QIET - Quaker Investment Ethical Trust

Investment and lending for good

If you are looking for an ethical investment, Quaker Investment Ethical Trust (QIET) accepts deposits and looks for opportunities to lend where a social good comes out of it.

Quaker Investments Ethical Trust has offered ethical investors the opportunity to support social good since 1989. A project of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and registered with the Charities Commission Its primary object is "to provide an ethical savings, investment and loan service in such a way as to reflect Quaker concerns." In 2012 the Trust had total assets of $1,900,000, with reserves of $406,000.

Enjoy a QIET cup of coffee

An example of QIET's social lending is our support for Trade Aid. Trade Aid is the biggest importer of unroasted fair trade coffee beans and helps developing world farmers get a fair price. A loan from the Quaker Investment Ethical Trust (QIET) to the Trade Aid Charitable Trust helps finance their work.

Other loans have gone to people and organisations who are not able to afford and/or secure commercial loans. Lending is not restricted to Quakers. Loans have been for housing, small businesses, clearing high interest bearing debt, environmental enhancement and tertiary education.

Social Lending is a QIET goal 

In today's difficult and uncertain economic times QIET is meeting the challenge to re-invent itself as a valuable ethical financial service provider.  While QIET has helped individuals and families with loans and mortgages, it has also been a social lender, looking to do wider good through its lending. Possible kinds of social loans include:

1.     Social loans to non-profits and social enterprises.The borrower has social goals as its purpose. Eg Our loan toTrade Aid.

2.     Community development loans to micro and small businesses. The purposes of the funding are income generation and job creation, which are the social goals. Eg Loans funded by the Trust but made and managed by partner agencies such as Just Dollars and the Nelson Ethical Loans Trust.

3.     Loans to low-income families and individuals to help break the cycle of poverty by enabling low-income families and individuals to escape from loan sharks, manage their debt, meet expenses and/or to start building their net worth. Eg Debt consolidations loans, mortgages and personal loans.

QIET welcomes any proposal from organisations or individuals for social lending. We have existing partnerships with other social agencies who are close to their communities. We are open to forming new partnerships with nonprofits, social enterprises or community development organisations.  Just contact the QIET administrator: qiet@quaker.org.nz

You can download the QIET Information Leaflet:Brochure.pdf [1MB]

Investing in QIET -  making your money work for good

All investments are welcome. You can deposit a lump sum or make regular payments.

All deposits are On Call after six months. The Trust will normally make repayments within ten working days of a request.

You can choose your interest rate: currently 0%, 2.25%, 3.5%, 4%, but subject to change. There are no fees charged. The choice is yours to take a competitive interest rate or to take a lesser rate. A lesser rate allows QIET to make below market rate loans to organisations and to individuals where the result will be social good.

·          Interest is credited quarterly and automatically reinvested.

·          Government Withholding Tax is deducted unless the investor has IRD exemption.

·          Donations are also welcome.

You can download Investment information form for an individual: Investment Application.pdf [47KB]

You can download Investment information for an organization: Investment Application-Organization.pdf [46KB]

Borrowing from QIET – social lending for good

Loan applications will be considered from anyone or any organisation, whether they are Quaker or not. The Trust will concentrate on lending in support of beneficial activities such as low cost housing, community development, energy conservation, employment creation, and projects that enhance our environment.

·          The Trust will not lend for purposes that the Trustees consider unethical.

·          The cost of registering the security for the loan will be paid by the applicant.

·          For loans that meet our criteria QIET offers competitive rates often below normal commercial rates.

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF QIET LOANS (CLICK)

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT QIET STRUCTURE AND STRATEGIES (CLICK)

You can download QIET Annual Reports from the Charities Commission website  http://tinyurl.com/cclhd3f