US SIF & Trillium Asset Management announce Margot Brandenburg as winner of 2026 Joan Bavaria Award
ARLINGTON, VA, June 25, 2026 – The US Sustainable Investment Forum (US SIF) and Trillium Asset Management (Trillium) today announced that Margot Brandenburg has been selected for the 2026 Joan Bavaria Award. Brandenburg is a Senior Program Officer at the Ford Foundation’s Mission Investments team.
“Margot has been a tireless leader and collaborator in sustainable finance and inclusive capitalism. Her innovative approach to building critical market infrastructure has catalyzed aspiration to measurable impact,” said Maria Lettini, CEO of US SIF.
Margot has spent two decades working at the intersection of philanthropy, capital markets, and social and environmental justice. In her role at Ford, Margot’s work focuses on building and strengthening the infrastructure of the impact investment market with an eye toward shaping the broader capital markets, counselling and supporting numerous organizations. She played a critical role in creating B Lab, the non-profit behind the B Corp movement; the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB); sustainable finance start-ups Novata and Bluemark; and numerous other organizations that enable the integration of sustainability.
The 2026 Joan Bavaria Award was presented at the 2026 US SIF FORUM, held in Arlington, VA from June 24 – 26, 2026. The Award Committee included Maria Lettini, CEO of US SIF, Trillium CEO Matthew Patsky and Nakia Maddox-Eubanks, Director of Investment Management at Trillium.. The judges continue to advance Joan Bavaria’s vision within organizations she founded or co-founded. Joan Bavaria, who passed away in 2008 following a long battle with ovarian cancer, was a pioneering force in sustainable investing. This prestigious award honors leaders who embody her collaborative and innovative spirit.
“Margot’s work reflects a continuation of the foundational principles advanced by Joan Bavaria,” said Maddox-Eubanks. “She translates the ethos of sustainable investing into disciplined practice, reinforcing the importance of aligning capital with long-term societal and environmental value.”
“Receiving this award in Joan Bavaria's name is deeply humbling," said Brandenburg. “The work she started decades ago is of existential importance today. We are privileged to carry on her legacy by working toward an economy in which all people can thrive."
In 2025, George Gay received the award for his vision building one of the first SRI-focused advisory firms and organizer influential industry conferences. Other previous honorees include Napoleon Wallace, Managing Partner of The Southern Reconstruction Fund, Sr. Patricia Daly, Executive Director of the Tri-State Coalition for Responsible Investment, and Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
About US SIF and the US SIF Foundation
US Sustainable Investment Forum is the preeminent voice advancing sustainable investing. Members, who represent $5 trillion in assets under management or advisement, support US SIF’s mission to rapidly shift investment practices toward sustainability, focusing on long-term investment, the generation of positive social and environmental impacts and supporting the shift toward a more resilient and equitable planet and society. https://www.ussif.org US SIF is supported in its work by the US SIF Foundation, a 501(C)(3) organization that undertakes educational and research activities to advance the mission of US SIF, including offering trainings for advisors and other financial professionals on the Fundamentals of Sustainable and Impact Investment.
About Trillium Asset Management
Trillium Asset Management offers investment strategies and services that advance humankind towards a global sustainable economy, a just society, and a better world. For over 40 years, Trillium has been at the forefront of sustainable and responsible investing. Devoted to aligning stakeholders’ values and objectives, Trillium combines impactful investment solutions with active ownership. www.trilliuminvest.com