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Moving Foolishly Into Our Next 28 Years

We aim to make the world smarter, happier, and richer every day and in every way we can. It’s our purpose here at The Motley Fool. It’s what inspires us to get out of bed each day and to deliver for all of our stakeholders.

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Tom and David

"On the pages that follow, you’ll get a glimpse into how we work to change outcomes for the people and communities who need and deserve a better and more equitable chance to succeed."

Tom Gardner & David Gardner

Co-Founders
OUR IMPACT 2020-2022

Making the World Smarter, Happier, and Richer Every Day Across the Globe

It’s our purpose here at The Motley Fool. It’s what inspires us to get out of bed each day and to deliver for all of our stakeholders.

1 +
Nonprofits Funded
1 %
Committed to Helping our Community
$ 1 M
Raised in partnership with our Members
$ 1 M+
Covid Response
$ 1 K
Total Contributions Fool Employees Made Annually to Nonprofits
$ 1
AVERAGE ANNUAL CONTRIBUTION MADE PER FOOL TO NONPROFITS
Our Impact from 1997 to 2020

A Timeline of Caring and Giving

This is who we are as Fools. It’s about volunteering time, investing in our neighbors, walking in another’s shoes, and making a positive difference in the communities we serve.

Supporting the community through a critical time in history

Our Impact: 2020-2022

OUR IMPACT: 2020-2022

SUPPORTING THE COMMUNITY THROUGH A CRITICAL TIME IN HISTORY

BLM

Standing Stop Asian Hate

COVID-19 Response

Local Initiatives

At The Motley Fool, we believe that diverse voices, insights, and expertise fuel innovation and progress in the business marketplace and the world at large. Our company needs more entrepreneurs, more investors, more leaders, and more innovators from every community around the world, because, with their valuable input, we all benefit.

The fact that some voices have been and are still being marginalized, abused, and silenced is anti-marketplace, anti-growth, and antithetical to everything we believe at The Motley Fool. We reject racism, inequality of opportunity, hatred, and cruelty.

That’s why we will expand our commitment to helping ensure that our employees, our members, our future members, and our fellow humans are safer, treated fairly, and given every opportunity to live out their true potential.

During the summer of 2020, we allocated $100,000 evenly to our employees for them to support equality, justice, and peace in ways that were meaningful to them. We encouraged everyone to join us in funding organizations that make a priority of fairness, decency, respect, and love for all.

As citizens and investors, we all gain in a world and a business environment that makes it an essential, never-ending priority to treat everyone with the dignity and respect they deserve. The world and the markets operate best when opportunities for growth, impact, and prosperity are clearly available to all.

Shakespeare said it best: “Motley's the only wear.”

In an immediate response to Anti-Asian Hate, and specifically in response to a horrific shooting in Atlanta, in 2021 in which six Asian women were targeted by a gunman and lost their lives, The Motley Fool took these steps:

  1. We committed a $10,000 financial donation to AAAJ, an organization that offers a wide range of programs advancing justice, civic duty, and Asian American advocacy.
  2. We reached out to AALEAD, an organization that works with Asian youth, and are assessing whether we can partner with them as part of a financial literacy program with Fools as mentors.
  3. Above and beyond our initial $10,000 commitment, Fools are actively contributing to and/or exchanging their internal recognition rewards for AAAJ.

In April 2020, we invited our Foolish community to join us in supporting COVID-19 relief efforts in what was then the epicenter of the U.S. outbreak: New York state. Thanks to Motley Fool members’ and Fool team members’ generosity and our corporate contribution, $1,087,518 was donated to Health Research Incorporated, which funded the Empire Pandemic Resource Reimbursement Fund. The fund supports essential workers, first responders, and healthcare workers and their families in their financial recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Our collective donation resulted in a total of 1,096 households across 41 counties in the state of New York receiving financial relief for expenses covering necessities such as childcare, transportation, and lodging incurred during the pandemic. Thanks to you, households across New York were granted urgently needed relief funds that will help individuals and families achieve financial stability. We’re amazed by the remarkable impact of these funds and the countless actions our Foolish community took in local neighborhoods. 

