Why We're Ideal for Foundations
- Apr 13
- 2 min read
Your foundation exists to create lasting transformation in your community by supporting nonprofits through grants and investing your capital, so you remain active.
At Refuge Homes, we help you do both.
When your foundation invests with us, your capital supports North Carolina nonprofits while generating a meaningful return that helps you remain sustainable.
In this post, we want to break this down more, so you can see why we're an ideal investment for foundations.
Shifting the Conversation
Recently, our team spoke with a private foundation that wanted to put some of its money behind housing. The challenge wasn't their desire to help. It was the framework they were using.
They told us they weren't in the business of creating housing programs themselves. Their foundation primarily provides grants to nonprofits.
But when they learned what we do, the conversation shifted.
Instead of building a housing initiative from scratch, they realized they could invest in an organization already creating housing that supports many of the same causes they fund.
As they put it, it felt like the "easy button."
Supporting the Causes You Already Care About
Your foundation supports a variety of causes. So do we. Many of the organizations and ministries we work alongside serve people facing challenges such as:
Victims of human trafficking
Young adults who have aged out of foster care
Individuals transitioning through prison re-entry programs
People in sober living and recovery programs
And we continue to explore opportunities to support additional organizations serving vulnerable populations, including those helping survivors of domestic violence.
Helping You Accomplish Your Mission & Grow Your Investment
Your foundation likely thinks about investments in terms of program-related investments (PRIs) and mission-related investments (MRIs).
While PRIs typically prioritize charitable impact, MRIs aim to generate market-rate returns while aligning with your foundation's mission.
Refuge Homes sits in the middle of these two ideas.
You could say we're an MRI with the heart of a PRI.
Our goal is to provide a meaningful return while ensuring that the investment directly supports housing that strengthens communities and helps vulnerable people rebuild their lives.
Aligning Your Investments with Your Mission
If you're like many foundations, you're investing capital in traditional markets so the returns can later be distributed through grants.
Refuge Homes allows your foundation to pursue both goals at the same time.
Your investment helps create stable housing that supports nonprofits and the people they serve across Raleigh, the RDU region, and throughout North Carolina, while the return helps your foundation remain financially sustainable for the long term.
While our work is rooted in North Carolina, we work with foundations across the United States. And we would welcome the opportunity to explore how your foundation's investment strategy and charitable mission might intersect with the work we're doing.
Invest with Us
If you're part of a foundation that's looking for ways to invest capital while advancing your charitable mission, we invite you to consider investing with Refuge Homes.
Your investment helps create housing where life-change is possible while generating a meaningful return that supports your foundation's long-term sustainability.
