The regular meeting of the Bountiful Roman Catholic Advisory Council (hereafter “AC”) was held on June 12, 2025 and was entitled “A Model for Corporate Responsibility.” The meeting was attended by approximately 20 individuals who have been selected to be members of the AC based on their unique professional, faith, and personal qualifications. Below is a brief summary of the topics discussed, the key takeaways, and any actions resulting from the discussion.
Topic: Using polling to capture the experience and views of faith adherents.
Takeaway: To get a scientifically meaningful and accurate idea of the “lived experience” of those expressing devotion to a specific faith community, it’s important to have broad polling capabilities and utilize established best practices for public polling.
Action: Bountiful is actively engaged with external polling partners that are established and respected for their rigor and approach to public polling.
Topic: The use and impact of artificial intelligence from a societal as well as a targeted perspective.
Takeaway: As the use of artificial intelligence and advanced data science tools becomes ubiquitous, there are many ways in which Bountiful can leverage these tools to advance its vision and it mission to democratize faith-based investing. These opportunities need to be leveraged carefully and thoughtfully to ensure that they advance the common good.
Action: Bountiful is and will continue to think carefully about how it can use artificial intelligence and other advanced data science tools. Bountiful also notes how important it is to incorporate religious principles in the broader ethical framework that will govern the use of these tools. Bountiful would like to play a key role in defining these governing frameworks.
Topic: Leveraging shareholder engagement to address the negative outcomes of corporate controversies.
Takeaway: While controversies may be legitimate grounds for divestment from a company (or exclusion of a company from Bountiful’s investment solutions such as indices), engagement may be a more effective tool to ensure remediation of controversies as well as longer lasting corporate responsibility.
Action: Bountiful will consider ways to prioritize engagement over divestment in its approach to corporate controversies.
Topic: Distinguishing legitimate corporate strategies from controversial activities.
Takeaway: It is difficult to draw clear lines between corporate activity that can be considered a legitimate pursuit of revenues and profit and those corporate activities that might be termed “controversial.”
Action: Based on the Advisory Council feedback on specific controversy test cases, Bountiful will ensure that its controversy methodology identifies clear boundaries between legitimate and controversial corporate behavior. This methodology will be shared with the Advisory Council for further additional feedback.
Topic: Determining intent when defining controversies.
Takeaway: Regardless of the overall severity, the Advisory Council made a clear distinction between a controversy that is the result of intentional, sustained action by the company and an equally severe controversy that may have been due to a one-off lapse in oversight and/ or attention.
Action: Bountiful will seek to incorporate the concept of intent into its detailed controversy methodology that is scheduled to be completed in by September 2025.