Shira has spent nearly two decades providing strategic guidance to philanthropists, foundations, and social sector leaders. Shira has been instrumental in working with foundations to develop on-ramps for mission aligned investing.      Jason Ray founded Zenith Solutions to deliver accessible, high-quality financial education and advice to individuals and institutions. His work is inspired by racial and age wealth inequality that exists in society. Before founding Zenith, Jason helped renovate a longstanding independent wealth advisory firm, Carnegie Wealth Mgt, by building new technology, private placement structures, and research capabilities.      John Moore is an angel investor with Robin Hood Ventures and Investors Circle Philadelphia. He is also the Executive Chair of ImpactPHL, an alliance to promote and grow the impact investing ecosystem in the greater Philadelphia region. He serves on the Board of Good Company Ventures, an accelerator for social impact companies, and several startup companies including Wash Cycle Laundry and Milkcrate.

12th Annual Endowments and Foundations Conference

CFAP is proud to host its twelfth annual program focused on endowments and foundations. This day-long conference will feature panel discussions and speakers from leading asset managers, non-profits, and subject matter experts in non-profit law and governance. The conference will address many of the pressing issues facing endowments, foundations and other philanthropic concerns. Topics to be addressed at the conference include: Behavioral Finance Impact Investing and ESG Asset Allocation Strategies Current OCIO Trends Board Governance A complete agenda with panelists and topics is available here .  Our Keynote speaker is Texas Hemmaplardh, CFA. Texas is responsible for the US Endowment & Foundation Investment Practice at Mercer. He leads a specialist team of over 150 professionals across the US who together serve over 1100 mission-driven not-for-profit institutional investors.  Based in New York City, Texas leverages over 27 years of investment experience to empower Mercer’s Endowment & Foundation Investments Team to deliver values-aligned and outcomes-driven investment solutions to Mercer’s US and global client base. He joined Mercer in 2018 through its acquisition of Pavilion Advisory Group where he had become a Managing Director focused on working with endowment clients. He joined Jeffrey Slocum & Associates in 1997, holding multiple research and investment consulting roles there prior to its combination with Pavilion in 2016.  Texas holds a BA in Economics from Yale University and an MBA (with honors) from the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business. He is a CFA® charterholder, and a member of CFA Society New York. Texas is a founding and active board member of the Goodwill Easter Seals Minnesota Foundation. We expect approximately 150 professionals to attend the conference, representing over 80+ organizations. The audience is a mix of investment management professionals, non-profit executives, attorneys and other professionals who are passionate about mission-driven work.  A number of corporate sponsorship opportunities are available for the conference. Click here to view a Sponsor Sheet with sponsor levels and benefits. The conference includes a full day's worth of programming, breakfast, lunch, and morning and afternoon networking breaks. Registration: CFA Members (all societies): $125.00 Non-Members: $220 Non-Profit Professionals: $50.00 Click here to register

Art and Money: A Visual Tale of the U.S. Dollar

Come take an historical currency trip that spans Colonial days, Civil War, Economic Panics, WWI, the Depression, the New Deal, WWII, Bretton Woods, the Global Financial Crises, and digital currencies. The presentation includes artworks that highlight and enlighten the discussion around the dollar's evolution. The dollar has served as a global reserve currency since soon after WW1 through today.   Our presenter is CFAP member Ellen Powers, CFA. Ellen is a registered fiduciary investment advisor. Her career spans from 1982 to the present. In 2006 she founded Ascend Investment Management. Ascend managed investments and financial plans for individuals and families. In 2022 Ellen transitioned all Ascend client relationships to Grey Fox Wealth Advisors, and she continues to work with the team as a consultant. Ellen has studied American art for many years and has served as a museum docent at the Delaware Art Museum. She holds an MBA in finance and investments from The George Washington University and a BA in history from Brown University. She is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Charterholder. Registration is free of charge.