Philanthropy News Digest Interview with OFN President and CEO Lisa Mensah
After serving for two years as under secretary of agriculture for rural development in the Obama administration, Lisa Mensah joined OFN as president and CEO in March 2017. In November, with a $100 million investment from Twitter, OFN announced the launch of the Finance Justice Fund, a socially responsible investment fund aimed at raising $1 billion in grant capital to address racial injustice and persistent poverty in America.
In this interview with Philanthropy News Digest (PND), Lisa talks about the initial response to the fund, the impact of COVID-19 on the efforts of CDFIs, and the persistent lack of investment in rural communities.
Here’s an excerpt:
“PND: Your career has spanned the private, public, and social sectors, and you’ve led collaborative efforts across all three sectors. What has been your North Star in your work over the years? And what are your hopes for the incoming Biden administration with respect to policies that support racial and economic justice?
LM: Economic justice has been my North Star — for me, that means fighting for financial capital to reach all people and communities. Financial capital is the fuel that drives economic opportunity, and I’m on a lifelong journey to help make sure that the allocation of capital is inclusive.
I have many hopes for the Biden administration. It is exciting to see the administration embrace a goal of advancing racial equity and then to define this goal as spurring investment in small business opportunities, investing in homeownership and access to affordable housing for Black, Brown, and Native families, and ensuring that racial equity is considered in federal procurement and federal investments in infrastructure, clean energy, and agriculture. These are all policies to which CDFIs have much to contribute…”
Read the full interview.