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated financial difficulties for households and communities across the globe. We find ourselves at a crossroads, with a unique opportunity to enable millions to stay on the path toward financial freedom. We believe in Financial Freedom for All, and we will demonstrate this commitment through The Motley Fool Foundation, set to launch in late 2021. The time is now to help the millions who are bound by social and economic obstacles. If you feel inspired to join us, click here to learn how.

Foolanthropy carries a legacy of driving much-needed funds to local nonprofits and social innovators each year. Our impact is about more than moving money to where it’s needed most; it’s about helping nonprofits access information and ideas that will help them thrive. And it’s made possible by a cadre of servant leaders and impassioned volunteers.  

2020-2021 was a year like no other, and The Fool remained focused on long-term partners and timely causes. Our Foolanthropy efforts were largely driven by Fool team members and led by a wonderful and tireless Foolanthropy team that embodies what it means to Pay It Foolward.  

Snapshot of Our Work

September 2020: Fool School Reboot. In 2020, we piloted Fool School content on Motley Fool Live, our video platform. For one hour every day for a week, TMF employees hosted a variety video tutorials on a range of topics, from establishing good financial habits early to buying your first stock. The videos are behind the paywall and available to all paying Motley Fool members. We also encouraged members to bring their kids or grandkids along on Zoom. 

Fundraising and awareness campaigns were launched internally for three “core charities” – one per quarter through September 30, 2021. Carpenter’s Shelter, All Hands and Hearts, and RIP Medical Debt were the recipients.

Four Major Initiatives
Together We BakeTogether We Bake
New-Hope-HousingNew-Hope-Housing
Carpenters ShelterCarpenters Shelter
Pencils of PromisePencils of Promise
Concussion Legacy FoundationConcussion Legacy Foundation
Fistula FoundationFistula Foundation
Greater DC Diaper BankGreater DC Diaper Bank
Operation HopeOperation Hope
College TogetherCollege Together
TESTIMONIALS

Words of Gratitude from our Partners

We are so pleased to call The Motley Fool a long-time friend. After launching our partnership in the wake of Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria in 2017, we have collaborated on a variety of impactful disaster relief initiatives over the years, bringing in invaluable funding, as well as Fools on the ground volunteering with us. Thank you for continuing to invest in our mission and for recently raising more than $10,000 for our Education for All Fund, which helps our organization rebuild safe, disaster resilient school campuses that are conducive to learning.
David Campbell
David CampbellAll Hands and Hearts Co-founder
Together We Bake is incredibly grateful to The Motley Fool for its continued support. As a workforce training and personal development program for underserved women, TWB’s partnership with The Fool has helped us provide needed financial literacy services to Team Members,including budgeting basics and how to address and reestablish credit. Additionally, The Fools taught TWB staff the ins and outs of investing for their futures. This empowers women to take charge of their finances and secure a brighter future for themselves and their families. The Motley Fool’s support doesn’t stop with financial literacy services. Their Foolanthropy efforts expanded in 2019 when they became an annual Support Sponsor for our Empowerment Breakfast. Together, The Motley Fool is helping to uplift and spread kindness throughout our community. Thank you!
Lucy von Fahnestock
Lucy von FahnestockTogether We Bake
Carpenter’s Shelter provides the largest array of services and support for families and individuals that are homeless in Alexandria, VA. The Motley Fool is a sustaining force behind our work at Carpenter’s Shelter. Through many years of volunteerism, financial support, and event sponsorship, you have demonstrated your steadfast belief in the potential of those we serve. The need we see is in some ways very simple. People come for our help when everything has crumbled and they’ve lost their housing because of extraordinary challenges --job loss, lack of family support, mental illness, domestic violence, medical hurdles, substance abuse, former incarceration, and more. Moving our residents from homelessness to stable housing is made possible because of partners like you. We are so very grateful for the high-energy Fools’ engagement and look forward to working together for years to come.
Shannon Steene
Shannon SteeneExecutive Director, The Carpenter’s Shelter

Financial Freedom for All

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JENNIFER GENNARO OXLEY

Our Next Important Foolish Chapter: The Motley Fool Foundation

The Motley Fool Foundation’s vision is Financial Freedom for All. It is a way, a place, where we can all work together to reframe our society and the dysfunctional systems we’ve lived with for too long. It’s a way to uplift the two-thirds of Americans who are coping or vulnerable through the concept and innovations of “Imagine the Possibilities.” TOGETHER, we will.

