The Bailard Foundation: Celebrating Many Milestones
Last year we launched the Bailard Foundation, created to formalize Bailard’s decades-long history of giving back, with a core mission: to improve the communities in which we live, work, and engage. As we mark our first anniversary, we are happy to report the Bailard Foundation has made significant strides.
The Impact
The Bailard Foundation’s four key focus areas are affordable housing, financial literacy, homelessness & poverty, and international impact initiatives. At the close of the quarter – or just over a year since its founding – the Foundation made over $70,000 in grants to 25 value-aligned organizations, with 70% of those funds going directly to organizations in the San Francisco Bay Area.
We are excited to highlight the work of our grantee organizations, including that of JobTrain, a Bay Area based nonprofit helping those who are most in need to succeed, and those helping address COVID-19 and racial inequality in America. To ease some of the painful impacts of COVID-19, the Foundation contributed to seven food banks in Northern California as well as World Central Kitchen. The Foundation also donated to several San Francisco Bay Area based organizations to help fight racial injustice, including Larkin Street Youth Services, Hope SF, and the San Francisco Bay Area chapters of 100 Black Men and 100 Black Women.
A Humble Recognition
We are also encouraged by the support the Bailard Foundation has received in the past year. Notably, over the most recent quarter, the Foundation was selected as a finalist for the WealthManagement.com 2020 Awards for Corporate Social Responsibility & Diversity. The finalists are chosen from a panel of fifteen independent judges, and this year there were more than 600 nominations submitted across the award’s categories. By being selected as a finalist, the Bailard Foundation has been recognized, along with seven other firms’ impactful initiatives, as an industry-leading example of an investment and wealth manager that is aware of the responsibility companies hold to support their broader communities. To view the full list of finalists across all categories, please visit here.*
Through its support of 25 organizations across the Bay Area and the world, and achieving this industry-wide recognition, the Bailard Foundation has established strong momentum as it enters its second year. In the next year, we hope to further expand the Foundation’s operational base to better serve the organizations it supports. We also aim to deepen relationships with the Foundation’s current grantees through organization-specific volunteer efforts when it is safe to do so amid the pandemic. With these goals in mind, we have put together an online presence for the Bailard Foundation where our clients, employees, and community can learn more about the Foundation’s mission and recent activities. We look forward to what the future holds for the Bailard Foundation and we encourage our employees, clients, and friends to follow along with this journey.
The Bailard Foundation has a board of directors that is led by chairwoman Terri Bailard, widow of firm co-founder Tom Bailard, and features both friends of Bailard, Inc. and employees.
* About the WealthManagement.com Industry Awards: Now in its sixth year, this program recognizes the outstanding companies, individuals and organizations that make a real difference in the daily activities of financial advisors. More than 200 companies submitted 625 nominations in 2020 — a testament to the value that firms place in the awards as a way to enhance their reputation, increase their brand recognition and set their organization apart from the competition. There was no cost for Bailard to submit a nomination. A panel of 15 judges made up of top names in the industry determines the WealthManagement.com 2020 Industry Awards Finalists. Bailard is one of eight finalists in the Corporate Social Responsibility & Diversity category. Winners will then be selected based on quantitative measures of their initiatives—such as scope, scale, adoption and feature set—along with qualitative measures such as innovation, creativity and new methods of delivery.
The Bailard Foundation’s First Annual Update
“Doing what is right. Right by the client, by each other, by the firm and by society.” This is what Ron Kaiser—one of the three co-founders of Bailard, Inc.—said last October when speaking about what it takes for a company to last 50 years. This idea of “doing right” exemplifies what the company and its late founder and long-time CEO, Tom Bailard, stand for to this day. And, in honor of its first 50 years and with excitement for the future, last year Bailard set about creating a list of values that it views as defining for the company. One of these six core values is Compassion, which Bailard strives to demonstrate through understanding and improving its communities.
Charitable Gifts throughout the Years
Bailard has long been involved with numerous charitable groups. This support has come in a variety of ways and has often been associated with those causes closest to our employees and clients.
Donations: Bailard has consistently provided support for a number of Bay Area non-profits including AbilityPath, United Way Bay Area, Boys & Girls Club of the Peninsula, and Community Housing Partnership. Employees have organized volunteer days with Rebuild Together and Second Harvest Food Bank. Bailard recognizes the power and impact found in academic sponsorships as well, and has supported research prizes including the University of California Berkeley Moskowitz Prize. Over the past five years alone, Bailard has provided over $500,000 in charitable donations and sponsorships.
Employee Matching: The culture at Bailard lends itself to attracting employees who are passionate about community engagement and charitable causes. To provide support for its employees, Bailard has long offered an annual match on employee donations.
Emergency Fundraising: As we are now experiencing with the COVID-19 pandemic, the world is unpredictable and situations often arise that fall outside of Bailard’s normal targeted giving. Bailard has reacted to these extra needs through company-wide matching initiatives in addition to its annual per employee match limit. Donations have been given to support victims of wildfires, food banks during the onset of COVID-19, and most recently a match to employees for any organization that seeks to address and end systematic racism and oppression of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).
The Next Step Forward: The Bailard Foundation
Serving the community in which we live has long been ingrained in the values of Bailard and the mindset of its employees. The desire and effort of helping our communities was foundational for the company, but there had never before been a channel to organize or amplify Bailard’s service. To solidify the company’s commitment to our communities and increase the impact of what Bailard, its employees, and clients support, the Bailard Foundation was created in 2019.
