arts
art and artists have the ability to foster local pride and can help shape a community’s vision for its future.
Environment
EFA’s Environment Program supports multiple strategies to reduce greenhouse gasses in the atmosphere.
reproductive health & justice
EFA’s Reproductive Health & Justice program supports a range of strategies to improve access to abortion and contraception, at the national and state level.
Make democracy work
EFA’s Make Democracy Work Program endeavors to repair and protect the pillars of a free, fair, and transparent democratic system with a focus on protecting and expanding voting access.
Our approach
The Educational Foundation of America is working to fulfill its mission using a two-pronged approach:
1. Effective Grantmaking
Philanthropy is our primary tool for driving positive change. EFA funds innovative nonprofit groups working nationally, regionally, and locally. We also serve as a partner in advocacy, policy work, and community engagement for our grantees.
2. Impact Investing
Our second tool allows us to scale our social and environmental impact. We are a proud leader in the impact investing movement. In the early 90s, EFA was one of the first private foundations to begin screening its investments using Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) criteria to guarantee those investments aligned with our core values. Building on our commitment to ensure that our portfolio supports, rather than dilutes, our grantmaking goals, our investments became 100% fossil-fuel free in 2015. That year EFA was also one of the original signatories to the Divest-Invest Movement, actively avoiding fossil fuel investments and instead seeking out forward-thinking companies leading the clean energy revolution. Our assets have grown as a result of this strategic shift. (To learn more, read this report by the Croatan Institute, which features EFA as a case study.)
Furthermore, we are engaged shareholders. By owning shares in public companies, EFA is able to raise environmental, social, and corporate governance issues with management. We do this through productive dialogue or by filing shareholder resolutions.
impact investing
Organizations We Support
Ceres Investor Network
Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility
Reproductive Healthcare Investors Alliance
Other Resources for Responsible Investing
How to Align Financial Investments to Improve the Lives of Women and Girls (UPenn- Wharton)
Gender Equality in the U.S (Equileap)