Read Full Letter
THE MOTLEY FOOL FOUNDATION

Leading the Way is Our Board of Trustees

A balanced combination of Fool members, Employees, and independent Trustees.

David Gardner

David Gardner

Chairman

Jennifer Gennaro Oxley

Jennifer Gennaro Oxley

Executive Director

Margaret Gardner

Margaret Gardner

Ollen Douglass

Ollen Douglass

Neel Shah

Neel Shah

Elaine Hungenberg

Elaine Hungenberg

Sean Milliken

Sean Milliken

Trish Costello

Trish Costello

WHAT IS FOOLANTHROPY?

Foolanthropy (verb) and (noun) is an internal Fool-led Effort to Make the World a Better Place.

Foolanthropy is an internal Fool-led effort to make the world a better place. It is the spirit of giving that has united Fools across the years and across many projects to make a difference in the world.

“Thank you” doesn’t really cover it.
We are grateful to the countless Fools who, over the last 20 years, have lended their time, commitment, and passion to various nonprofit organizations. We’ve highlighted a few below.

Amy Dykstra

Amy Dykstra

Mary Henderson

Mary Henderson

Charlee Boone

Charlee Boone

Sam Davidson

Sam Davidson

In Memoriam

Angelique Hunter

Angelique Hunter

Tamsin Green

Tamsin Green

Alyce Lomax

Alyce Lomax

Selena Maranjian

Selena Maranjian

Sharon Yep

Sharon Yep

Sam Whiteside

Sam Whiteside

Ginni Bratti

Ginni Bratti

Anne Henry

Anne Henry

Kelsey Ryan

Kelsey Ryan

FOLLOW ALONG

Join us on the journey

• Stay involved by adding your email. (We promise we won’t spam you endlessly!) 

• Share your story. (Understanding is key to making change happen.)

• Act in your local community. (It starts with one small step.) 

    By submitting your email address, you consent to us keeping you informed about updates to our website and other initiatives, that we think might intrest you. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

    We Aim to Make the World Smarter, Happier, and Richer

    Moving Foolishly Into Our Next 28 Years

    Fools!

    We aim to make the world smarter, happier, and richer every day and in every way we can. It’s our purpose here at The Motley Fool. It’s what inspires us to get out of bed each day and to deliver for all of our stakeholders.  

    Since our founding more than 28 years ago, we’ve built a community of Fools who share a common bond: working together to invest better, forever. We aim to provide the tools and knowledge to sustainably improve the lives of others. These are hallmarks of our brand.

    On the pages that follow, you’ll get a glimpse into how we’re working to change outcomes for people and communities who need and deserve a better and more equitable chance to succeed. Those who aren’t yet ready to invest – those who might be merely coping. 

    The organizations we’ve worked with over the years and have invested in are those that put people on a pathway toward financial freedom – whether through housing, education, work, capital, or health. These are the important drivers to a better life. 

    As we move into our next 28 years, we’re becoming even more intentional about seeking to unlock financial freedom for all via the establishment of The Motley Fool Foundation. We know this is something that can be achieved only with and alongside our motley community of Fools – our members, our employees, our partners, and you.  

    We hope you’ll consider joining us and paying it Foolward. We promise to make it a unique, meaningful, and Foolish journey together.  

