Initiative Area

Social Wealth

From natural resources to physical infrastructure, public assets represent a shared inheritance — yet their management is often underthought. JFI’s Social Wealth initiative seeks to develop financial infrastructure to transform these assets into long-term portfolios that can facilitate the wider distribution of returns to capital, endow critical social programs, and catalyze inclusive economic development. Our aim is to aid the management of social wealth funds, drive the democratization of finance, and strengthen the solidarity economy.

Drawing on resources from across the public, private, and academic spheres, JFI builds tools, conducts basic and applied research, convenes scholars and practitioners, and develops partnerships to help transform public assets into long-term financial portfolios in service of the public interest.

PARTNER WITH US

We partner with social wealth fund managers, academics, policymakers, and government officials in the US and abroad. Examples of this work include a study of financing and infrastructural options to support cash transfers and economic development in Compton, California, as well as our ongoing collaboration with UFF and the Treasury of Niterói, Brazil to develop tools and resources for the newly created Fundo de Equalização da Receita (Budget Stabilization Fund), including stochastic modeling software for portfolio analysis and risk management.

PARTNERS

  • Forum of Brazilian Sovereign Wealth Funds
  • Fundo de Equalização da Receita, Niterói, Brazil
  • Fundo Soberano do Estado do Espírito Santo, Brazil
  • Fundo Soberano de Maricá, Brazil
  • Fundo Soberano Municipal, Ilhabela, Brazil
  • Universidade Federal Fluminense
  • Fundação Euclides da Cunha, Niterói, Brazil

Social Wealth Contributors

Social Wealth

Adriel Araujo

Fellow

Social Wealth

Andrea Gama

Affiliate Researcher

Special Projects

Francis Tseng

Lead Independent Researcher

Social Wealth

Jason Windawi

Fellow

Social Wealth and Financing the Energy Transition

Jonathan Calenzani

Fellow

Social Wealth

Paul Katz

VP and Lead Researcher

Social Wealth and Financing the Energy Transition

Sina Sinai

Research Associate

Social Wealth

Thaís Donega

Fellow

Related Publication Series

Mineral Wealth and Electrification

The energy transition represents a significant opportunity for countries producing the materials critical to electrification. In this series, we look at eight such materials: aluminum, cobalt, copper, natural graphite, iron, lithium, manganese, and nickel. As demand for so-called “critical minerals” grows, producer countries must develop robust strategies for effective value capture to transform a temporary windfall into an opportunity to grow shared wealth and climb the value chain. Doing so demands both institutional capacity and political will.

Municipal Public Banking

A joint publication series of JFI and the Berggruen Institute that lays out a playbook for how a publicly-owned bank could unlock solutions to Los Angeles’ pressing challenges; new digital tool will power analysis for policymakers and advocates

Social Wealth Seminar

An ongoing virtual forum exploring strategies to manage public assets and resources in service of society, in the United States and across the world.

Recent Updates

JFI at Climate Week

JFI and our affiliate initiative, the Center for Active Stewardship, are hosting a series of events during NYC Climate Week.