August 2025 — We are excited to announce a new partnership that advances our mission of aligning capital with justice and faith values. Francesco Collaborative is supporting the launch of the Buen Vivir Capital Institute, an emerging initiative dedicated to empowering “impact-first” fund managers and social enterprise leaders from the Global South. Together, we aim to bridge the gap between frontline community innovators and the faith-driven investors who seek to support them.
Over the past several years, our team at Francesco Collaborative has witnessed a troubling pattern: visionary grassroots projects—from indigenous cooperatives in Latin America to community-owned businesses in the U.S.—often struggle to access the financing they need. Too often, there’s a disconnect between those with capital and those creating impact. This gap exists for many reasons: language and cultural differences, implicit biases in traditional investing, and a lack of “infrastructure” to connect and support both sides. We have felt this gap personally in our work. In some cases, even well-intentioned investors have funds sitting idle, while at the same time, impactful enterprises remain underfunded because they lack the networks or training to engage those investors. These experiences left us asking: How can we help capital flow more faithfully and effectively to the communities that need it?
The Buen Vivir Capital Institute is our answer to that question. Founded by Alicia DeLia of DeLia Impact Advisors, the Institute is built on the idea of accompaniment and education for both fund seekers and funders. Alicia has over 15 years of experience in global microenterprise and impact investing, having helped dozens of Black and Brown-led funds and social enterprises raise millions of dollars. She has been a bridge between worlds—translating the needs and stories of grassroots leaders to philanthropic and investment audiences, and demystifying the world of finance for those on the ground.
Alicia’s unique background (with a father from Cameroon, a mother from El Salvador, and a career spanning the U.S., Latin America, and Africa) enables her to navigate diverse contexts with ease. She often speaks of grounding the fundraising journey in “right relationship”—a concept of mutual respect, understanding, and equity between those who have resources and those who need them. In fact, the name “Buen Vivir” (Spanish for “Good Living”) is inspired by an indigenous philosophy of living well in harmony with community and nature. This ethos will permeate the Institute’s approach to redefining investment relationships.
Through cohort-based programs, the Buen Vivir Capital Institute will train and accompany emerging fund managers and social entrepreneurs from marginalized communities. Participants will learn practical skills—such as how to position their enterprise in the broader funding ecosystem, how to communicate with different types of funders (from foundations to impact investors), and how to structure deals that align with their mission. Just as importantly, they will engage in deep conversations about shifting power dynamics and biases in finance, cultivating the confidence to remain rooted in their community’s values while seeking capital. The Institute also provides one-on-one coaching, investor connections, and a supportive peer network to these leaders. In Alicia’s words, “we find ourselves in a critical global moment of deep shifts and transitions – now is the time to build the long-term infrastructure and resilience that impact-first funds and social enterprises need.”
On the other side of the equation, the Institute will work with faith-aligned investors and philanthropists (like the members of Francesco Collaborative) to reimagine how capital can be used to heal and connect. This includes offering workshops on integrated capital (blending grants, loans, equity, and guarantees in coordinated ways) and restorative investing practices that center relationship and trust. By educating investors—many of whom are eager to support social change but unsure how to do so effectively—we hope to cultivate a community of funders who are ready to provide the patient, flexible, and values-driven capital that these emerging managers and enterprises require. Alicia often reminds us that this is “more of a journey of invitation than a pitch”—meaning the goal is to invite funders into a new way of partnering, rather than simply soliciting funds.
Francesco Collaborative chose to support the Buen Vivir Institute because it aligns deeply with our core mission. As a network grounded in Catholic Social Teaching, we believe in the inherent dignity of every person, the call to solidarity, and the pursuit of the common good. We see those ideals come alive in the Institute’s work: it uplifts local leaders as protagonists of their own development, and it challenges those of us with financial resources to act in right relationship and humility. By investing in this intermediary infrastructure, we’re addressing a root cause that has held back progress in impact investing—the lack of support for the “missing middle” of finance. In practical terms, this partnership will involve co-hosting learning conversations and workshops with Alicia for our community, providing seed funding and resources to help launch the Institute’s first cohort, and collaborating on an upcoming convening in Mexico where funders and grassroots leaders will meet face-to-face to build trust and shared vision.
We are thrilled about the potential of this collaboration. Imagine a future where a cooperative of farmers in Chiapas, a worker-owned textile business in North Carolina, and a social enterprise fund in Cameroon all have access to not just capital, but the right kind of capital—offered by partners who understand their context and are committed to their success for the long haul. This is the future the Buen Vivir Capital Institute is working towards, and it’s one we at Francesco Collaborative wholeheartedly embrace.
Stay tuned for more updates as the Institute officially launches and the first cohort begins. We’ll be sharing stories of the leaders involved, insights from our workshops on faith-driven investing, and ways that you (as part of our extended community) can engage with this initiative. In the meantime, we invite you to reflect with us on how we can all use our “moral compass” to guide our investment decisions. Through efforts like this, we believe we can co-create a financial system that truly serves people and planet, embodying the spirit of Buen Vivir for all.
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