Investing in Main Street, not Wall Street: Stephanie Gripne, Founder and CEO of Impact Finance Center

Why does more money go to Wall Street instead of Main Street? It’s a question that bedevils the world over as income inequality continues to climb and small-businesses shutter in growing numbers. We know from our grounding in the CDFI industry that misallocation of our collective wealth isn't for lack of quality investments outside of the bubble of big-finance and large corporations. CDFI lenders have demonstrated for decades that profitability is possible for investors operating at smaller scales, so what’s going on?
Founder and CEO of Impact Finance Center, Stephanie Gripne, a.k.a “the Steve Jobs of Impact Investing” joins Renegade Capital to share insights from her 20-year career in social finance. She also discusses a new way institutional and individual investors can examine how they allocate their resources in a way that makes philanthropic decision-making easier.

About Stephanie.

As Founder and CEO of Impact Finance Center, Stephanie Gripne is a creative force in the impact investing field. She’s driven a multitude of projects like CO Impact Days, Impact Investing Institute, and Rocky Mountain Who’s Who & Impact Investing, leading outlets like Forbes to laud her as “the Steve Jobs of impact investing.” Her latest initiative, the National Impact Investing Marketplace, aims to catalyze $1 Trillion in investment capital for social ventures by replicating and scaling infrastructure that was piloted in Colorado. Stephanie’s vision is driven by over 20 years of combined experience as an applied academic, investor, and practitioner at the University of Colorado Real Estate Foundation and Center, the $100 million Eco Products Fund, The Nature Conservancy, USDA Forest Service, DOE Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the Journal of Wildlife Management, and several universities. Many thanks to Stephanie for lending her experience to the show.

A renegade not only listens but acts. We've consolidated a few tips from this episode to help you invest in local communities.

1. Use a free master pass to the Impact Investing Institute to learn how to start your investment journey: Dr. Stephanie Gripne has provided our listeners with a 1-year discount for access to any of the Impact Finance Center's recorded webinars. Access their resource library here. This document leads you through creating an account. (Discount Passcode: IFCMasterPass)
2. Figure out what part of the system you care about and learn how you can solve that systemic issue: Determine what issues you are most passionate about and learn all you can to resolve that issue.
3. Divest from a large bank and move your money to a credit union or CDFI bank: One of the easiest ways you can support communities is by moving your money to a credit union or CDFI bank. The institution uses these funds to provide fair loans and financial services to underestimated communities.
4. Search for products that allow nonaccredited investors to participate: When looking for stock and bond options for individual investors who are starting this journey, Dr. Gripne recommends looking into organizations like the