Solution Series: Socially Responsible Investing

Socially responsible investing (SRI) targets the world’s most pressing challenges—scarce resources, climate change, poverty, human rights, diversity, and economic inequality. An astonishing $12 trillion–more than one out of every four dollars under management in the U.S. — is invested based on SRI strategies.

What is the responsibility of business? What motivates socially responsible investors? How is impact measured? A distinguished panel of experts addressed these and other key questions in a spirited and highly informative discussion at The Fedcap Group’s spring Solution Series on March 26th at The Westin New York Grand Central. The panel included:

• Christina L Alfandary, Managing Director ESG and Sustainable Investments, GAMCO Investors, Inc.

• Robert Brown, Senior Partner and Founder-Atlas Impact Partners

• Martin Whittaker, CEO, JUST Capital

A full house of business partners, supporters, board members and representatives of foundations, academia and NYC agencies attended the event.

Robert Brown provided an interesting history of SRI and a hopeful vision for its future, which will likely see more companies embracing impact investing principles as a core value and more rigorous frameworks for measuring impact. “Establishing and focusing on a set of SRI criteria is good for business and should just be part of what a company does. I would like to see more companies set and implement standards that reflect their values and move beyond aspirational statements to actual implementation,” he said.

Christina Alfandary, the author of a seminal paper about ESG, said that millennials are driving interest in impact investing because they see ESG issues as their own — if they don’t address challenges such as climate change it could be too late by the time their generation is in charge of government policy. More companies are recognizing that they need to be part of the solution, to embrace long-term thinking and a bottom line that includes both profits and impact.

“Social impact investing still has a long way to go to truly make a difference. What is needed is more cross-collaboration between the public and private sectors. Leveraging private capital markets is imperative to address these issues,” she said.

A fundamental question is how we define the social contract between markets and the society they serve. Martin Whittaker said that the vision articulated by economist Milton Friedman — that the only social responsibility of business was to increase its profits – doesn’t serve the needs of communities and is not good business. A growing number of companies recognize the vital role they can play in addressing society’s challenges and are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their culture.

“I am optimistic. There is a growing number of investors demanding impact information, sustainability criteria, and the trends suggest we are moving in the right direction.”

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July 18, 2019August 28, 2019

Fedcap Career Design School Graduation–a Moving Celebration of the Power of Possible!

Wednesday, June 26th, marked a day of celebration as over 170 graduates of the Career Design School marched across the John Jay College stage to receive their certificates of achievement in Security, Home Health, Culinary Arts, Customer Service, Total Facilities Management, and Document Imaging/Office Administration. Cheered on by over 500 friends and family, the graduates celebrate new beginnings as they join the workforce and march toward economic well-being and security.

“It is one of my favorite days of the year,” said Christine McMahon, President and CEO of The Fedcap Group. “While our graduates are earning certificates in their chosen vocational areas, these certificates represent so much more. So many have overcome challenges to get to that stage. It is a thrill to honor the graduates’ achievements.”

Graduation featured speeches by three Career Design School participants, Devon Liburd, Jenny Medina, and Dominique Santos, who inspired their fellow graduates and the audience with stories of their journeys to the stage.

“It is so moving to see their joy and to see the graduates’ families and loved ones cheer them on,” said Donald Harreld, Senior Vice-president of the Education practice area. “They have many reasons to be proud of themselves, and we are so proud of them, too.”

Graduation is a pathway to sustainable employment and a better life–it is the Power of Possible in action.

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June 21, 2019September 27, 2019

Fedcap School 2019 Graduation

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On June 11th the Fedcap School held its annual Graduation ceremony, with 11 students receiving their high school diploma. Graduation capped a great year for The Fedcap School, with one of our largest enrollments to date and a remarkable graduating class. Two students have been accepted to William Patterson University and will matriculate in the fall! Each graduate overcame significant barriers to earn their high school diplomas. It is tremendously uplifting to see these terrific young people succeed academically and begin their journey as adults, stronger and prepared to succeed as they transition to adulthood.

To celebrate Graduation, several students wrote, performed and produced an innovative and inspiring music video in the school’s state-of-the-art recording engineering studio. The video–entitled No Limit–highlights the importance of never quitting, never giving up as you pursue your dream. It is extraordinary!

