Strategy in the Context of Crisis

As I wrote last month, to say that we are living in extraordinary times would be an understatement. We are in the midst of a triple crisis - health, economic, and climate - and the world is facing an enormous amount of uncertainty, straining families, communities, companies, and markets.

The COVID-19 pandemic is fast-moving and we can’t predict what is going to happen next, but as an organization, we are committed to working through this crisis with the transparency and dedication to solutions that is standard operating procedure at Calvert Impact Capital. We are not first responders, but our work provides vital support for communities and is more urgent than ever as the world demands that we build back better.

Our new 2020 – 2022 Strategy, linked below, did not anticipate a crisis like the one we now find ourselves facing and while the world has changed significantly since we developed this strategy, its focus on the need for bold, urgent action in response to our shared global challenges has become even more relevant. Our strategy was developed with the recognition that we don’t have much time, and that we must move bigger, move faster, and move together if we hope to change our financial system to value people and planet over short-term profits.

All our work is anchored in the same core purpose: to use capital, in innovative and collaborative ways, to create a more equitable and sustainable world. In this new operating reality that the COVID-19 crisis has introduced, we are keeping two key questions front of mind:

• How can we help our borrowers stay strong and address needs in their communities, while remaining good stewards of our investors’ capital?

• How can we leverage our market position and resources to partner with others and help build the infrastructure for capital to move quickly to communities in need?

There is no new rule book for this situation, but we know we must be flexible and action-oriented. We rely on the strength of our mission and our strategy, as well as the talent and the agency of our teams to tackle new challenges as they arise. We are working with partners to develop new solutions, leveraging our collective networks and expertise to support community-focused small businesses and nonprofits in the U.S. and internationally.

This crisis is and will continue to be devastating for individuals and communities on many levels. But it has also shined a light onto the flaws of our economic system and has created urgency to fix it. There is an opportunity for big, powerful change that we cannot waste. Being part of the solution to the global challenge before us has never been more important and we are committed to working together on solutions to create a better future for us all.