Building an Ownership Movement to Close Racial Wealth Gaps

Smitha Das & Santhosh Ramdoss | November 15, 2023

Ownership is a key driver of wealth creation, yet many individuals and communities lack access to these opportunities. This ImpactAlpha article, co-authored by Smitha Das, Senior Director of Investments, WES, and Santhosh Ramdoss, President & CEO, Gary Community Ventures, explores emerging investment strategies, such as employee ownership, homeownership, and community wealth building. These approaches have the potential to close the persistent wealth gaps experienced by many communities and create sustainable economic growth.

Smitha Das & Santhosh Ramdoss

WES is a non-profit social enterprise that supports the educational, economic, and social inclusion of immigrants, refugees, and international students in the U.S. and Canada.

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Financial Access and Inclusion

WES Mariam Assefa Fund Announces New Impact Investments to Unlock Homeownership for Underserved, Black Communities

WES | March 9, 2023

The World Education Services (WES) Mariam Assefa Fund today announced two new impact investments totaling US$750,000 in Blackstar Stability and the Dearfield Fund for Black Wealth, both of which leverage homeownership as a tool to help Black and underserved communities build generational assets and bridge the racial wealth gap. Homeownership is key to building […]

Funding and Financing for Impact

Six trust-based practices to help investors shift power to communities

Smitha Das | February 28, 2023

Advancing equity and impact requires rethinking how we invest. In this ImpactAlpha article, Smitha Das, WES’ Senior Director of Investments, shares six trust-based investment practices that shift power to investee partners and communities. From redefining risk to leveraging participatory investment models, these practices help create a more equitable and just economy.

Financial Access and Inclusion

Tips for Funders Beginning Their Participatory Investing Journey

Smitha Das and Katheryn Witt | October 21, 2022

This piece is co-authored by Smitha Das and Katheryn Witt and is the result of a partnership between the WES Mariam Assefa Fund and Common Future. In March 2022, Common Future launched the Action Lab: Participatory Investing, a partnership with the WES Mariam Assefa Fund. The Action Lab is a 12-month initiative in which funders are learning […]

Building Skills

How the IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity Is Making Finance More Inclusive

WES | February 5, 2021

Charles, a client of IRC’s Center for Economic Opportunity. Photo courtesy of IRC-CEO. Access to banking and financial services enables economic mobility. However, many refugees and immigrants in the United States face barriers to affordable financing, especially when they are new to the country and haven’t yet established their credit history. Improving financial access and […]