    Foolishly,

    David Gardner
    Co-Founder and Chief Rule-Breaker
    The Motley Fool

    Chairman of the Board
    The Motley Fool Foundation

    Tom Gardner
    Co-Founder & CEO 
    The Motley Fool

    A Pathway to Financial Freedom for ALL

    Fools, 

    Almost 30 years ago, The Motley Fool started a journey of changing the collective mindset about individuals’ ability to invest and providing access to anyone with the interest and even the most modest means – in essence, bringing Wall Street to Main Street. Through education and access, Fools everywhere started to invest and grow their wealth, and are now doing so for the long term. 

    The Motley Fool Foundation, a new public charity of The Motley Fool brand, was created to extend opportunities and access for more of our society to be financially able and free. Our vision is financial freedom for all – an audacious goal that builds upon the Fool’s legacy of Foolanthropy at a greater scale. We know that everyone should have an ability to travel a pathway to financial freedom, but that journey is not equal for everyone. In fact, two-thirds of Americans are financially coping or unstable, according to a 2021 report published by the Financial Health Network. 

    We will begin in a modest but thoughtful way, balancing the need for system disruption with bridge-building at all levels while leveraging our role as a trusted advisor for so many different audiences. We will center include financially coping and vulnerable communities as a co-designer in every step, helping ensure stability and freedom for the long term.  

    Our impact will be realized in three ways: Support Immediate Needs (money), Shift Mindset, and Impact The System. These three areas of concentration are intrinsically linked, as mindset shift is the single greatest lever of long-term systems change. Our opportunity to help Fools Pay it Foolword, as well as our unique ability to be rule-breakers, accelerate innovations, and convene unlikely partnerships, will fuel the financial freedom movement and our outcomes.  

    Imagine what we can all do when we unify and highlight our efforts to Pay it Foolward across the United States!  

    A heartfelt note of thanks to the Fools who have dedicated their hearts, resources, and time to positively affect the world thus far. Please enjoy our first impact report – a living annual document that will highlight some of our history as Foolanthropists and our plans for the future, including the official Foundation launch in 2022!

    Fool Forward,
    Jennifer Gennaro Oxley
    Executive Director
    The Motley Fool Foundation

    Motley: Excelsior

    David Gardner

    David Gardner is Chief Rule Breaker at The Motley Fool, a financial services company he co-founded in 1993 alongside his brother Tom. The Motley Fool’s purpose is to make the world smarter, happier, and richer. To that end, David has picked stocks for a worldwide membership for 27 years and hosted his own weekly podcast, Rule Breaker Investing, since 2015. In October 2018, David made his 200th consecutive monthly stock pick for the company’s flagship service Motley Fool Stock Advisor; those 200 picks returned an average annualized return of 20.7% over those 16+ years, vs. the market’s S&P 500 average of 7.5%.

    He and his wife Margaret both graduated as Morehead-Cain Scholars from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1988; David is a recipient of UNC’s prestigious “Distinguished Young Alumni Award.” He loves games of all kinds, especially board games, having a collection of hundreds of them, which the Gardner’s have played a lot over the years with their three children. David served on the Individual Investor Advisory Committee of the New York Stock Exchange for 15 years and the Folger Shakespeare Library board for 10 years.  He currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Conscious Capitalism Institute and is a Co-Founder of Conscious Capitalism DC. He is a graduate of the Leadership Greater Washington Signature Program Class of 2 019.

    Motley: Hope more, fear less

    Jennifer Gennaro Oxley

    Jennifer Gennaro Oxley, a recognized leader on change leadership and innovative business strategy who’s career has spanned for-profit, trade associations, chambers of commerce and non-profit organizations. Jennifer currently serves as Executive Director of The Motley Fool Foundation, a new public charity formed in 2020. She formerly co-led the Mid-Atlantic regional office of Playworks, an award winning social enterprise actively promoting safe & healthy play in elementary school children across the nation. Prior, Jennifer was the Executive Director of the Fulbright Association, where she co-launched TEDxFulbright, accelerated global advocacy which led to a restoration of Congressional funding for the Fulbright Program, and expanded the regional chapter network, all while creating new funding sources, international conveniening opportunities and member value. Jennifer has also held pivotal leadership roles at the U.S Chamber of Commerce where she co-launched the mid-market business division, led the small business department’s membership efforts, and the Electronic Retailing Association where she co-introduced the first online retailing alliance, led all membership & marketing efforts, and launched the international product search competition. Jennifer holds leadership and volunteer positions with civic organizations that largely focus on human empowerment and child development such as Compass Bono, American Marketing Association-DC Chapter, DC Scores, UMASS Alumni Club and the YMCA National Capital. Jennifer has created and fostered numerous mentoring programs for young adults and has won a variety of awards for her work in this area. She earned a B.A. in business from UMASS Amherst. Jennifer is a 27-year DMV resident with her husband and two children, and is deeply committed to the community and fostering social good for impact.

