We’ve compiled a highlight reel of our May 12th event, “Income Share Agreements: Can a New Education Finance Vehicle Promote Racial and Social Equity?”, co-hosted with the Impact Capital Forum.

Our distinguished panel included:

Senator Todd Young (R-Indiana), Co-sponsor of 2019 ISA student protection act
Michael Stynes, CEO, Jain Family Institute (Moderator)
Jacob Haar, Managing Partner, Community Investment Management
Ethan Pollack, Director of Financing the Future Initiative at Jobs for the Future
Jim Courtland, CEO, Outcome
Raj Balaji, CEO, Ceannate/IonTuition
Jukay Hsu, CEO and Founder, Pursuit
Nora Delaney, Quantitative Social Scientist, Outcome

Watch the highlights below:

About the Event:

As we all grapple with the economic and social consequences of the past year, many asset owners are seeking to activate their investment portfolios to advance racial and social equity more broadly. Investment in higher education and workforce development remains a proven pathway for achieving these goals.

The US is experiencing a crisis in education finance which is impacting educational access, completion, and the upward social mobility that higher education is meant to facilitate. Job insecurity and a rapidly evolving skills economy during the COVID-19 pandemic have laid bare the risks of traditional student financing. Moreover, these risks are amplified for low-income and minority students, raising a critical need for a flexible student financing tool that breaks down barriers to higher education enrollment without placing undue risks on student borrowers.

Income Share Agreements (ISAs) are a nascent but promising education financing structure that allow students to fund their education through a controlled share of their future income, aligning repayment with positive post-graduate outcomes. When strategically applied, ISAs can be used to support and scale higher education models that are delivering positive results for underserved student demographics.

The goals are to provide a fundamental overview of ISAs, discuss the present and future trajectory of the sector, and highlight the role that impact capital can play. Join us for a forward-thinking conversation on the potential of ISAs to deliver both financial return and large scale social impact that addresses educational access, racial equity and income mobility.