For-profit

Blue Haven Initiative

Logo of blue haven initiative (link) by Blue Haven is licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (link)
Website:

www.bluehaveninitiative.com

Location:

Cambridge, MA

Type:

Social Impact Investment Firm

Founders:

Liesel Pritzker Simmons

Ian Simmons

Formation:

2012

Status:

For-Profit

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Blue Haven Initiative is an environmentalist-aligned “impact investing” firm associated with members of the wealthy and politically involved Pritzker family. Founded in 2012, the Initiative is one of the largest U.S.-based investment funds dedicated to generating financial returns and left-of-center social 1 and environmental changes. 2

The Initiative manages its funds for both financial performance and potential “public benefit.” 3 Its funds include investments across the innovation sector, emerging markets to “strengthen democracy,” 4 and a strong emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. 5 The Initiative also makes political and advocacy investments in the U.S. and abroad, with some grants geared towards left-of-center environmentalist issues including carbon pricing. 6

Blue Haven Initiative’s partners include the left-of-center Omidyar Network, Power Africa, Shell Foundation, U.S. Global Development Lab, GIIN, Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs, and others. 7

History and Leadership

Blue Haven Initiative was founded in 2012 and is based in Cambridge, Massachusetts. 8 9 The Initiative is one of the largest U.S.-based investment funds dedicated to generating financial returns and left-of-center social 10 and environmental changes. 11

The Blue Haven Initiative was co-founded by Democratic political donor Ian Simmons and his wife Liesel Pritzker Simmons, a member of the prominent Pritzker family of businesspeople and Democratic politicians. 12 13

Pritzker Simmons has a “passion for social justice” and joined left-of-center billionaire George Soros, Abigail Disney, Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes, and others to call for a wealth tax during the 2020 presidential campaign. 14 She has said that “systemic racial bias” has taken countless lives and led to everything from misallocated capital to untapped innovation 15 and expressed concern that the critical race theory-influenced concept of “racial justice” movements are not happening quickly enough. 16

In 2014, the couple attended an event hosted by the Obama administration at the White House which was focused on finding common ground between government actors and philanthropies. 17

Activities and Funding

Blue Haven Initiative is a left-of-center and environmentalist-aligned “impact investing” firm associated with members of the wealthy and politically involved Pritzker family. 18 19

The Initiative manages its funds for both financial performance and potential “public benefit.” 20 Its funds include investments across the innovation sector, emerging markets to “strengthen democracy,” 21 public equities through third-party managers, and gains exposure to fixed-income markets, with a strong emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa. 22 The Initiative also makes political and advocacy investments in the U.S. and abroad, with some grants geared towards left-of-center issues including carbon pricing and “strengthening democracy.” 23

Blue Haven Initiative’s partners include the left-of-center Omidyar Network, Power Africa, Shell Foundation, US Global Development Lab, GIIN, and Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs. 24

Activities and Funding

Blue Haven Initiative is a family practice and was initially funded by Ian Simmons and Liesel Pritzker Simmons. 25 26 The Initiative manages a $50 million portfolio of direct investments in the U.S. and sub-Saharan Africa in-house. 27 It also works with outside private portfolio managers and advisers like Goldman Sachs to deliver returns as a part of its ongoing investment portfolio. 28 29

References

  1. Longley, Liz. “How a Pritzker-Backed Philanthropy Channels Impact Investing Toward Private Schools in Ghana.” Inside Philanthropy. August 4, 2021. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/5/how-a-pritzker-backed-philanthropy-channels-impact-investing-toward-private-schools-in-ghana.
  2. Moran, Michael. “Can Global Regulators Save the EST Movement From Itself?” Foreign Policy. January 10, 2022. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/10/sustainablility-esg-investing-sec-gensler-greenwashing/.
  3. “A Total Portfolio Approach and a High Bar for Returns.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23. 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/strategy/.
  4.  “Blue Haven Civics.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/civics/.
  5.  “Blue Haven Ventures.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/ventures/.
  6. “Blue Haven Civics.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/civics/.
  7. “Informed Investing: It Takes a Team.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/partners/.
  8.  “Blue Haven Initiative LLC.” Bloomberg. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0914425D:US.
  9. “Blue Haven Initiative, LLC.” Better Business Bureau. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/cambridge/profile/investment-advisory-services/blue-haven-initiative-llc-0021-410341.
  10. Longley, Liz. “How a Pritzker-Backed Philanthropy Channels Impact Investing Toward Private Schools in Ghana.” Inside Philanthropy. August 4, 2021. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://www.insidephilanthropy.com/home/2021/8/5/how-a-pritzker-backed-philanthropy-channels-impact-investing-toward-private-schools-in-ghana.
  11. Moran, Michael. “Can Global Regulators Save the EST Movement From Itself?” Foreign Policy. January 10, 2022. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://foreignpolicy.com/2022/01/10/sustainablility-esg-investing-sec-gensler-greenwashing/.
  12. “Blue Haven Initiative LLC.” Bloomberg. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0914425D:US.
  13. “Blue Haven Initiative, LLC.” Better Business Bureau. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/cambridge/profile/investment-advisory-services/blue-haven-initiative-llc-0021-410341.
  14. Reeves, Benjamin. “Liesel Pritzker Simmons’ Family Values.” Worth. October 15, 2019. Accessed January 23, 2022. https://www.worth.com/liesel-pritzker-simmons-family-values/.
  15. “Tweet.” Twitter. Posted June 10, 2020. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://twitter.com/_BlueHaven/status/1483821996198797316?cxt=HHwWiIC5lc6PzJcpAAAA.
  16. Feigenbaum, Cliff. “GreenMoney Interviews: Liesel Pritzker Simmons.” GreenMoney. February 2021. Accessed January 22, 2022.  https://greenmoney.com/greenmoney-interviews-liesel-pritzker-simmons/.
  17. Johnson, Jamie. “Including the Young and Rich.” New York Times. April 18, 2014. Accessed January 22, 2014. http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/20/fashion/white-house-hosts-next-generation-young-and-rich.html?_r=0
  18. “Blue Haven Ventures.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/ventures/.
  19. “Blue Haven Ventures.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/ventures/.
  20. “A Total Portfolio Approach and a High Bar for Returns.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23. 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/strategy/.
  21. “Blue Haven Civics.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/civics/.
  22. “Blue Haven Ventures.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/ventures/.
  23. “Blue Haven Civics.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/portfolio/civics/.
  24. “Informed Investing: It Takes a Team.” Blue Haven Initiative. Accessed January 23, 2022. http://www.bluehaveninitiative.com/partners/.
  25. “Blue Haven Initiative LLC.” Bloomberg. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0914425D:US.
  26. “Blue Haven Initiative, LLC.” Better Business Bureau. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/cambridge/profile/investment-advisory-services/blue-haven-initiative-llc-0021-410341.
  27. [1] “Blue Haven Initiative.” Medium. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://medium.com/blue-haven-initiative.
  28. “Blue Haven Initiative LLC.” Bloomberg. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bloomberg.com/profile/company/0914425D:US.
  29. “Blue Haven Initiative, LLC.” Better Business Bureau. Accessed January 22, 2022. https://www.bbb.org/us/ma/cambridge/profile/investment-advisory-services/blue-haven-initiative-llc-0021-410341.

Directors, Employees & Supporters

  1. Ian Simmons
    Co-Founder and Principal
  2. Liesel Pritzker Simmons
    Co-Founder and Principal
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Blue Haven Initiative

104 Mount Auburn Street, No. 8
Cambridge, MA