2024 IMPACT & SUSTAINABILITY REFLECTION

This past year has been one of growth, alignment, and renewed focus on what truly matters—creating meaningful impact for our clients, our communities, and the world around us. From advancing sustainable investment strategies to supporting impactful philanthropic efforts, we are proud of what we’ve achieved as a team. In this annual impact reflection, we celebrate the progress we’ve made and reaffirm our commitment to driving positive change in the years to come.

B CORP RECERTIFIED

We are proud to announce that we successfully recertified as a B Corp this year! Every three years B Corp certified companies are required to recertify which involves retaking the “B Impact Assessment”, an evaluation of a company’s positive impact, and pass a risk review, an evaluation of a company’s negative impact. This milestone reflects our unwavering commitment to using business as a force for good and continuously striving to make a positive impact on all our stakeholders. We will strive to improve upon our score across all impact areas over the next three years!

SUSTAINABILITY

Our commitment to sustainability and responsible investing has continued to guide our decision-making and define our approach. We’ve worked diligently to integrate environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles across our investment strategies, driving positive outcomes for both our clients and the planet. As we reflect on our progress, we are excited to share highlights that demonstrate our commitment to advancing sustainable investment practices and long-term impact.

As of the end of 2024, using MSCI ESG data, the equities and funds utilized in our investment models continue to avoid any ESG laggards, and similarly to last year, have approximately one third of our investments ranking as ESG leaders. We are also proud to note that the fund’s alignment with UN SDG exposures increased significantly from 2023, highlighting our commitment to purpose-driven investment strategies. Our top six UN SDG exposures include alignment with: 1) Industries, Innovation & Infrastructure, 2) Zero hunger, 3) Decent Work & Economic Growth, 4) Clean Water & Sanitation, 5) Reducing inequality within & among countries, and 6) Gender Equality.

FIRE CAPITAL IMPACT FUND

It is the fourth year of the Fire Capital Impact Fund, as part of the Pledge 1% movement and as a certified B-Corp, we continued to support causes that align with our team’s values. This year our team decided to support five great organizations, focusing on:

• Increasing access & diversity in finance
• Financial literacy/education
• Women and girls' empowerment
• Environmental initiatives

Three of the organizations are ones we have continued to support over the last few years and two are new additions to our giving efforts.

1. Children’s Book Project’s mission is to create a more socially just world by providing books for free to children from under-resourced communities in San Francisco. They provide a variety of literacy programs and collect donations of new and like-new books for children of all ages in their “Book Bank”. Teachers, caseworkers, and other staff of organizations who work with children from under-served communities can select the books they need for the children they serve, many of whom have never owned a book.
2. First Tee San Francisco empowers kids and teens through the game of golf, enabling them to build character and face new challenges throughout their lives. First Tee is a youth development organization that integrates golf with life skills curriculum.
3. Pace Leon Center for Girls provides girls and young women an opportunity for a better future through holistic social, academic, and career-building services. Pace specializes in supporting girls who are struggling and who have experienced some form of trauma, to get their grades back on track, learn in a safe and supportive environment, get along better with friends and family, and plan for a productive future. We’ve chosen Pace’s Center in Tallahassee, FL where our Director of Investment Strategy is based.
4. Save the Bay approaches Bay Area environmental restoration and relief through three strategies: advocate, restore, and educate. Through these lenses, the organization seeks to protect Bay Area communities by supporting affordable housing and transportation, restoration of vital wetlands, and strategies to circumvent the negative impacts of rising sea levels. Additionally, Save the Bay looks towards the future as they provide STEM educational opportunities for Bay Area Youth.
5. Young Investors Society (YIS) provides a free online high school enrichment curriculum that teaches financial literacy through interactive courses, lessons, and programs that teach the fundamentals of earning money, saving, budgeting, banking, investing, and career exploration. The YIS Access Initiative provides these programs to schools in under-resourced communities.

GIVING BACK THROUGH VOLUNTEERING

For our team volunteer day this past year, we returned to the Raphael House in San Francisco, where we were able to support with shelter upkeep tasks and helped decorate the shelter for the holidays for the families and the staff. We enjoyed our experience there so much last year that we wanted to go back! The Raphael House is one of the first shelters serving low-income families experiencing homelessness in San Francisco and helps to provide personalized family-centered solutions for families to achieve stable housing and financial independence.

Over the last year, our team also deepened their involvement in a few different organizations. Our Managing Partner, Michael Firestone, became the Co-Chair of the San Francisco Foundation’s (SFF) Professional Advisors Council. Our Senior Investment Associate, William Reynolds, and Investment Assistant, Ryan Fujioka, also became more involved in SFF by joining their Emerging Advisors Network. William was selected to join the CFA Society San Francisco Young Leaders Council. Finally, our COO & Director of Social Impact, Alyssa Heath, joined the national board of directors for the International Association of Advisors in Philanthropy and received her Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy (CAP®) designation to further her ability to support clients with their philanthropic goals!

PHILANTHROPIC SUPPORT FOR OUR CLIENTS

We continued to partner with our clients to help them achieve their philanthropic goals, providing tailored support to maximize the impact of their giving. With nearly $1.8M granted by our clients to a diverse range of organizations and causes, we are always honored to play a role in advancing causes that matter deeply to them. We look forward to working with more clients to support their charitable giving/grantmaking strategy, charity research & due diligence, and foundation administration this coming year!

LOOKING AHEAD

We’ve made progress in expanding our foundation consulting services to provide outsourced Chief Investment Officer (OCIO) support. While this growth is still underway, we remain committed to helping foundations align their missions with their investment portfolios through impactful strategies. We are excited about the road ahead as we further develop this service.

As we step into 2025, we are filled with gratitude for our community of clients and partners who share our vision of driving meaningful change through thoughtful investments and philanthropy. Your dedication to making a positive difference fuels our work and inspires us to continually evolve in our mission. We’re excited to continue working together in the year ahead!