At Laughing Gull Foundation, we believe in the power of collaboration, and look for ways to join with other funders and movement leaders to advance change collectively. Currently, our board and staff members are involved in the following initiatives.
The Adasina Social Justice All Cap Global ETF is a highly diversified, global, all-cap portfolio that allows investors to align their portfolios with social justice values. The fund uses community-sourced impact data to set the standards for how publicly traded companies participate in gender, racial, economic, and climate justice. LGF began investing in Adasina in 2021.
Divest-Invest Campaign: In 2013, Laughing Gull Foundation wrote our first Investment Policy, rooted in our core values. We aim to align not only our grantmaking but also our investing with our mission. Therefore, we screen out companies that profit off of fossil fuels, and look for pro-active impact investments that boost the future of renewable energies. In 2015, LGF signed on to the DivestInvest Campaign, joining other foundations, colleges, health systems, pension funds and religious endowments that are divesting from fossil fuels and investing in clean energy. Through this campaign we aim to have a collective impact that is greater than any one of our institutions could have on our own.
Out in the South: More than 3 in 10 LGBT adults live in the South, making the South home to more LGBTQ adults than any other region in the U.S. Yet historically, only 3-4% of LGBTQ funding has gone to the South. The Out in the South Initiative, coordinated by Funders for LGBTQ Issues, is designed to change that statistic. Launched in 2015, this five-year initiative aims to raise $60 million to bring the philanthropic resources available to LGBTQ communities in the South up to the national average. The Out in the South Initiative will focus on organizing both national and southern foundations to achieve this goal. LGF is proud to have been an active partner in the creation of this initiative, and we are excited to be a part of reaching this important goal. If you are interested in learning more about this initiative, please feel free to reach out to us.