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June 20, 2019September 27, 2019

Creating Economic Opportunities through Food: Fedcap Rehabilitation

Name: Fedcap Rehabilitation

What They Do: Founded in 1935, Fedcap Rehabilitation provides an array of services to youth and adults helping thousands each year graduate from high school, obtain vocational certification or a college degree, become work ready, obtain meaningful employment and achieve long term economic well-being. The organization is a standard-bearer in the field of vocational rehabilitation. Training people with disabilities and other barriers to achieving competitive employment has been at the core of their mission for more than 75 years. Fedcap Rehabilitation is a member of The Fedcap Group, a global network of nonprofit agencies dedicated to advancing the economic and social well-being of the impoverished and disadvantaged.

The Career Design School at Fedcap Rehabilitation offers a variety of vocational training programs. One of the most popular programs is Culinary Arts, which is housed at the Food Arts Center (FAC) in Midtown Manhattan, in a newly built state-of-the-art commercial kitchen. At the FAC, students prepare for their future careers in the food industry and learn a broad spectrum of culinary applications including food safety and kitchen sanitation, preparation of appetizers, salads, entrees, sandwiches, vegetables, pastas, soups, sauces, and baked goods to name a few. The students also learn about basic nutrition, kitchen operations, and customer service. The goal is to prepare students for entry-level positions in restaurants, catering companies, specialty food stores, corporate dining locations, and other food service establishments.

Since its inception in 2000, 486 students have completed the program with a 72 percent rate of successful job placement. Graduates have obtained jobs with Restaurant Associates, Red Rooster, Witchcraft, Subway, and numerous other New York City area restaurants, bakeries and caterers.

How They Do It: Before enrolling in a training program, potential participants must be referred by a state vocational rehabilitation agency such as New York’s ACCES-VR (which also provides funding for the program) or New Jersey’s DVR. The culinary training is 600 hours in length, which includes an internship in the community. Once training is completed, Fedcap Rehabilitation provides job placement assistance, including interview and resume preparation, placement counseling, and practical workshops that give graduates the skills and savvy to negotiate professional environments and employer expectations. And after they are hired, the organization offers individualized support and counseling program to help them navigate the transition to the workforce.

Mission: To create opportunities for people with barriers to economic well-being

Latest project/campaign: The FAC social enterprise, which employs graduates of the Culinary Arts program, has recently been selected and rewarded a fee-for-service grant by JP Morgan Chase’s Global Philanthropy division to provide catering service for The Fellowship Initiative program.

Major Funding: Contracts and grants

Profit/nonprofit: Nonprofit

Annual Revenue: 80 million USD

Interesting fact about how they are working to positively affect the food system: Almost 13 percent of the U.S. population lives with a disability, and roughly half of this group are over the age of 65. The National Council on Disability reports that 12 percent of the working-age population have a disability, out of which 32 percent are employed. They represent more than half of all people in long-term poverty and are twice as likely to work only part-time and often for subminimum wages. The inadequacy of disability services coupled with discriminatory employment practices increase the likelihood of poverty for this demographic.

Fedcap Rehabilitation is helping the chronically unemployed enter and remain in the workforce. It is inspiring those with special needs to dream big dreams and succeed and is working to create a more inclusive and diverse food system.

FACT SHEET

Location:633 Third Avenue, 6th Floor New York, NY 10017
Core Programs: Vocational Rehabilitation, Training and Job Placement; Mental Health Services
Number of staff: N/A
Number of volunteers: N/A
Areas served: New York City, Washington, D.C., and parts of New Jersey
Year Started: 1935
Director/Founder: Steve Coons
Contact Information: info@fedcap.org
Website: https://www.fedcap.org

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June 9, 2019September 27, 2019

For Students with Disabilities, These Cooking Classes Empower

Fedcap Rehabilitation provides free culinary training, food handling certification and a small stipend to students with disabilities.

At 11 a.m. on the third floor of a building in Midtown, a commercial kitchen hums. A group of cooks wearing black chef coats methodically chop vegetables next to a stack of wooden pallets loaded with fresh produce.

The scene could be a kitchen gearing up for dinner service or a buzzing incubator, but it’s neither. The folks preparing food are enrolled in the culinary arts program at Fedcap Rehabilitation (or just Fedcap, as it’s called), a nonprofit organization founded in 1935 by and for people with disabilities.

