What's Happening

By Li Ma, Director of Development, 
Opportunity Resource Fund

April 20, 2026, Grand Rapids, Michigan – Growing up, Avanti Footman knew the feeling of “home” with a backyard and neighbors as space and security that define happiness. This was before her parents’ divorce, which led to her moving from a house into a two bedroom apartment shared with her mom and two brothers. The shift made the instability feel real, a contrast she still remembers. 

Years later, as a mother herself, Avanti rented responsibly in Grand Rapids, Michigan, paid her rent on time, and cared for each place she lived. Yet twice, landlords reclaimed their homes, giving her just 30 days to move. “It was heartbreaking,” she recalled. “My daughter had lived her first five years there, and we had to leave with almost no warning.” The instability she had promised herself she would never pass on to her children seemed unavoidable.

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021, Avanti relied on a Section 8 voucher to help keep her housing affordable. She continued paying rent even when agencies fell behind in processing payments. But when the system later sent retroactive funds to correct her ledger, confusion with her landlord led to conflict. When she asked for clarification, communication broke down. 

Soon, another 30 day notice arrived. Avanti still remembers standing before the judge, explaining that she wasn’t behind, hadn’t damaged anything, and was only asking for fairness. The judge granted her additional time, but the message was clear: she and her children still had to go.

“I knew then that I couldn’t keep living like that,” she said. “I didn’t want my family to be uprooted just because someone else decided it was time.” The dream of owning a home – something steady, something hers – rose to the surface again.

Yet the path to ownership was not easy. Traditional lenders told her no. Despite years of responsible tenancy and stable income, the doors of conventional mortgage financing remained closed. “The local banks wouldn’t pre approve me,” she said. 

That changed when she was referred to Opportunity Resource Fund. For Avanti, it was the first time a financial institution looked at her with possibility instead of limitation. “They were the only ones who said, ‘We’re going to get to the end,’” she recalled. OppFund staff walked with her through every step, making sure she understood the process and helping her rebuild confidence that homeownership was not only possible, but within reach.

With their support, Avanti purchased a modest, welcoming home in the neighborhood she grew up in. For the first time, she felt rooted. “I no longer have to answer to anyone but the bank,” she said, smiling. “My daughters can go outside and play. They have cousins down the street.” Stability has also allowed her to extend generosity outward: hosting friends who need a place to stay; supporting family; and creating the warm, communal home she longed for as a child.

Later in 2025, another job loss caused her to fall behind on her mortgage. Once again, Opportunity Resource Fund stood beside her. Through its Homeowner Relief Fund, she received assistance to get back on track. “They don’t just help you get into a home,” she said. “They help you stay in a home.”

At Opportunity Resource Fund’s 40 year anniversary gala, Avanti joined to celebrate the impact of this organization that helped her family stay in her home and beloved neighborhood.

Today, Avanti speaks of her home not only as a personal milestone but as a turning point for future generations. “I was able to create generational wealth,” she said. “To break generational curses.”

And to others facing circumstances like hers, she offers simple, steady encouragement: “Don’t give up. Keep going. Use your resources. Trust God.”

With the Adrian Dominican Sisters Portfolio Advisory Board impact investment, Opportunity Resource Fund’s loans are creating meaningful change for communities throughout Michigan.  
 

Caption for above feature photo: Avanti Footman and one of her daughters stand in their new house. Avanti bought the home through the help of the Opportunity Resource Fund.

By Mary Minette, Senior Director of Shareholder Advocacy, 
Mercy Investment Services

March 2, 2026, Washington, D.C. – The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) issued a change in policy late in 2025 that is impacting shareholder proposals, a key tool used by the Portfolio Advisory Board (PAB) and other investors to engage with the companies we own. Most publicly traded companies hold their annual shareholder meetings in the spring, so each fall, shareholders consider whether it would be useful to file a non-binding proposal under SEC Rule 14a to encourage companies to engage in more focused dialogue on key issues, including climate change, human rights, and improvements in corporate governance.  

Under Rule 14a, if a company believes that the subject of a proposal is not appropriate or that they are already doing what the proposal requests, they must ask the SEC for permission to omit the proposal from the proxy ballot for their annual meeting. Under long-standing policy, the SEC will either allow them to do so or indicate that they are required to include the proposal on their proxy. 

This past fall, as investors were preparing to begin filing proposals for the 2026 proxy season, the SEC announced that it would not respond to most requests by companies this year to omit proposals from their proxy ballots, citing a lack of resources due to the extended government shutdown. Companies are still required to inform the SEC that they will not include a proposal, and to outline their reasons for doing so, but the SEC will not compel them to print a proposal in their proxy.

Many companies have chosen not to take advantage of this “free pass.” For example, Tyson Foods had already requested permission from the SEC to omit a proposal filed by the PAB requesting a report on how changes in immigration policies are impacting their workers when the SEC announced this change. The company elected to include the proposal on the proxy ballot for its annual meeting in February. 

However, some companies elected to omit proposals. GEO Group, a private prison company that owns and co-operates more than 20 Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention centers, informed the SEC that it would omit a proposal filed by the PAB from its 2026 proxy. The proposal requested that the company hire a third party to determine whether they are complicit in violating international human rights law by providing transportation and security services to assist ICE deportations, such as their role accompanying detainees from GEO detention centers on flights to CECOT prison in El Salvador. The company also failed to respond to requests from investors for dialogue on this issue.

Recently, the SEC announced another policy change that will impact shareholder rights.  The SEC maintains a database called EDGAR where public companies file their required reports. Under SEC rules, any shareholder who holds more than $5 million in a company’s shares is required to file a Notice of Exempt Solicitation on EDGAR any time they wish to urge their fellow shareholders to vote their proxies in a specific way (against certain directors or for a specific shareholder proposal). Smaller shareholders were also permitted to use EDGAR to file a voluntary Notice of Exempt Solicitation to urge support for a proposal they filed or other proxy voting campaign. The SEC announced in January 2026 that they will no longer allow EDGAR to be used for voluntary filings, blocking use of a key communications tool by small shareholders.

Despite the challenges posed by these SEC policy changes, the PAB is continuing to file shareholder proposals and will find alternate ways to generate support for our proposals.