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Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

GSEI Nabs $100K Gift From Donor

The Georgetown Global Social Enterprise Initiative at the McDonough School of Business received a $100,000 grant from the Case Foundation to support social impact investing, the initiative announced Tuesday.
The Global Social Enterprise Initiative (GSEI) “aims to prepare current and future leaders to make responsible management decisions that create both economic and social value,” according to its website. GSEI is partnering with the Case Foundation, whose CEO, Jean Case, is currently serving as the university’s executive-in-residence.
“Georgetown, and the team at the Global Social Enterprise Initiative, have a deep understanding of the significant opportunity represented in new companies that are focused on solving some of the world’s biggest challenges,” Jean Case stated in the MSB press release. “As we look for opportunities to accelerate the growth of impact investing, GSEI is a perfect partner to help us develop a policy agenda that will help grow the space.”
The grant will be used to further GSEI’s mission of impact investing through the joint efforts of the initiative, the Case Foundation and the U.S. Advisory Board, which Jean Case serves on. “The Case Foundation has had a longstanding commitment to moving the needle on having a positive impact on society and that convergence of where business investment, philanthropy and social impact can meet,” GSEI Executive Director Ladan Manteghi said. “That really aligns well with what we’re trying to do with the Global Social Enterprise Initiative and the Georgetown University credo of being in service.”

Many in the business school are excited about the grant.

“I think this is a wonderful development. The Global Social Enterprise Initiative does a lot of wonderful things and having the Case Foundation as a partner is a wonderful thing for Georgetown,” Director of Entrepreneurship and Real Estate Initiatives Jeff Reid said.
The grant will be used to evaluate policy options to open up opportunities for more people to participate in impact investing, according to Manteghi.
“For example there are tax regulations that have unintended consequences in place and those could be looked at,” Manteghi said. “There are other things that can be done to ease the opportunity for social returns, for business returns and to ameliorate the environment which right now has certain impediments.”
The Executive-in-Residence program, launched by the initiative last year, brings current practitioners at the executive level in the field of social enterprise into the university to serve as mentors.
Case has worked with students on case studies looking at how start-up ideas and initiatives become movements.
“I have enjoyed working with Jean immensely, not only have we learned a lot through studying different trends and movements, but also she has been a great mentor to the people on our team in offering career advice as we go through the MBA program,” Jenna Balkus (MBA’15) said, who worked with Case on a case study of Capital Bike Share. “I was really excited to hear about her continued involvement with GSEI and Georgetown.”
Mike Malloy (SCS ’12), the founder of Waveborn, a sunglasses company that helps the blind with every pair sold also reacted positively.
“I think it’s great for the school and that money can go a long way to help foster the development of current and future leaders at Georgetown working for or starting their own social enterprises,” he said. “I feel that in 10 or 20 years every entrepreneur is going to be social entrepreneur.”

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