Originally founded in New York City as the Federation of the Crippled and Disabled, today’s Fedcap now also operates in parts of New Jersey and Washington, DC, and serves anyone with a physical or mental limitation that, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), hinders “major life activities.” This includes people with a history of disability who may not currently be disabled, and the ADA does not specifically name all of the qualifying impairments.

The culinary arts program was founded in 2000 to provide free culinary training, food handling certification and a small stipend to students in a nurturing environment where they can develop professional skills and build confidence without fear of harassment or discrimination. This type of vocational training isn’t unique to Fedcap Rehabilitation, but given the structural barriers for the individuals they serve, the diligence of Fedcap’s work stands out: 486 students have graduated from the program with a 72 percent rate of successful job placement.

“The smells, the sounds, everything about it—I can lose myself here and I don’t have to think about how I’m depressed. I don’t have to think about my anxiety and paranoia, or if I’m doing anything wrong and people are watching me,” says Jonathan Colon, a 28-year-old Bronx native who came to the program in early 2018 on his therapist’s recommendation. Working in the kitchen has been “more therapeutic than anything else I’ve done,” he tells me.

Originally published in Edible Manhattan by Leah Kirts on June 7, 2019

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April 22, 2019September 27, 2019

Wildcat 2019 Spring Cocktail Party

Wildcat’s 2019 Spring Cocktail Party will take place on June 5th at the Mezzanine, at 55 Broadway, between 6-9 pm.

During the evening we will present Herb Sturz with the Amalia Betanzos Distinguished Service Award — named for Wildcat’s first CEO and legendary public servant. Herb’s long history in fighting for the impoverished and disenfranchised has made its mark on this city and beyond. Herb is a visionary social entrepreneur and the founder or co-founder of Wildcat, ReServe, TASC, the Center for Court Innovation, Project Renewal, Vera Institute of Justice, Neighborhood Improvement Project and many other organizations. He served as NYC Deputy Mayor for Criminal Justice and Chairman of the NYC Planning Commission.

Each year we present our WorkStar™ award to a business partner that is a leader in hiring people with barriers. This year’s awardee is The Trust for Governor’s Island, which oversees the island’s 150 acres and is spearheading its transformation into a vibrant resource for NYC. The Spring Cocktail Party is a great opportunity to catch up with old friends and meet new ones, while celebrating the important work of Wildcat.

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March 27, 2019September 27, 2019

Solution Series: Socially Responsible Investing

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What is the responsibility of business? What motivates socially responsible investors? How is impact measured? A distinguished panel of experts addressed these and other key questions in a spirited and highly informative discussion at The Fedcap Group’s spring Solution Series on March 26th at The Westin New York Grand Central. The panel included:

• Christina L Alfandary, Managing Director ESG and Sustainable Investments, GAMCO Investors, Inc.

• Robert Brown, Senior Partner and Founder-Atlas Impact Partners

• Martin Whittaker, CEO, JUST Capital

A full house of business partners, supporters, board members and representatives of foundations, academia and NYC agencies attended the event.

Robert Brown provided an interesting history of SRI and a hopeful vision for its future, which will likely see more companies embracing impact investing principles as a core value and more rigorous frameworks for measuring impact. “Establishing and focusing on a set of SRI criteria is good for business and should just be part of what a company does. I would like to see more companies set and implement standards that reflect their values and move beyond aspirational statements to actual implementation,” he said.

Christina Alfandary, the author of a seminal paper about ESG, said that millennials are driving interest in impact investing because they see ESG issues as their own — if they don’t address challenges such as climate change it could be too late by the time their generation is in charge of government policy. More companies are recognizing that they need to be part of the solution, to embrace long-term thinking and a bottom line that includes both profits and impact.

“Social impact investing still has a long way to go to truly make a difference. What is needed is more cross-collaboration between the public and private sectors. Leveraging private capital markets is imperative to address these issues,” she said.

A fundamental question is how we define the social contract between markets and the society they serve. Martin Whittaker said that the vision articulated by economist Milton Friedman — that the only social responsibility of business was to increase its profits – doesn’t serve the needs of communities and is not good business. A growing number of companies recognize the vital role they can play in addressing society’s challenges and are the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into their culture.

“I am optimistic. There is a growing number of investors demanding impact information, sustainability criteria, and the trends suggest we are moving in the right direction.”

