Catholic Values Investing

IFC's Index Portfolios Seek to Exclude Companies That*:

  • directly participate in abortions, or develop or manufacture abortive agents or contraceptives
  • are involved in the production or manufacture of landmines, cluster munitions, or the essential components of these products
  • are involved in the production or manufacture of civilian firearms
  • earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue through the production and/or sale of conventional or nuclear weapons, their weapon systems, or critical components of these products, or the provision of weapon systems support and service
  • have had major recent child labor controversies in their own operations or supply chain
  • are involved in stem cell research
  • are involved with private prisons and/or immigrant detention facilities
  • have high carbon or greenhouse gas emissions or reserves that may produce those emissions
  • have meaningful exposure to coal
  • are engaged in business activities in or with the Republic of the Sudan that are tied to, or support, its military or government, the oil, mineral or power sectors, or that otherwise demonstrate complicity in genocide in Sudan
  • earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue through the production and/or sale of tobacco, alcohol, or cannabis products, or key products or raw materials necessary for their production
  • earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue from certain gambling activities, the production of goods used exclusively for gambling, or the provision of certain services in casinos that are fundamental to gambling operations
  • earn at least 10% of their total annual revenue from the rental, sale, distribution or production of pornographic materials, or the ownership or operation of adult entertainment establishments

*The application of these screens is executed by third party providers. IFA's Investment Committee monitors the funds employed in client portfolios to evaluate their ongoing appropriateness. No screening methodology is perfect or exhaustive, and portfolios may still have incidental or indirect exposure to the activities described.


Investing for Catholics' socially responsible investing philosophy is firmly entrenched in a passive rebalancing investing strategy that maintains an ongoing screening process. The fund universe seeks to meet the following criteria:

  • Passively managed, with an SRI monitoring process
  • Style pure
  • Conforms to the criteria for risk-appropriate tilts to specific markets as set forth by leading financial economists