Croatan Institute

Social equity - croatan institute welcomed over 30 farmers, technical assistance providers, and investors to the inaugural farmer stakeholder meeting in north carolina to provide direct one-on-one support and access to new programs to support farmers and landowners' needs. Led 6th cohort of underserved farmers in north carolina, which included an in-person workshop day centered on personal financial security. Built the farmwise hub, a virtual platform offering free, online workshops along with one-to-one financial coaching to assist underserved farmers, ranchers, and landowners build strong financial systems that lead to greater resilience and improved access to wealth-building opportunities. Developed the north carolina equitable foodshed map, a resource to support farmers seeking technical assistance and financial support. Compiled a collection of usda resources and built an agritourism directory of small and underserved farms for the farmwise platform.

Transformative finance - croatan institute released a new raiser (research, action, and insights for social and environmental returns) tool to highlight the institute's rigorous investment research, including a powerful database of investable products across asset classes. Launched two publicly available datasets on the institute's website - a food and agriculture investment dataset highlighting investible opportunities advancing sustainable and regenerative agriculture, and a racial equity investing dataset highlighting investible products and advisors advancing equitable outcomes for communities and entrepreneurs of color. Hosted the blaise program's virtual learning week with over 80 student participants representing nearly fifty universities and colleges to learn from and network with twenty-eight industry leaders in the impact investing space.