Model

“We must build bridges between unlikely allies to ‘answer the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor.’” —Eric Harr, Founder & CEO, Laudato sì Challenge

Mission

Take up the challenges set forth in Pope Francis’s 2015 encyclical letter, Laudato sì, by answering the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth—through bold, coordinated and measurable impact.

model

To achieve our mission, we leverage the precision and rigor of the venture capital and venture philanthropy model with the clarity, alignment and time-bound strengths of the “commitment model.”

Honed over the past eight years, our approach is to thoughtfully-align stakeholder interests so that our partner enterprises can drive positive impact (and in some cases financial outcomes) and public and faith sector partners can care for our common home and the most vulnerable members of our common household.

The Laudato sì Challenge builds bridges between courageous leaders, unlikely allies from the “four legs of the stool”—the public, private, faith and academic sectors—in a spirit of solidarity and humility to advance and accelerate new, specific, measurable and time-bound “Commitments to Impact.” We seek to combine the precision and rigor of venture capital and venture philanthropy with the alignment and time-bound strengths of commitments—to drive measurable, sustainable and enduring impact to move humanity forward.

First, LSC finds and partners with private sector individuals and enterprises that have bold and innovative solutions to specific challenges facing humanity.

Next, we work with our partner enterprises to co-create Commitments to Impact, which are new, specific, measurable and time-bound impact initiatives, and we provide a combination of resources, guidance, network and/or capital to support these commitments.

Finally, we convene leaders from the private, public, faith and academic sectors to advance and accelerate those commitments.

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The Laudato sì Challenge has three strategic priorities that drive our actions and decisions:

  1. Put the principles of Laudato sì into action, by answering the cry of the poor and the cry of the earth through the fulfillment of our new, specific, time-bound and measurable Commitments to Impact;

  2. Build trust with our key stakeholders, including LSC patrons, via successful pilots of each Commitment to Impact.

  3. Secure mission-aligned, strategic and high-integrity capital for our 501(c)(3) operating foundation -- funding that grows in line with our impact.

WHAT MAKES OUR MODEL UNIQUE

We strive to align private sector business objectives with public sector and faith sector impact outcomes, so that we may address intractable problems in a sustainable and scalable way, benefitting all stakeholders.

Our approach is unique, bold and often fraught with criticism and conflict. But, when it works, it really works. It’s centered around what we call authentic alignment. In other words, it’s okay to make money and do good. We must be willing to upgrade the “charity model” and “martyr mindset” around money because those things undermine the very causes we care about. If an entrepreneur can improve the lives of a million refugees, why can’t she make a million dollars a year for herself and her family? (Yes, we said it was bold.) The Laudato Si’ Challenge aligns stakeholder interests so that the private sector can make money, the faith sector can drive impact and the public sector can celebrate wins for their citizenry, in-country. When we’re honest about what we need and want, then we can all pull in the same direction—and truly move humanity forward.