Morgan Stanley Announces Sustainable Solutions Social Justice Innovation Awards

• New awards seek out innovative solutions to promote social justice and inclusive economic opportunity in the United States.
• In strategic partnership with Morgan Stanley, national nonprofit Centri Tech Foundation will select 5 winners to receive $250,000 award and customized support to accelerate their ability to scale and drive systemic change.
• Awardees will become part of the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, a Firmwide initiative focused on identifying breakthrough innovations to address complex global sustainability challenges.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Morgan Stanley today announced the Sustainable Solutions Social Justice Innovation Awards – a new award program dedicated to identifying systemic solutions that advance social and racial justice and achieve inclusive economic opportunity in the United States. The Sustainable Solutions Social Justice Innovation Awards are part of the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, an initiative that recently announced inaugural awards to organizations working to address complex global sustainability challenges. In the first year, five awardees will be selected and each will receive a $250,000 award to help develop and scale their solutions focused on social justice as an integral part of a sustainable future.

“It is clearer than ever that the greatest challenges we face – climate change, social justice, and inclusive growth – are inextricably linked. We must seek out solutions that address social justice at a systemic level to realize a more sustainable future,” said Audrey Choi, Morgan Stanley Chief Sustainability Officer and CEO of the Institute for Sustainable Investing.

The inaugural awards will feature innovators who are advancing bold, impact-oriented solutions that address complex issues of social justice through an interdependent lens. Winners will also be selected for their leadership, creative vision, and strategic approach to achieving outcomes that center people and communities. Particular interest will be given to solutions that leverage technology and digital strategies to enable transformative change. A national network of independent, external nominators and reviewers will help identify social justice innovations with the most potential to drive systemic change in communities across the country.

“Over the past decade, Morgan Stanley has been focusing on collaborative solutions that support holistic community development, for example bringing together quality affordable housing with access to healthcare, fresh and healthy foods and equitable transport,” said Mike Mantle, Head of Community Development Finance group at Morgan Stanley. “These awards build on that long-standing commitment to integrated solutions that promote inclusive economic opportunity.”

In addition, awardees will participate in a cohort experience facilitated by the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing and Centri Tech Foundation, a national non-profit dedicated to optimizing technology to improve lives and promote economic equality. The customized program is designed to promote collaboration, build capacity, and provide support to leaders focused on achieving transformative impact through the scale of systemic solutions.

“We are thrilled to partner with Morgan Stanley on this critical effort,” said Rey Ramsey, Chairman of Centri Tech Foundation. “This new award is an opportunity to bring to bear our focus on accelerating systems change toward improved social outcomes. We are honored to collaborate with visionary innovators to deliver meaningful justice in our society.”

To learn more about the Morgan Stanley Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, please visit https://www.morganstanley.com/what-we-do/institute-for-sustainable-investing/sustainable-solutions-collaborative.

About Morgan Stanley

Morgan Stanley is a leading global financial services firm providing investment banking, securities, investment management and wealth management services. With offices in more than 41 countries, the Firm's employees serve clients worldwide including corporations, governments, institutions and individuals. For more information about Morgan Stanley, please visit www.morganstanley.com.

About the Institute for Sustainable Investing

The Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing (The Institute) builds scalable finance solutions that seek to deliver competitive financial returns while driving positive environmental and social impact. Founded in 2013, The Institute creates innovative financial products, thoughtful insights and capacity building programs that help maximize capital to create a more sustainable future. In 2020, the Institute launched the Sustainable Solutions Collaborative, which seeks to scale systemic solutions to the world’s most pressing sustainability challenges. For more information about the Morgan Stanley Institute for Sustainable Investing, visit www.morganstanley.com/sustainableinvesting.

About Centri Tech Foundation

Centri Tech Foundation, a national nonprofit based in Washington, DC, optimizes technology and community development resources to promote Digital Advancement to unlock human potential, advance the standard of living, and build a more inclusive digital economy. For more information, visit www.centritechfdn.org.

Disclosures

The returns on a portfolio consisting primarily of Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) aware investments may be lower or higher than a portfolio that is more diversified or where decisions are based solely on investment considerations. Because ESG criteria exclude some investments, investors may not be able to take advantage of the same opportunities or market trends as investors that do not use such criteria. Diversification does not guarantee a profit or protect against loss in a declining financial market.

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