i3 Innovator Sage Lacerte
Accelerating the re-matriation of the Indigenous economy
Indigenous Innovator Announcement | Meet Sage Lacerte
A National Impact Investment Collective of Indigenous Womxn for Indigenous Womxn
Sage Lacerte is a Carrier woman from the Lake Babine Nation and a member of the Bear clan. She calls the city of Victoria home which is located on the unceded Coast Salish Territory of the Lekwungen and W̱SÁNEĆ nations.
Sage Lacerte is a graduate of the University of Victoria in the department of Gender Studies with a focus on Indigenous feminism and cultural resurgence. In 2018 she founded The Sage Initiative, a national impact investment collective of Indigenous womxn who invest between $1,000 and $50,000 (either alone or as partners) in Indigenous owned social purpose businesses. The Sage Initiative offers a circular economy, making capital available to Indigenous social enterprises from Indigenous womxn investors. Womxn receiving the investment also complete an investment curriculum to learn about Indigenous concepts of wealth and commerce through a trauma informed lens that addresses colonial relationships with money and over-lapping identities such as Indigeneity, gender, age and sexuality.
The Sage Initiative is the 1st and only Indigenous Womxn’s impact investing collective. It accelerates the re-matriation of the Indigenous economy by building a scalable pathway for Indigenous womxn to become impact investors in Indigenous-owned enterprises. The Sage Initiative also provides decolonized impact investment literacy to empower Indigenous womxn with the information they need to make investment decisions that benefit Indigenous Peoples and the land. This innovation looks like Indigenous women investing between $1,000-$50,000 of their own money in Indigenous owned social enterprises followed by a decolonized curriculum and learning environment to build financial and investment literacy while healing the trauma often associated with money.
The Sage Initiative is creating a circular economy, making capital available to Indigenous social enterprises and Trusts from Indigenous womxn investors. We offer an investment curriculum that explores Indigenous concepts of wealth and commerce through a trauma informed lens that addresses colonial relationships with money and overlapping identities such as Indigeneity, gender, age and sexuality.
“This has never been done before within the community. By supporting the re-building of Indigenous economies through a balanced approach to social, environmental and economic benefit, this project has the potential to be a transformational model for social impact investment across the ecosystem.”
- Sara Wolfe, Director, Indigenous Innovation Initiative
WHAT DOES INDIGENOUS INNOVATION MEAN TO YOU?
This innovation brings an Indigenous approach to wealth. Circular in nature, our interwoven pedagogy introduces technical investing skills and practices with a balanced approach to investment that equally values social, with social, environment, and economic benefit. This is my chosen mechanism to promote intergenerational wealth and prosperity.
HOW THIS INNOVATION IMPACTS 2030 INDIGENOUS AGENDA
The Sage Initiative creates scalable pathways to prosperity for Indigenous communities and beyond. It is re-matriating and strengthening Indigenous economies by providing positive role models for younger Indigenous womxn and for the investment industry at large. Indigenous womxn have a systemically-conditioned rift relationship with money and wealth. This initiative helps to heal the scars that resulted from colonization using a strength-based approach and a trauma-informed lens that honours the lived-experiences of Indigenous womxn.