We are pleased to provide the Foundation’s first annual update below, following a spotlight on a community partnership Bailard has supported for nearly thirty years.
Community Partnership over the Years: AbilityPath
Mission: To empower people with special needs to achieve their full potential through innovative, inclusive programs and community partnerships. Together, we are creating a world where people of all abilities are fully accepted, respected and included in all aspects of life: in the classroom, the workplace, and in our communities.
Services: Range from early intervention for infants to play therapy for children, social activities for teens, and employment training for adults along with support and counseling for families. All programs are designed to help children and adults thrive at school, at work, at home, and in the community.
Bailard’s Involvement: Bailard has supported AbilityPath through both financial donations and employee volunteer days. The company continues to act as a major sponsor for AbilityPath’s largest annual fundraiser and other events throughout the year.
Bailard Foundation Annual Update
The Bailard Foundation was launched in May of 2019, in celebration of the firm’s 50th anniversary. The Foundation’s aim is to centralize Bailard’s robust history of charitable giving and promote impactful donations that align with the Foundation’s mission statement and focus areas.
Mission Statement: The Bailard Foundation supports initiatives that the Firm, its employees, and clients value as we seek to collectively improve the communities in which we live, work, and engage.
Four Focus Areas: Affordable Housing, Financial Literacy, Homelessness & Poverty, and International Impact Initiatives.
In the year since its launch, the Foundation has worked to expand connections with local and international charitable organizations. As of June 30, 2020, the Foundation will have provided over $70,000 in grants to 24 organizations within its focus areas, as summarized below.
A Look Forward
In its second year, the Foundation plans to further build out its operational base to better serve the charitable organizations chosen by the Foundation Board as well as the company and Bailard employees. The newly-launched Bailard Foundation website (www.bailard.com/ foundation) includes information on the mission, focus areas, and grants awarded to date. We also hope to expand our relationships with some of our grantee groups through volunteer days and specific fundraising drives. The Foundation is open to all suggestions from employees, clients, and friends on organizations in our focus areas.
Grantee Highlight – JobTrain
Mission: Committed to helping those who are most in need to succeed. JobTrain aims to improve the lives of people in the community through assessment, attitude and job skills training, and high potential career placement.
Services: Career training through 11-week programs at no cost for students with four focus areas: Healthcare, Culinary Arts, IT Service and Support, and Carpentry. Other offerings include youth services, job seeking services, onsite daycare, and evening classes all aimed to provide those looking to better themselves and their careers with the tools and support to do so.
Why JobTrain: The Bailard Foundation was impressed by the array of services offered and core focus on skilled training offered. Relevant job skills are so important for unemployed and under employed to increase their options for employment.
Bailard Launches Foundation for Firm’s 50th Anniversary
The Bailard Foundation will make impact investments to improve the community
FOSTER CITY, Calif. – October 3, 2019 – Bailard, a wealth and investment management firm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, today announced the establishment of the Bailard Foundation. The Foundation will invest in initiatives that the firm, its employees, and its clients value, and represents Bailard’s continued commitment to improve the communities in which it and its people live, work, and engage.
The launch of the Foundation corresponds with the 50th anniversary of Bailard’s founding.
“In my tenure at the firm, and in the firm’s 50 years in the Bay Area, I am proud of Bailard’s strength of conviction in maintaining a values-driven approach in how we engage with our clients, our employees, and our community,” said Peter Hill, the CEO of Bailard. “We are excited to watch this Foundation grow as the next step in this conviction.”
Bailard partnered with Bay Area-based Philanthropic Ventures Foundation (PVF) to administer the Foundation and put forth ideas, as requested, for impact investments. On the Foundation board of directors are friends of Bailard, Inc.—including chairwoman Terri Bailard, widow of firm co-founder Tom Bailard—and current employees. Contributions for impact investments are open, but initial capital will be provided by the firm and employees. The board hopes the Foundation will ultimately become self-sustaining.
Bailard’s history is steeped in community involvement. The firm founders originally hosted financial planning courses and wrote a textbook to improve financial literacy within their community. Last month, Bailard rolled out its core corporate values, which include accountability, compassion, courage, excellence, fairness, and independence.
“The firm has always been a values-driven company,” said Kim Aquino, CFP®, a Senior Vice President with Bailard and a member of the Foundation’s board of directors. “This is just one more way we can action that commitment.”
As part of the firm’s commitment to values and impact, the five focus donation areas of the Bailard Foundation are financial literacy, affordable housing, homelessness, sponsorship of an impact-oriented prize, and international impact initiatives. The Foundation is pleased to announce that it has also made its first five impact donations.
About Bailard Inc.
With 50 years of experience, Bailard is an independent wealth and investment management firm that combines proven, proprietary methodologies with innovative new strategies to drive success for clients. For individuals and institutions alike, Bailard proudly serves as a trusted partner focused on achieving long-term results aligned with client values and goals. An independent firm since our founding in 1969, we stand committed to our values and, most importantly, our clients. With $3.7 billion AUM as of June 30, 2019, Bailard’s high-touch client service and proven track record are grounded in the firm’s core values of accountability, compassion, courage, excellence, fairness, and independence. To learn more about Bailard, please visit: https://bailard.com/.
* All investments involve a risk of loss. There is no guarantee any strategy will achieve its objectives. Bailard will not offer advice in any jurisdiction where it is prohibited from doing so.