Croatan Forum

The Croatan Forum is a thought-provoking, multi-day convening where leaders working on the frontlines of finance, social equity, and ecological resilience will gather to discuss cutting-edge solutions to some of the 21st century’s most urgent challenges. Hosted by Croatan Institute, the 2021 Forum will give special focus to collaborative opportunities to invest in climate justice, racial equity and women’s empowerment, regenerative food and agriculture, and resilient community development.

About

The Croatan Forum provides a unique setting for senior level decision-makers — from the fields of sustainable, responsible, and mission-related impact investment, fund management, institutional investment, community development finance, investment consulting, and investor engagement and financial activism — to explore emerging opportunities for investing in solutions to some of the most urgent challenges of the 21st century. The Forum also showcases many of the leading collaborative initiatives that Croatan Institute and its partners have forged at the frontlines of finance, social good, and ecological resilience.

Highlights from the Inaugural Forum

“What energetic, pertinent, and provocative discussions. I don’t say this lightly: it was one of the best conferences I’ve attended in some time.”
– CEO of a leading community development financial institution (CDFI)

Highlighted Sessions

Business Models that Prioritize Human Rights Outcomes

This Croatan Forum session focuses on the growing number of companies that feature innovative governance forms and ownership structures and hold promise for producing better human rights outcomes.

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Debt and Democracy: Social Crisis and Systemic Risk a Decade after the Mortgage Meltdown

In this Croatan Forum session, panelists discuss what is needed to transform the financial sector into a contributor to a more robust economy and country.

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The Future of Community Finance

The kick-off Keynote Conversation at the inaugural Croatan Forum brought together two important CDFIs, M&F Bank and Self-Help.

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