    Motley: Create Delight, Give Thanks

    Margaret Gardner

    Margaret Gardner has known the Fool since its inception as its first cheerleader and consultant, advisor and activist. Supporting its growth and championing its mission is a lifetime goal. She graduated from UNC-Chapel Hill as a Morehead-Cain Scholar with a BA in English and History and has an MA in English Literature from UVA. She has worked as an English teacher, researcher, editor, and at-home mom of three. As a community volunteer, Margaret’s engaged with issues of homelessness, hunger, and educating at-risk youth. She has served on the Boards of churches, schools, and non-profits, focusing on fundraising and development, grant-distribution, governance, and strategic planning. She is currently in her final semester of theological studies at Wesley Theological Seminary, with concentrations in ethics and theology & art.

    As David is to games, Margaret is to flowers. An avid gardener Margaret served as president of the Garden Club of Alexandria, overseeing their recent renovation of the small garden at Alexandria’s Visitor’s Center on King Street. (There’s even a Foolish touch – Go see! ) As a flower arranger, she’s won awards at state and regional flower shows and teaches floral design classes.

    Motley: Purpose & Profit

    Ollen Douglass

    Ollen Douglass is the Finance Chair of the Motley Fool Foundation. He is also the Managing Director of Motley Fool Ventures, an early-stage venture capital fund. The fund focuses on startups deploying technology as a strategic asset to increase efficiency, improve access, or operate at scale in large, growing markets.

    He serves on the Board of private companies Bitwise Industries, Eyrus, InHerSight, Ketos, StreetShares, and Upskill. He is the Board Chair for the nonprofit group, Young Artists of America.

    Before creating the fund, Ollen served 14 years as the corporate CFO of The Motley Fool Holdings, and previously held several positions in banking and public accounting.

    He earned his Bachelor’s degree from The University of Baltimore and is an inactive CPA. Ollen lives in Maryland with his wife and three sons.

    Motley: Evolve

    Neel Shah

    Neel Shah is the founder and President of Shah Capital Advisors, a financial consulting group that helps non-profits navigate the use of the federal New Markets Tax Credit program to subsidize real estate projects. He has structured and closed over $1 billion of financing to support the building of supportive housing, food banks, schools, youth centers, health clinics, workforce training centers, and manufacturing facilities in severely distressed, low-income communities.

    Neel made several trips to India as a child, and returned every time with a renewed appreciation of how hard life could be for those living in poverty. After experiencing a series of financial challenges in his youth and watching his immigrant parents struggle as entrepreneurs in the United States, Neel decided he would learn how the world of money works and help those who didn’t get a lucky roll of the dice. After a few years of 80-hour work weeks in the world of investment banking, where he watched his managers invest only in T-bills, he realized that a) it was time to put all of this know-how and effort to work helping impoverished communities lacking access to capital, and b) learning about high falutin finance had little to do with learning how to grow your money. 

    Neel eventually found a home in the world of community development finance, where he has worked with hundreds of dedicated social entrepreneurs and professionals to channel capital into underinvested neighborhoods and ensure measurable community impact. While he was helping clients to finance their projects and access the financial system, Neel found out even more about how the world of money works through nerding out on newsletters and conferences, as a proud member of The Motley Fool. He credits the Fool with helping him build the mindset and access the tools to build wealth, and he enthusiastically teaches and mentors others on how to do the same.

