The regular meeting of the Bountiful Roman Catholic Advisory Council (hereafter “AC”) was held on December 4, 2025 and was entitled “Impact Investing: A Call to Engage.” The meeting was attended by approximately 15 individuals who have been selected to be members of the AC based on their unique professional, faith, and personal qualifications. A few observers were also invited to participate in the meeting. Mr. Jean-Baptiste de Franssu, Chairman of the Vatican Bank, was likewise in attendance as a guest speaker. He discussed the efforts within the Roman Catholic Church and its hierarchy to encourage and facilitate faith-aligned investing. Below is a brief summary of the topics discussed, the key takeaways, and any actions resulting from the discussion.
Topic: Building an ecosystem for faith-aligned investment.
Takeaway: The guest speaker at the Advisory Council, Mr. Jean-Baptist de Franssu, Chairman of the Vatican Bank, discussed the need for an ecosystem to enable faith-aligned investing. Alongside training and research, Mr. de Franssu identified the lack of a developed ecosystem as a key obstacle for faith-aligned investing.
Action: This is Bountiful’s mission and, by extension, the mission of this Council: To democratize faith-based investing. We are working to accelerate our contribution to this ecosystem through the launch of new index products, by vetting thematic index concepts, by engaging with financial data providers, and by exploring opportunities for faith-aligned proxy voting and targeted corporate engagement.
Topic: Refining the language of the proposed Abundant Life Framework.
Takeaway: In this meeting, Bountiful presented its impact framework: “The Abundant Life Framework” (A.L. Framework). While the A.L. Framework seeks to find common ground across faith traditions for the purpose of creating scaled impact, it is still important to ensure the use of language is familiar to and resonates with its eventual users. Often, the language of one faith community will have deep resonance within that community and still carry some meaning with those of other communities.
Action: Bountiful will review the proposed A.L. Framework to see if there are opportunities to further refine its language. Bountiful will use language from the specific faith communities insofar that it is sufficiently descriptive and accessible for people of other faith communities.
Topic: Reconsidering the concept and definition of the “Protecting Life” element of the A.L. Framework.
Takeaway: The Advisory Council did not come to a consensus on the “Protecting Life” element of the A.L. Framework. The proposed A.L. Framework acknowledges the primacy of human life, but also places emphasis on the interconnectivity of all life forms by coupling both human and non-human life into the central element of the A.L. Framework. Some members expressed a preference to de-couple this and have the central element of the A.L. Framework be exclusively about the protection of human life.
Action: Bountiful will continue to seek feedback including from other faith communities to determine if the A.L. Framework adequately emphasizes the primacy of human life over all other forms of life.
Topic: Providing practical examples of companies that comply with the proposed A.L. Framework.
Takeaway: Based on feedback from the Advisory Council, the A.L. Framework looks credible and sound. It meets the objectives Bountiful articulated for the formulation of the A.L. Framework. Still, Advisory Council members were anxious to see how the A.L. Framework is applied in principle. It would be useful to see examples of which companies might comply with the A.L. Framework and how that compliance is determined.
Action: Bountiful has examples of the practical application of the A.L. Framework that can be shared. At the same time, Bountiful will be seeking more feedback from the Advisory Council on the principles that can be used to identify companies that comply with the A.L. Framework. This may be done in the next regularly scheduled Advisory Council Meeting or it may be done in smaller ad hoc sessions.