About Phillips
Aligning Our Investments with Our Values
We seek to steward every dollar for good.
As many foundations have modeled before us and through our own experience, we know there doesn’t have to be a trade-off between doing good and doing well.
Phillips Foundation executes a values-alignment strategy across all asset classes of its endowment’s diversified portfolio while maintaining market-rate returns. Each investment opportunity is evaluated by dual CIOs — a Chief Investment Officer and a Chief Impact Officer — to ensure our corpus’ deployed capital will “First, do no harm.” We primarily seek investable opportunities that achieve measurable social and/or environmental benefit alongside competitive financial returns.
Between Generational Grantmaking cycles, we favor impact investing tools like Program-Related Investments (PRIs) over traditional grants as our preferred vehicle to achieve sustainable impact through our annual 5 percent charitable distribution amount. For more information on impact investing, please visit our Impact Investing Think Tank®.
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Our History, Our Future
Building on a legacy of ingenuity
and intentionality
Phillips Foundation is a private family foundation and catalytic capital platform that leverages its assets to maximize social, environmental and financial value.
Following the entrepreneurial legacy of founder Kermit G. Phillips II, the Foundation conceived a first-of-its-kind Generational Grantmaking strategy in 2013, launched two original programs in 2016, and now leverages its full endowment for good through impact investing.
Generating meaningful social, environmental and financial outcomes in unison, the Foundation uses tools beyond traditional grantmaking for sustainable impact with its annual distribution and endowment. We seek only to profit from investments that “First, do no harm” and are aligned with the Foundation’s values.
Milestones
Snapshots of the journey
2002
Kermit G. Phillips II creates the Kermit G. Phillips II Charitable Trust as a vehicle for family philanthropy.2013
Mr. Phillips’ estate funds the endowment of the Kermit G. Phillips II Charitable Trust.2013
Trustees appoint Elizabeth Carlock Phillips as Executive Director of the Kermit G. Phillips II Charitable Trust, and it begins operating as the Phillips Foundation.2013
Announces Generational Grantmaking strategy to serve as lead donor to a slate of once-in-a-generation opportunities in Greensboro/Guilford County, North Carolina.2014-2015
Continues to identify and announce Generational Grants to historic public-private partnerships in Greensboro/Guilford County.2015
Pilot impact investment with corpus funds is successful and Trustees approve a “Total Portfolio Activation” approach to align 100 percent of endowment assets toward impact.2016
Impact Investing Think Tank® and Healthy Relationships Initiative™ launch as the first original programs of the Phillips Foundation.2016
Phillips Foundation opens an office in Dallas, Texas.2017
Generational Grantmaking cycle concludes as the Foundation announces a focus on field building and strategic initiatives, original programs, and impact investing vehicles, such as Program-Related Investments (PRIs) and Mission-Related Investments (MRIs).2018
Impact Investing Think Tank® continues convenings in North Carolina and Texas. The Foundation makes several impact investments and continues participating in field-building efforts.2019
Give as We Grow® launches as an original program of the Foundation. DEMO site goes live as a free family destination for philanthropic education and tracking. Community Investment Guarantee Pool launches.2020
The Foundation makes an unprecedented exception to its Generational Grants cycle to release $500,000 for COVID-19 relief efforts in Guilford County, NC. It also launches the RealityCheckIt.org social media campaign as a new strategic initiative.Leadership
Diverse perspectives with a shared vision
Kevin Phillips
Trustee and Chairman
Keith Phillips
Trustee
Kat Phillips
Trustee
Elizabeth Carlock Phillips
Executive Director
Ashley Rodriguez
Executive Assistant
Bert Davis
Chief Investment Officer
Catherine Burnett
Advisor, Impact Investing
Endel Liias
Senior Fellow, Impact Investing Think Tank™
Erica Hall Shields
Managing Director
Kate Kirk
Director of Finance and Accounting
Kate Knight
Sr. Director of Impact Investing Programs
Lauren Baldwin
Director of Strategic Initiatives
Emma Goff
Program and Operations Coordinator
Phillips Foundation is a private family foundation and catalytic capital platform that leverages its assets to maximize social, environmental and financial value.
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