Month: March 2023

CALGARY, Alberta, March 29, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Benevity Inc., the leading provider of global corporate purpose software, today announced a surge in volunteerism across its platform with 14.3 million volunteer hours logged in 2022, representing 61% year-over-year growth in volunteering hours and a 91% increase in the number of people volunteering. Additionally, more than $2.8 billion was donated by Benevity clients and their people who supported 249,000 nonprofits around the world last year.

A relaxation of pandemic restrictions, support for people displaced within Ukraine and a mix of in-person and virtual volunteering drove this increased participation in volunteering. Meanwhile, companies also leaned more heavily into volunteering as a way to solve core business issues around building culture, community and connection in a hybrid work environment. In 2022, 86% of companies using Benevity’s employee engagement software recorded people actively volunteering, up from 80% in 2021. This data demonstrates the continued belief in volunteering as a way to drive social, team and business impact.

“We saw a jump in participation in corporate purpose programs across our entire client-base from 2021 to 2022, largely due to the increase in volunteerism. We believe there is an opportunity for businesses to lean even further into volunteering in 2023,” said Kelly Schmitt, Benevity’s Chief Executive Officer. “When people volunteer, they create deeper bonds with their companies, colleagues and communities. They also become more engaged at work, which brings countless business benefits – higher levels of productivity, better client satisfaction and increased retention rates, all of which are top of mind for employers amid the current economic climate.”

In addition to the uptick in volunteering on its platform, Benevity added 193 companies, including Cisco Systems and Suntory Beverage & Food Europe, to its client portfolio in 2022, which now consists of nearly 1,000 purpose-driven brands.

“Giving Back to Society is deep-rooted within Suntory’s global purpose and is a strongly held company value,” said Tracy Clarke, Chief People and Culture Officer at Suntory Beverage & Food Europe. “We give back from what our business earns, not only by reinvesting in our company, but by caring for our customers and partners and contributing to society. ‘Together for Good’, our volunteering and employee purpose program delivered by Benevity, is our way of doing just that – bringing all employees together to contribute through volunteering, charitable giving, fundraising and performing small acts of kindness and sustainable behaviors that together will have a positive impact on society and our planet.”

With a 33% increase in active users across Benevity’s platform, there was also a notable growth in donation dollars in 2022. Charitable donations from employees combined with generous corporate matching increased 21% year-over-year. While individuals donated less often in 2022 compared to 2021, they made larger monetary donations. Together with corporate matching this resulted in an extra $500 million going to the causes that people care about.

In 2023, Benevity will continue innovating and executing on its mission to turn social impact into business impact for businesses around the world. To learn more about Benevity, visit: https://benevity.com/

About Benevity 
Benevity, a certified B Corporation, is the leader in global corporate purpose software, providing the only integrated suite of community investment and employee, customer and nonprofit engagement solutions. Recognized as one of Fortune’s Impact 20, Benevity offers cloud solutions that power purpose for many iconic brands in ways that better attract, retain and engage today’s diverse workforce, embed social action into their customer experiences and positively impact their communities. With software that is available in 22 languages, Benevity has processed more than $12 billion in donations and 58 million hours of volunteering time to support 418,000 nonprofits worldwide. The company’s solutions have also facilitated 900,000 micro-actions and awarded 1.2 million grants worth $18 billion. For more information, visit benevity.com.

Media Contact: 
 Maggie Crouch│Walker Sands, for Benevity│benevity-pr@walkersands.com

Step into a world of innovation at the 2023 Global Inclusive Growth Summit, presented by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth and The Aspen Institute on Thursday, April 13, 2023.

Featured speakers include:

Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, President, Association for Indigenous Women and Peoples of ChadSonal Shah, Chief Executive Officer, The Texas TribuneMichael Froman, Vice Chairman and President, Strategic Growth, MastercardDominic Barton, Chair, LeapFrog InvestmentsGabrielle Sulzberger, Senior Advisor, Centerbridge PartnersHamdi Ulukaya, CEO, ChobaniRachel Kyte, Dean, The Fletcher School at Tufts UniversityThe Honorable Edmund Bartlett, CD, Minister of Tourism, JamaicaDan Porterfield, President and CEO, Aspen Institute

This year’s event will feature a dynamic and diverse group of global leaders, innovators, and game-changers. With the world facing increasingly complex threats to the environment, economy, and governance, we’ll delve into solution-oriented dialogue and ignite action that will redefine the future of inclusive and sustainable growth.

Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth 
The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth advances equitable and sustainable economic growth and financial inclusion around the world. The Center leverages the company’s core assets and competencies, including data insights, expertise and technology, while administering the philanthropic Mastercard Impact Fund, to produce independent research, scale global programs and empower a community of thinkers, leaders and doers on the front lines of inclusive growth.

The Aspen Institute 
The Aspen Institute is a community-serving organization with global reach whose vision is the creation of a free, just, and equitable society. For 70 years, the Institute has driven change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the world’s greatest challenges. With headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Institute has offices in Aspen, Colorado and New York City, as well as an international network of partners. Learn more at www.aspeninstitute.org.

Devex 
Devex is the world’s leading independent news organization covering global development. Devex journalists deliver insider reporting from front lines of the fight to achieve the SDGs—driving the most important debates, providing the most critical analysis, and backing it all up with the events, career information, and funding opportunities professionals require. To keep up to date with the must-read global development coverage, join their global community.

Check out more content from The Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth

BOSTON, March 29, 2023 /3BL Media/- Arctaris Impact Fund, LP (“Fund”), the flagship debt fund of Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC (“Arctaris”), has obtained a new $10 million warehouse line of credit (LOC) with KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) through its Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Group.

KeyBank CDFI’s LOC will help Arctaris bridge the timing between when investments are made, and Impact Notes are secured for long-term permanent financing. This LOC also enables speed in execution, capacity to grow the Fund, and the time Arctaris requires to source long-term capital. The Arctaris Impact Fund, LP received an A senior credit rating from Egan Jones, and the bonds were rated BBB.

The Fund makes loans that seek to create new jobs, bring diversity in small business ownership, and deliver economic empowerment of communities in need. Projects primarily consist of direct investments in small businesses, infrastructure, and affordable/workforce housing projects.

Jonathan Tower, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Arctaris, is confident that KeyBank’s commitment will help catalyze measurable economic, social, and environmental impact, stating: “KeyBank’s strategic investment in Arctaris will amplify our capacity to grow strong, sustainable businesses in the nation’s most underserved and underfunded communities.”

“KeyBank is excited to help bring more capital to low-income and marginalized communities through its investment with the Arctaris Impact Fund,” said Brian Maddox, National Team Leader for KeyBank Community Development Financial Institutions group. “Our $10 million investment is part of our National Community Benefits Plan commitment to increase access to capital and bring greater equity for low- and moderate-income clients throughout the KeyBank footprint”.

The Fund utilizes “first-loss capital” (“FLC”) commitments from philanthropic foundations and public-private partnerships to lower its blended cost of financing. These FLC commitments help catalyze investment in underserved communities and provide diversification and risk mitigation for investors.

With more than 13 years of private credit investment experience, Arctaris has established a robust pipeline and active deal sourcing through its place-based investment programs. The Arctaris team focuses on identifying high-quality lending opportunities in disadvantaged and underinvested communities. Located in cities such as Baltimore, Cleveland, Erie (PA), and Pittsburgh, Fund investments often qualify for CRA credits.

About Arctaris Impact Investors 
Arctaris Impact Investors, LLC is a Boston-based impact investment firm with experience spanning more than 13 years over seven funds. The firm manages funds which invest in growth-oriented operating businesses and community infrastructure projects located in underserved communities. Founded in 2009, Arctaris has partnered with the Kresge Foundation, Harvard Business School Professor Michael Porter’s Initiative for a Competitive Inner City (ICIC), and multiple other foundation, federal and state government agencies to invest in Opportunity Zones, inner cities and targeted rural communities throughout the U.S., with the aim of delivering above-market investment returns alongside positive social impact. For more information visit https://Arctaris.com or for press inquiries contact ir@Arctaris.com.

About KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment 
KeyBank Community Development Lending and Investment (CDLI) finances projects that stabilize and revitalize communities across all 50 states. As one of the top affordable housing capital providers in the country, KeyBank’s platform brings together construction, acquisition, bridge-to-re-syndication, and preservation loans, as well as lines of credit, Agency and HUD permanent mortgage executions, and equity investments for low-income housing projects, especially Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) financing. KeyBank has earned 10 consecutive “Outstanding” ratings on the Community Reinvestment Act exam, from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, making it the first U.S. national bank among the 25 largest to do so since the Act’s passage in 1977.

Disclaimer 
© 2023 Arctaris Impact Investors (“Arctaris”). All rights reserved. Confidential and proprietary. This material may not be copied, reproduced or used in any format by any means, in whole or in part, without the prior written consent of Arctaris. Additional information may be obtained in the Arctaris Form ADV available upon request or at SEC.gov.