    Neel holds an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, a Bachelor of Science from Brown University, and a Certificate in Culinary Arts from the Natural Gourmet Institute. He lives in New York with his wife and two daughters (who like to parade around the house in his Motley Fool jester hat). 

    Motley: Thoughtful Disruptor

    Elaine Hungenberg

    Elaine Hungenberg is a proven leader of financial empowerment interventions and research, and offers expertise in leading successful strategies to help close financial inclusion and wealth gaps. Elaine’s passion to financially uplift communities, combined with her experience in developing data insights to pioneer real change for at-risk populations, has defined her career. Elaine is currently Executive Vice President of Operation HOPE’s Research and Impact Institute. Operation HOPE is one of the world’s largest financial empowerment organizations, and as an expertly trained quantitative social scientist, Elaine is responsible for organizational research and thought-leadership initiatives. Elaine’s commitment to using data to identify financial inequities has spanned partnerships with Gallup Inc., Harvard University, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, FICO, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, Annie E. Casey Foundation, Experian, and many others. 

    Before her decade-long tenure at Operation HOPE, Elaine began her career in the nonprofit sector in 2007 with the Colorado Children’s Campaign (CCC) in Denver, Colorado. Analyzing statewide data, Elaine focused her efforts on creating publications to help Colorado’s Legislature create appropriate and formative programs for at-risk youth. While working with the CCC, Elaine was able to successfully help in the formulation of positive public policy to close educational attainment gaps. She earned a B.A. in Political Science and English from St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT, and a Master’s Degree from the University of Colorado in Econometrics and Political Science. Elaine is a current resident of Windsor, Colorado with her husband and three children. With endless energy to make the world a better place, she considers herself a thoughtful disrupter on the pursuit of positive social change.

    Motley: Positive Persistence

    Sean Milliken

    Sean Milliken is committed to creating innovative partnerships and solutions that result in positive social impact. Most recently, Sean served as PayPal’s Head of Global Social Innovation, where he led the company’s efforts to harness the power of its unique assets and expertise to improve the lives of people and the communities in which they live and work.

    Previous to his role at PayPal, Sean served as Director of Nonprofit Strategy for eBay Inc. He joined eBay Inc. following their acquisition of MissionFish, an organization he founded in 1999 and led until 2011. Under his leadership, the award-winning social enterprise teamed up with eBay to launch eBay Giving Works (now eBay for Charity), a ground-breaking charitable giving program that enables eBay’s community of users to donate to their favorite causes through their buying and selling activity – and that has raised over $1B million since its inception. 

    Sean started MissionFish after working as Associate VP of Marketing & Development for Boys & Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta. He developed a passion for using entrepreneurial initiatives for social good while helping teens start successful businesses. He led a collaboration to create the Center for Entrepreneurship at Manual Arts High School, a business incubator and micro-loan program for young people. Sean began his career at Communities In Schools, a leading community-based organization devoted to helping young people succeed in school and prepare for life.

    Sean, his wife, Jill, and two children live in Alexandria, Virginia. He is a co-author featured in the book Innovation and Technology Strategies, and serves on the Board of Directors of Communities In Schools of Northern Virginia and the Motley Fool Foundation.  He received his BS in Communications from Virginia Tech.

    Motley: Do The Impossible!

    Trish Costello

    Trish Costello is founder and CEO of Portfolia, which offers a radically different investing process designed for women and other emerging investors. She is also co-founder and CEO Emeritus of the Kauffman Fellows Program, Center for Venture Education, the global educational institute preparing the leaders of the venture capital industry, located in Palo Alto, CA. Portfolia brings investing into the 21st Century, creating entrepreneurial funds focused where women make markets, such as women’s health, active aging, consumer, enterprise, food & agtech, and fashion, tech and beauty. The investing experience is smart, personalized, and educational, providing returns and market impact customized to your interests. Portfolia is building a powerful global community of sophisticated investors focusing their money and influence to build the world they want.