Prebys is committed to using every financial tool at its disposal to drive change in San Diego. There are many ways to do this. We make mission-related investments, use program-related investments, and we ensure that our investments meet our environmental, social, and governance goals. This ensures that our resources not only deliver financial returns but also generate lasting social impact aligned with our vision for a more inclusive and equitable community.
The Conrad Prebys Foundation is fully committed to using all of its financial resources to drive change. In addition to traditional grantmaking, the foundation employs three financial investment tools to advance our vision of an inclusive, equitable, and dynamic future for all San Diegans:
By integrating these impact investing strategies, Prebys ensures that all of our resources are working toward the common goal of a stronger, more equitable San Diego.
Public Statements of Belief
At the Prebys Foundation, we are committed to exploring, supporting, and investing in businesses that operate with a high level of social and environmental consciousness. Our investments are rooted in the following beliefs:
We believe that the Prebys Foundation should invest in innovation in the areas that we care about, which include accessibility and inclusivity.
We believe that mission-aligned investing is a spectrum, not a binary. Each investment should be considered as either more or less mission-aligned than the investment that is being liquidated to fund it.
We believe that sacrificing liquidity can help us achieve our goals.
We believe that owning stocks does create impact, and we believe that active stock selection can help us achieve our goals.
We do not believe in broad-based investment restrictions. Instead, we believe in the nuanced analysis of each investment opportunity to determine whether it suits our mission-related objectives.
We believe that we should collaborate with a wide variety of partners to help us achieve our mission-related investing goals. Relatedly, we believe that the Prebys Foundation should join a community of practice with other organizations that do mission-related investing.
We believe that the Prebys Foundation should strive to serve as a role model for other investors to emulate. To that end, we believe that we should talk publicly about our mission-related investing efforts, including our mistakes, in the spirit of sharing and field-building.
We intend to focus on investment opportunities that offer market-rate returns and make a positive impact:
Whereas traditional venture funds typically digest the first 20 percent of returns, Prebys Ventures will reinvest returns back into the regional economy. Our goal is to create a sustainable and exponentially growing vehicle that invests into the San Diego community in perpetuity.
Gil Alvarado is the Chief Financial and Investment Officer (CFIO) of the Prebys Foundation, where he helps steward a $1.2 billion portfolio with an eye toward both strong returns and strong community ...
