About Trillium

Active Portfolios, Global Impact: Putting Assets into Action since 1982®

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Our History

Trillium Asset Management is at the forefront of thought leadership and continues to draw from decades of experience focused exclusively on responsible investing. Trillium’s founder, Joan Bavaria, was a true visionary and served as an early catalyst for change in the investment industry. The firm’s innovative approach led to the creation of numerous organizations, the development of the ESG investment field, and the first generation of investors focused on improved environmental, social, and governance outcomes.

Today, the firm is an impact-driven, ESG-focused firm dedicated to aligning values with investment objectives. Trillium’s commitment to active ownership and shareholder advocacy has contributed to concrete and positive change.  

Joan Bavaria
Joan Bavaria founded Trillium in 1982 to provide a space for clients to invest their money in alignment with their values. She is often referred to as the “Founding Mother” of Socially Responsible Investing.  Under Joan’s visionary leadership, Trillium grew to become one of the largest SRI investment firms in the U.S.  Joan was proud to use Trillium as an incubator to create organizations with impact. Our firm helped nurture US SIF, Ceres, SIRAN and Open MIC.
Joan Bavaria (1943-2008)
Founder, Trillium Asset Management
The "Founding Mother" of ESG Investing
40 Year Brochure (PDF)
$7.0b

Assets Under Advisement*

as of 12/31/23

*Trillium manages $4.9 billion in AUM and $2.1 billion
in model assets.

1982

Founded

6

Distinct Strategies

Milestones

Trillium is founded

as Franklin Research & Development by Joan Bavaria; becomes first dedicated SRI Advisor

1982
US SIF

(formerly the Social Investment Forum) is cofounded by Joan Bavaria

1984
Ceres

a nonprofit organization mobilizing businesses and investor leadership on environmental issues is cofounded by Joan Bavaria

1989

First Institutional Strategy

launched by the firm

1994

Trillium becomes the first investment manager to file a shareholder resolution

on sexual orientation with Johnson & Johnson

1995
Trillium becomes signatory of UNPRI

UN Principles for Responsible Investment

2007
Trillium becomes a certified B Corp

the fourth financial firm to receive this recognition

2008

Trillium agrees to be acquired

by Australian Financial Firm Perpetual Ltd.

2020

Trillium recognized as ’Best for World Overall’ Honoree

for tenth consecutive year*

2022

Small/Mid Cap Core

Fossil Fuel Free Core

Sustainable Opportunities

Growth and Income

UK ESG Global Conviction Strategy
(Edinburgh, Scotland)

The B Corporation award is not indicative of the future performance of Trillium Asset Management. B Lab, a non-profit organization helping companies manage corporate social responsibility, recognizes businesses that have earned an overall score in the top 5% of approximately 4,000 Certified B Corporations in one of the impact areas assessed: community, customers, environment, governance, and workers. The latest B Corporation ‘Best for World Overall’ Honoree was awarded in July 2022. B Labs discontinued the “Best for the WorldTM” recognition in 2023.

Why Trillium Asset Management?

Trillium offers strategies designed to advance humankind towards a global sustainable economy, a just society, and a better world

Innovators in ESG:
at the forefront of ESG thought leadership and drawing from decades of experience focused exclusively on responsible investing, Trillium uses a holistic, fully integrated fundamental investment process to uncover compelling long-term investment opportunities

Dedicated to Impact:
Trillium believes that ‘impact is active’ and leverages the full breadth of company resources, including a dedicated shareholder advocacy team, to engage with companies and governments, activating stakeholders’ assets in an effort to create concrete, positive social and environmental change on a global scale

Commitment to Community:
devoted to aligning clients’ values and objectives by combining investment solutions with active ownership in order to provide ‘social dividends’  

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