Above image courtesy of:\u00a0 The Christensen Fund works to support Indigenous Peoples in advancing their inherent rights, dignity and self-determination.<\/h5>\n
The Christensen Fund, a private grantmaking foundation created in 1957 by Allen D. and Carmen M. Christensen, supported the arts and cultural preservation around the world through the late 1990s. Beginning in the early 2000s, the organization shifted its focus to biocultural diversity, supporting local initiatives in select priority regions around the world with unique heritage in an effort to sustain planetary diversity. Following a series of collaborative and consultative discussions with partners, in 2021 The Christensen Fund narrowed its focus explicitly on supporting Indigenous Peoples in advancing their inherent rights, dignity, and self-determination. We coined this as our organizational \u201cPurpose\u201d, rather than our \u201cMission\u201d, because of the traumatic, colonial history of the Catholic missions in California, where we are based.<\/span><\/p>\n Indigenous Peoples have been purposefully excluded from participation in economic activities around the world. Discriminatory and predatory lending practices have kept Indigenous communities from being able to access capital that is critical to building wealth. For this reason, we determined that for our foundation to achieve the desired impact, we had to go beyond our grantmaking and assess how our foundation\u2019s endowment could be more effectively activated in pursuit of our Purpose.<\/span><\/p>\n The Christensen Fund has long considered how its assets could create positive impact beyond our grantmaking. In the mid-2010s, our Board and Investment Committee piloted multiple small-scale initiatives, including one Program Related Investment, several Mission-Related Investments, and a shareholder activism program. We also began a fossil-fuel divestment initiative.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n![\"Carla](\"https:\/\/test.greenmoney.com\/2025\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/01\/Carla-Fredericks-and-Matt-Aguiar-of-The-Christensen-Fund.png\")
For centuries, Indigenous Peoples and communities have been colonized, stolen from, discriminated against, marginalized, and neglected. To restore economic justice, investors and capital-holders must consider this history and reality, and then determine if, how, and when they will take action to facilitate a reimagined, inclusive economic future. Investment opportunities exist to support this transition and promote Indigenous economic livelihoods.<\/span><\/p>\nOur Journey<\/span><\/h2>\n