Growing communities of financial activists are following a calling for healing and justice and collaborating to create long-term well-being for all.
They’re working to end the extractive practices that cause immense human suffering and severely damage the natural world. And they’re advancing a new form of activism, one in which financial and social capital are used as powerful tools to effect positive and lasting change.
JEI connects, supports and educates leaders who are working to shift the flow of capital and power to solve pressing social and environmental problems. Through JEI, these leaders learn new strategies and approaches and share ideas, resources and connections. With stronger skills, relationships and confidence, they challenge the extractive economy, build community wealth and support healthy systems.
JEI programs include:
- A nine-month fellowship: a learning and leadership program and community of practice
- Alumni support: gatherings, advisory support, coaching and connections
- Field building/ecosystem support: sharing insights, resources, strategies, tools and practices
- Our Money, Ourselves: an online gathering for women and gender-expansive people who are activating capital for systemic change
We focus on:
- the inner work that deepens self-awareness and the capacity to collaborate skillfully
- the practical work of using financial and social capital to create community wealth and support healthy systems
- the collective work of building power to drive lasting, positive change
Joining an active community of thought leaders and change makers, Fellows become part of an influential and innovative network of leaders.
They learn about ways to activate the positive potential of capital from a group of experts in the field. And they gain an essential understanding of the mindset and culture needed to support the re-thinking of the purpose of wealth.
The nine-month fellowship program consists of three in-person immersions, ten online sessions, one-on-one advisor calls, online resources, peer coaching and Creative Capital Projects. The program is grounded in an understanding of the current extractive economic system and the ways capital can be used to effect systemic change. Fellows explore their relationship with money, discover new ways to create community wealth and gain clarity on the work they’ve been called to do.
JEI faculty, speakers and one-on-one advisors are experts in social movement investing, integrated capital, community wealth building, regenerative agriculture, investor/donor organizing and transformational leadership. JEI convenes and educates diverse cohorts of Fellows to help them gain more clarity and confidence in their leadership, catalyze new collaborations and share strategies to support the well-being of all people and the planet.
Fellows
The work of capital activation requires creative, intelligent and passionate leaders who have the skills needed to navigate power, conflict and possibility. Each year, cohorts of up to 28 Fellows participate in JEI’s fellowship program.
JEI currently supports 182 Fellows and alumni who have:
- a deep commitment to effect positive change and create a just economy
- the ability to influence the flow of financial and social capital
- a clear desire to learn and grow, both personally and professionally
- strong emotional intelligence
Program Topics
The nine-month fellowship program is relational and experiential. It evolves every year based on the needs of Fellows and the field. Current concepts and discussion topics include:
- Financial Activism: Shifting the Flow of Capital and Power
- A History of Extractive Capitalism in the U.S.
- Integrated Capital: Strategies and Case Studies
- Catalytic Capital for Soil Health and other Climate Solutions
- Money, Race and Power: Examining Beliefs and Assumptions
- Community Wealth Building: Models and Approaches
- Social Movement Investing: Strategies and Examples
- The Power of Relationships: Connecting, Learning and Bridging
- Whole Portfolio Activation: Strategic Investing
- Transformational Leadership: Effective Practices for Change Agents
JEI Team, Faculty and Facilitators
Deb Nelson, JEI; Esther Park, Cienega Capital & #NoRegrets Initiative; Tina Beck, JEI; Yichen Feng, LUNAR; Akaya Windwood, Third Act & New Universal; Keoni Lee, Hawai’i Investment Ready; Aisha Nyandoro, Springboard To Opportunities & Magnolia Mother’s Trust; Maddy Clark, JEI.
Presenters/Educators
Esther Park & Sallie Calhoun, #NoRegrets Initiative; Rajasvini Bhansali, Solidaire Network; Dana Bezerra; Donna Daniels, Possibility Labs; Deborah Frieze & Betty Francisco, Boston Impact Initiative; Rachel Robasciotti, Adasina Social Capital; Ruth Shaber, Tara Health Foundation; Dawn McGee, Goodworks Ventures; Robert Trent Vinson, Woodson Institute for African American and African Studies; Tzeporah Berman, Stand.earth; Mateo Nube, Movement Generation; Farhad Ebrahimi, Chorus Foundation; Aaron Tanaka & Nadav David, Center for Economic Democracy.
JEI & ICI
The Just Economy Institute (JEI) was formerly called the Integrated Capital Institute (ICI). ICI was incubated by RSF Social Finance and launched in 2017. In 2021, JEI launched as an independent institute and a fiscally sponsored project of Possibility Labs, a nonprofit 501(c)(3).
