Hopefully you will have heard about our Good Intentions 2026 study, launched earlier this month, analysing how faith-based organisations reflect their values in their investment policies. This newsletter highlights some key takeaways and signposts practical recommendations for faith-based organisations on what to do next.
When we set out to update our Good Intentions research, we were not looking to rank or judge. We wanted to understand how far the faith investment community has actually come in turning values into practice.
Faith-based organisations collectively manage an estimated US$5 trillion in assets. The commitment to align those resources with deeply-held faith beliefs is real and growing. But commitment alone does not build policy frameworks, mandate advisers, or ensure a portfolio truly reflects what an organisation stands for.
Good Intentions 2026 is our most in-depth look at this question to date – 275 investment policies assessed against ten criteria in our Level One Faith-Consistent Investing (FCI) Assessment Framework.
The central message is clear: the gap that matters most is not theological. It is one of implementation, capacity, and support.
– Dave Zellner, Executive Chair, FaithInvest, and co-author of Good Intentions 2026
Good Intentions 2026: What the data tells us about faith investing today – and what comes next
Good Intentions 2026 analyses 275 publicly available investment policies across faith traditions, countries, and organisation types, using FaithInvest's ten-criterion FCI Assessment Framework (see below), scored out of 50 points.
Together, these criteria provide a structured way to assess how effectively faith values are embedded throughout the investment process.
Earlier this month, FaithInvest hosted the online launch of Good Intentions 2026, bringing together faith investors and partners from across the investment ecosystem to discuss what the findings mean in practice. A recording of the launch is available on our dedicated Good Intentions page on our website at: www.faithinvest.org/good-intentions-2026
The results at a glance
– No organisations (0%) reached the top level of 40-50 points.
– 30 organisations (11%) achieved the second highest level.
– 138 organisations (50%) scored in the 'basic effort' category.
– 107 organisations (39%) scored the lowest level of minimal FCI content.
Five key findings
1. Avoiding harm, not actively creating positive impact: Ethical exclusions – that is, the rules preventing investment in undesirable products such as weapons, tobacco, gambling etc – are common. But few organisations go further. Most policies define what to avoid, very few articulate what they want to actively invest in their investments.
2. Financial governance is strong, faith integration is weaker: Most organisations have investment committees and financial oversight structures. But strong financial governance does not automatically mean strong faith integration. In many policies, faith values are assumed rather than clearly stated.
3. Most organisations are at an early stage of faith consistent investing with few in the middle: Most organisations cluster at basic maturity, while a very small number are more advanced. Very few occupy the middle ground. Moving forward typically requires access to practical guidance, suitable investment vehicles, and trustee education.
4. Policy and portfolio can be very different things: Even where a policy defines ethical exclusions, the actual investments held may not reflect them. This happens when organisations use pooled funds not designed to apply faith-based criteria. If the policy does not require advisers to check, this gap can go unnoticed.
5. Infrastructure shapes maturity more than theology does: The strongest predictor of policy quality is not the depth of faith commitment. It is access to shared infrastructure. Organisations connected to denominational investment networks, shared ethical frameworks, or specialist vehicles consistently score higher. Where organisations struggle, the problem is usually not a lack of will. It is a lack of access to the right tools and support.
What this means
The scores in this research are a map of where support is most needed, not a verdict on the commitment or intent of individual organisations. Five implications stand out:
The gap is one of capacity, not conviction. Most organisations may lack the tools and expertise to build detailed faith-based frameworks alone.
Advisers need stronger mandates. If a policy does not explicitly require advisers to apply faith criteria, they will default to standard financial frameworks.
Positive investment remains largely unexplored. Frameworks for affirmative, mission-aligned investment are the most underdeveloped area across all traditions.
Trustee education is underused. Very few policies set expectations for faith-consistent investing training. Better-informed trustees make better decisions.
Building the ecosystem matters as much as strengthening individual policies. Shared infrastructure such as denominational networks, pooled vehicles, and guidance resources has a systemic effect.
Practical recommendations for action
While Good Intentions 2026 highlights important gaps, the report is intended as a practical resource to support progress. It identifies areas where faith-based organisations can strengthen investment policies, governance structures, trustee education, and implementation approaches.
Click below to continue reading – including six key questions for organisations to ask as a starting point for internal reflection and conversation, and how FaithInvest can help.
And do join us next week, on Thursday June 4, for our second Good Intentions webinar (see below for details and the registraion link).
Documenting faith, screening & investment vehicles: Join us on Thurs June 4 for our 2nd Good Intentions webinar
In the second of our Good Intention 2026 webinars, we will look at key findings from the first four criteria of our Level One FCI Assessment Framework. The report’s co-authors Catherine Devitt and Dave Zellnerwill discuss:
– Documenting faith values(Criterion One)
– Screening – both ethical exclusions and positive screening(Criteria Two & Three)
– Investment vehicle selection – (Criterion Four)
They will be joined by guest speaker Arjen Overweel, Senior Relationship Manager for Oikocredit, a sponsor of Good Intentions 2026 and a long-standing impact investor working with faith-based organisations globally. Arjen will share Oikocredit’s experience of positive investing in areas such as financial inclusion, agriculture and renewable energy.
We'd like to thank our partners whose generous support facilitated the publication of Good Intentions 2026, including our lead sponsor Federated Hermes Limited, and supporting sponsors: CCLA. Concord Advisory Group Limited, Oikocredit and Tribe Impact Capital, all of which have a long history of working with faith groups and on values-driven investing and engagement.
FaithInvest, c/o Stone King LLP, Boundary House, 91-93 Charterhouse Street, London, England EC1M 6HR, United Kingdom, +44 (0)1749 870057
