Morgan Simon is changing the culture of money. A financial activist and one of the founders of the impact investing movement, she helps individuals and organizations align their capital with their values. Her investment firm, Candide Group, directs capital away from an extractive global economy towards investments dedicated to social justice and sustainability. Candide has supported over 90 companies and funds with over $120M invested largely in initiatives led by women and people of color, including efforts to bring utility scale solar to the Navajo Nation, and a Black-led, healthy soul food chain that focuses on employing formerly incarcerated people. Morgan is an expert at unwrapping the "money story" behind critical social issues as a Senior Contributor to Forbes.com, and has also provided expert commentary to CNN, MSNBC, Cheddar and others, bringing her unique perspective at the intersection of money and justice to current affairs as wide-ranging as Opportunity Zones and COVID relief.

Morgan’s voice is so strong, a private prison company sued her for $60M to try to shut her up.  She is currently embroiled in a legal battle with one of the world’s largest prison companies that raises critical questions around the First Amendment rights of activists. The private prison industry has been squeezing handsome profits from the broken immigration system, even playing a role in the shameful chapter of family separation. When Morgan called them out in her role as a Senior Contributor to Forbes.com, CoreCivic, frivolously sued her and Candide Group for alleged defamation, claiming she did as much as $60M of damage. The gambit to silence her and other critics failed, however, as a federal judge recently affirmed that CoreCivic did indeed participate in the family separation crisis through its detention of immigrant parents. This is an important victory for activists who believe that the American public has a right to know how much money is made off human suffering—and more importantly, has a right to do something about it.

Press: 

• NowThis. Your Bank Could Be Funding Private Prisons–But There’s a Better Way

• Newsweek. Prison Company Sues Activist for Writing About Family Separation

• Mother Jones. How a Private Prison Company’s Defamation Suit Against One of Its Critics Backfired

• People. Alyssa Milano, Ellen Pompeo and Natalie Portman are among the celebrities and activists have teamed up with the Real Money Moves initiative

• CSPAN. What are Opportunity Zones? 

• Forbes.com. Important Updates To The PPP May Equal More Money For Your Small Business