Haas Socially Responsible Investment Fund



Launched in Fall 2007, the Haas Socially Responsible Investment (HSRIF or the Fund) is the first-ever student-managed investment fund within a business school that uses corporate responsibility (CSR) criteria as a screen for the fund's portfolio. HSRIF investment decisions are made by Haas MBA and Master's in Financial Engineering (MFE) students with the advice of an Investment Advisory Committee.

 

The fund was launched with generous gifts from Haas alumni Al Johnson, BS 1962 and MBA 1969, and his wife, Marguerite, Charlie Michaels, BS 1978, and his wife, Doris, and Larry Johnson, BS 1972.

 

Haas SRI Fund Principals

 

Haas SRI Fund's 2007-2008 Annual Report
(Requires Adobe Acrobat)

 

New Socially Responsible Investment Fund Chooses Innovest Strategic Value Advisors to Provide Research (May 2008)

 

FOCUS OF THE FUND

HSRIF is the first student-led investment fund focused on both social and financial returns. HSRIF has been established by the Center for Responsible Business (CRB) at the Haas School of Business, in conjunction with the University of California, Berkeley Foundation, for the educational benefit of, and experiential use of, the Haas School of Business and its students.


HSRIF has been formed to provide MBA and MFE students with a keen interest in CSR and finance with unique exposure to the complexities, challenges, and rewards - both financially and socially - of the investing world. HSRIF is one of several initiatives offered by the CRB to establish Haas as the preeminent educational institution for research, teaching, experiential learning, and outreach in CSR.


Students participating in management of HSRIF will have a unique opportunity, in a real-world setting, to test the investment and CSR principles they have learned in the classroom. Donors have the opportunity to engage like-minded students and the Haas School of Business in the development of socially responsible investment (“SRI”) programming. The SRI industry as a whole will benefit from the development of the next generation of SRI leaders.


The investment philosophy guiding the Fund will be to achieve a balance between financial performance and social/environmental performance. As such, investment decisions will be made based on both traditional financial and business evaluation criteria (e.g. valuation metrics, firm size and growth, size of market, competitive position, strength of management, recent performance) as well as detailed socially responsible investment criteria (e.g. customer benefits from using the product/service, sustainability principles, supply chain practices, employee treatment).

If you are a current Haas MBA or MFE student interested in participating in the HSRI Fund, please visit:

Student Participation Timeline
Selection Criteria
Application Guidelines

 

CONTACT

 

For more information, please contact any of the current HSRIF Principals or Katharine Brewer, Director at the Center for Responsible Business, at kbrewer@haas.berkeley.edu or 510.642.5581.