Report Holds Promise For Investors And Poor Families
This post was originally produced for Forbes.
“Wealth has never been so concentrated as it is today, while families find it increasingly difficult to climb the ladder of prosperity,” says Anne Mosle, the lead author on a new impact investing report from Ascend, a family-focused effort at the Aspen Institute, “The Bottom Line: Impacting Investing for Economic Mobility in the US.” She adds, “32 million children live in low-income families and one in four lives in poverty. This disparity points to the urgent need to enlist all sectors in breaking the cycle of poverty.”
Mosle describes the cause of this cycle, saying, “The reality is that our systems have not kept pace with the dramatic shifts in family structure and demographics.”
Striking a more hopeful note, Mosle notes, ”When we think about what it takes to meet the needs of today’s families, we believe there is an opportunity to harness the creative energy, experience, and results-oriented approach of the private sector, and tap into a substantial amount of investment capital, as a way to tackle society’s most nettlesome problems.”
“The Aspen Institute survey found several promising trends in the kinds of projects impact investments are financing. For example, the survey found a significant amount of investment capital — nearly $3 billion worth — is advancing economic mobility for families,” she concluded, noting a specific finding of her report.
On Thursday, December 11, 2014 at 3:00 PM, Mosle will join me for live discussion about her report and its implications for families and investors. Tune in here then to watch the interview live.
More about Ascend:
Ascend at the Aspen Institute is the hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move children and their parents toward educational success and economic security. Ascend was founded in 2010 with the vision of an America in which a legacy of economic security and educational success passes from one generation to the next. Ascend has been a national leader in catalyzing a two-generation approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. Ascend is a policy program of the Aspen Institute, an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. The Institute’s mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues.
Anne Mosle
Mosle’s bio:
Anne Mosle is a vice president at the Aspen Institute and executive director of Ascend at the Aspen Institute. She is a leading thinker, advocate, and voice in building pathways to opportunity for low-income families and women. With more than 20 years’ experience in policy and philanthropy, Anne has been recognized as Washingtonian of the Year, Ms. Magazine Woman to Watch, and as Visionary Philanthropist. She is also an author of The Shriver Report: A Woman’s Nation Pushes Back from the Brink.
In her current role at the Aspen Institute, she directs Ascend, the national hub for breakthrough ideas and collaborations that move vulnerable children and their parents towards educational success and economic security. Ascend has been a national leader in catalyzing a two-generation approach to breaking the cycle of poverty. Under Anne’s leadership, Ascend has launched a national values-based fellowship program and a national two-generation network, and is investing $1.5 million in promising programs and policy solutions. In all its work, Ascend engages the voices of families and diverse leaders.
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