Like this article?

March 14, 2019September 27, 2019

Christine McMahon–Celebration of 10 Years of Service

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Congratulations to Christine McMahon, our President and CEO, for 10 years of extraordinarily impactful service!

A celebration to honor Christine’s first (we hope) decade of service took place on Monday, March 11th at 210 W. 43rd Street. Supporters, board members, business partners, leadership and staff gathered to recognize Christine’s transformative leadership and remarkable accomplishments–14 agency combinations, expansion of services into 22 states, $260 million in revenue and 700,000 lives impacted.

Shared laughter and fond memories made for a wonderful evening, with anecdotes and stories that reflected a deep appreciation for a leader who has a compassionate heart and fostered a collaborative culture of high expectation, innovation, loyalty and shared sense of mission. Testimonials to Chris’ leadership noted her deep personal connection to the mission of The Fedcap Group; her ability to ask the difficult questions; her vision; the passion, intellect and energy she brings to her work, and her unwavering ability to inspire everyone in the organization to aspire to excellence.

Longtime Board Member Peter Panken summed up the sentiment of all those gathered in the room: “We in the Fedcap family are lucky to have you. You are a wonderful force for good and we truly love you.”

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November 28, 2018September 30, 2019

2018 Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala

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“Your aspirations are your possibilities.” — Samuel Johnson

There is no greater gift than to serve—to make a difference in the lives of people in need. Thanks to the support of our Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala from our communtiy of stakeholders, many more young people and adults are on the path to economic and social wellbeing.

The theme of this year’s Gala was Innovation to Impact—a recognition of the energy and commitment that drive The Fedcap Group every day to deliver proven services, solve systemic problems and demonstrate the Power of Possible. A spirit of community and common cause permeated the event on Monday, November 26th at Cipriani in Manhattan, as colleagues and friends from across our agencies gathered to celebrate a year of impact and innovation. The Gala marked the launch of The Fedcap Group, a significant milestone in our collective history. Our growing international footprint of agencies now impacts the lives of more than 300,000 people annually, delivering measurable shifts in economic self-sufficiency for individuals in need. We are stronger together and united in our mission-driven purpose.

The evening was rich in highlights. Our beloved colleague Peter Panken received The Leo Mayer Award for Distinguished Service. Peter retired this year from the practice of law, and we are thrilled that he plans to continue his longstanding service to Fedcap. Longtime partner and supporter Mutual of America was presented with our Outstanding Corporate Services Partner Award. A special moment of recognition honored Tom Moran, former president, chairman and CEO of MOA who passed away in August. Tom was a great philanthropist and longtime champion of The Fedcap Group. He will be greatly missed.

We honored remarkable individuals whose resilience and courage allowed them to overcome significant barriers and put themselves on the path to realizing their full potential. We heard from board members and leaders from across The Fedcap Group and distinguished guests including John Greed, president and CEO of Mutual America. Thank you for supporting the Power of Possible. These powerful words serve as the foundation for what we do every single day across The Fedcap Group.

When you believe that achieving a dream is possible, and when you are inspired by those around you to aim high, dreams become reality.

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November 20, 2018September 30, 2019

2018 Year End Financial and Programmatic Results

On Tuesday December 11th from 11 a.m.-noon, The Fedcap Group will present the eighth in a series of bi-annual webinars to discuss financial and operating results for year-end FY18. The webinar series is designed to provide key stakeholders with regular and timely disclosures about financial and operational performance, mission-related impact, and trends and challenges for The Fedcap Group. The webinar series underscores our commitment to fiscal transparency. To join the webinar on the day of the event, please click on the date saver below. To our knowledge these financial and operational releases are among the first in in the nonprofit sector. We hope that we are establishing a benchmark for other nonprofits.

Solution Series: Socially Responsible Investing

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Fedcap Career Design School Graduation–a Moving Celebration of the Power of Possible!

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Fedcap School 2019 Graduation

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Creating Economic Opportunities through Food: Fedcap Rehabilitation

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For Students with Disabilities, These Cooking Classes Empower

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Wildcat 2019 Spring Cocktail Party

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Solution Series: Socially Responsible Investing

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Christine McMahon–Celebration of 10 Years of Service

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2018 Celebration of the Power of Possible Gala

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2018 Year End Financial and Programmatic Results

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