Beyond The 5% Rule: Activating Capital For Good With Kathleen Simpson

Welcome to this episode of Courageous Capital Stewards. Today we’re joined by Kathleen Simpson, CEO of The Russell Family Foundation, who is redefining what philanthropy can do by activating capital for impact—not just grants. If you think “doing good” means giving away only five percent, get ready to rethink everything. Under Kathleen’s leadership, the foundation shifted from 7% to nearly 95% impact-aligned investing. We’ll explore how they made that transition through Total Resource Activation—leveraging grants, investments, and even loan guarantees as one unified strategy—and their bold Net Zero commitment. From starting with the problem (not the capital stack)...