This press release (“Release”) is not intended to be a solicitation or sale of any investment product or security, as well as qualified in its entirety by reference to the confidential Private Placement Memorandum of Arctaris Impact Fund, LP (the “Fund”).

Statements in this release are made as of the date hereof unless stated otherwise, and neither the delivery of this release at any time nor any sale of the limited partnership interests described herein shall under any circumstances create an implication that the information contained herein is correct as of any time after such date. This release is not intended to be relied upon as the basis for an investment decision, and is not, and should not be assumed to be, complete.

LONDON, March 29, 2023 /3BL Media/ – Pentair (NYSE: PNR), a leading provider of water treatment and sustainable solutions, is proud to announce it received the 2023 ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year – Sustained Excellence Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the U.S. Department of Energy. 

“Pentair is built on delivering smart, sustainable water solutions with the aim to create products and solutions that are more efficient and have a reduced environmental impact,” said Karla Robertson, EVP, General Counsel, Secretary and Chief Social Responsibility Officer. “We are proud of our continued collaboration with the EPA and honored to be recognized as an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year once again.”

A Decade of Energy Excellence in the Pool Industry

Pentair was first named an ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year in 2013, and has been recognized in each consecutive year – longer than any other manufacturer in the pool industry. Pentair was the first manufacturer of pool equipment to receive ENERGY STAR certification for its pool pumps and offered 17 ENERGY STAR certified pool pump models in 2022. This helped U.S. consumers save approximately 1 billion kWh of energy, resulting in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reductions of 414,974 tons of CO2 and saving $142 million in operating costs.* Since 2005, Pentair’s ENERGY STAR pool pumps have been responsible for a cumulative 38.9 billion kWh of energy savings, a reduction of 15.9 million tons of CO2 emissions and $5.3 billion in operative cost savings for U.S. consumers.

Championing Energy Savings in the Commercial Ice Industry

In 2022, Pentair acquired Manitowoc Ice, a leading provider of commercial ice makers and a key contributor to ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year award winners for 14 consecutive years. With 56 ENERGY STAR certified models, Manitowoc Ice is a champion of energy-saving efforts in the ice machine industry. In 2022, Manitowoc Ice’s ENERGY STAR ice makers helped consumers save over 21 million kWh of energy, enough to power 2,055 homes for a year.**

Each year, the ENERGY STAR program honors a select group of businesses and organizations that have made outstanding contributions in the transition to a clean energy economy. ENERGY STAR award winners lead their industries in the production, sale, and adoption of energy-efficient products, homes, buildings, services, and strategies. These efforts are essential to fighting the climate crisis, protecting public health, and creating a clean energy future for everyone.

Winners are selected from a network of thousands of ENERGY STAR partners. For a complete list of 2023 winners and more information about ENERGY STAR’s awards program, visit energystar.gov/awardwinners.

*Savings are based on a weighted average annual kWh savings from the Consortium for Energy Efficiency (CEE) at $0.14 / kWh. Individual Weighted Energy Factor (WEF) scores and savings may vary by model. For more information regarding the energy efficiency features of current Pentair pool pump offerings, including WEF scores, please visit pentair.com/energystar.

**Based on average annual electricity consumptions for a U.S. residential utility customer of 10,632 kWh in 2021. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration.

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ABOUT PENTAIR

At Pentair, we help the world sustainably move, improve, and enjoy water, life’s most essential resource. From our residential and commercial water solutions, to industrial water management and everything in between, Pentair is focused on smart, sustainable water solutions that help our planet and people thrive.

Pentair had revenue in 2022 of approximately $4.1 billion, and trades under the ticker symbol PNR. With approximately 11,250 global employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, we work to help improve lives and the environment around the world. To learn more, visit www.pentair.com.

ABOUT ENERGY STAR

ENERGY STAR® is the government-backed symbol for energy efficiency, providing simple, credible, and unbiased information that consumers and businesses rely on to make well-informed decisions. Thousands of industrial, commercial, utility, state, and local organizations rely on their partnership with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to deliver cost-saving energy efficiency solutions. Since 1992, ENERGY STAR and its partners helped American families and businesses avoid more than $500 billion in energy costs and achieve more than 4 billion metric tons of greenhouse gas reductions. More background information about ENERGY STAR’s impacts can be found at www.energystar.gov/impacts.