In 2006, financial advisors at LPL Financial’s national conference responded to a simple conference theme, “Invest in Others,” with an outpouring of stories about the causes they championed back home. That response was so strong it became something permanent: a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation built to recognize the advisors already doing meaningful charitable work, and to help them do more of it.
Twenty years later, the Invest in Others Charitable Foundation has awarded $10 million in grants and recognized over 1,000 financial advisors for their charitable work. In 2026, we’re marking that milestone, and using it as a launching point for what comes next.
Two Decades of Growing Impact
President and CEO Barkley Payne, who joined Invest in Others in February 2023 after more than three decades leading nonprofit and philanthropic organizations, has spent his tenure sharpening the foundation’s focus: building a culture of giving across the financial services industry, not just recognizing the giving that already exists.
“At its core, our work is about establishing recognition that validates and broadens the ripple effect of financial advisors’ community work,” Payne has said. Reflecting on the anniversary, he put it this way: “Twenty years ago, Invest in Others started because advisors wanted to be seen for the good they were already doing in their communities. Two decades later, our job is to make sure that impact keeps compounding, for the advisors who champion these causes, and for the nonprofits who depend on them.”
That compounding effect is the throughline of the foundation’s history: a glamorous and inspiring awards event that celebrates advisors’ charitable leadership, a grant program that channels real dollars for the nonprofits advisors care about, and a growing community of firms, sponsors, and industry collaborators who’ve joined in.
A Brand and a Website Built for Where We Are Today
“Twenty years of growth called for a brand that reflects it. Our updated mark, leaves emerging from the ground alongside upward-pointing arrows, is a picture of growing the charitable impact of financial advisors: rooted in the work already being done and reaching further because of it. That’s the same forward momentum we ask of the advisors we celebrate,” said Chief Marketing Officer Emily Burns Perryman.
The new brand is showing up first on this rebuilt website, designed around one goal: making it easier for advisors to learn about Invest in Others and connect with us. The new site will let advisors learn more about the redesigned grant program debuting in early 2027 and apply year-round directly for grants that support the charities and causes closest to their work.
“We want our website and our social channels to feel interesting, approachable, and easy to use, so advisors can find us, connect with us, and see themselves in what we do,” said Perryman. “That means constantly sharing vibrant imagery and real advisor stories that show the impact of their work, not just to celebrate them, but to inspire the next advisor to start their own charitable journey.”
Looking Ahead: A New Grant Program in 2027
The most tangible next step is a redesigned grant program set to roll out in January 2027, built to reach more advisors, fund more of the causes they care about, and scale the kind of measurable, lasting impact the foundation was built to inspire.
“Twenty years is worth celebrating, but I’m more excited about the next twenty,” Payne said. “We have the brand, the tools, the platform, and the community to do this at a scale we couldn’t have imagined in 2006. Our Board and Leadership Council members are each a huge part of our success and we’re thankful for their incredible leadership and support. As we continue to work together, the best chapters for Invest in Others are still ahead of us.”
As Invest in Others moves forward, so does its mission. What’s changed is the capacity to deliver on it. With a new brand, a new website, and a new grant program on the horizon, the organization is better equipped than ever to grow the charitable impact of financial advisors. This is just the beginning!
