Place-Based Investing

Investing in the Health of Our Communities

At UMass Memorial Health, we believe improving health requires more than providing excellent medical care. Health is shaped by the conditions in which people live, learn, work and age.

In 2018, our Board of Trustees committed to redirect 1% of our long-term investment portfolio to community investments. Since that time, our commitment has grown to $10 million. Through this commitment, we invest in organizations and projects that address the social drivers of health and help build stronger, healthier communities throughout Central Massachusetts.

Our place-based investing strategy is one way we put our Anchor Mission into action — leveraging the financial resources of our health system to create lasting community benefit.

What is Place-Based Investing?

Place-based investing refers to the local deployment of investment capital to generate both financial returns and positive community impact.

These investments help organizations access capital for projects that improve community well-being while creating measurable outcomes in areas such as:

• Food security
• Affordable housing
• Homelessness prevention and response
• Economic opportunity
• Community development
• Other social drivers of health

Unlike traditional philanthropy, place-based investments are designed to be repaid, allowing funds to be reinvested in future projects that improve community health.

Our Commitment

UMass Memorial Health is committed to investing in projects that align with identified community health needs and create meaningful, lasting impact.

We prioritize investments that:

• Address social drivers of health
• Improve community well-being and health equity
• Support priorities identified through Community Health Assessments and Community Health Improvement Plans
• Strengthen neighborhoods and local economies
• Leverage partnerships and additional resources to maximize impact

Since launching this effort, UMass Memorial Health has supported projects focused primarily on food equity, affordable housing, community development and economic opportunity across Central Massachusetts.

Investment Guidelines

Our place-based investments are intended to create both community impact and financial sustainability.

Project Requirements

Projects must:

• Address a social determinant of health identified through our Community Health Assessments
• Support priorities outlined in our Community Health Improvement Plans
• Be reviewed through UMass Memorial Health's community impact and investment review processes

Financial Requirements

These investments are not grants.

Investments must:

• Demonstrate the ability to generate returns comparable to money market returns at the time of investment
• Preserve capital value over time
• Demonstrate a reasonable ability to repay invested funds

Preferred Characteristics

Preference is given to projects that:

• Are located within UMass Memorial Health's service area
• Are led by organizations with strong community relationships and demonstrated experience
• Leverage additional funding sources, partnerships or community investments
• Offer collateral, when feasible
• Have investment terms of fewer than 10 years

Investment Size

UMass Memorial Health typically provides investments of up to $750,000 per project.

Who Should Apply?

We welcome inquiries from organizations whose projects align with our investment priorities, including:

• Community-based nonprofits
• Community Development Corporations (CDCs)
• Mission-driven developers
• Public-private partnerships
• Other organizations advancing community health and well-being

Interested in Applying?

If you have a project that addresses a social determinant of health and aligns with our investment guidelines, we encourage you to submit a pre-application for consideration.