Boise, ID / August 19, 2022 — Inspire Investing, the world's largest provider of biblically responsible ETFs, announced changes to the naming convention of its suite of eight ETFs (exchange-traded funds). The change encompasses the removal of the term ESG (environmental, social, governance) from the fund names. The investment objectives and methodologies behind the funds are unaffected by this change, and all eight funds will continue to trade under their current tickers.
Inspire initially adopted the term “faith-based ESG” back in 2019 to describe their biblically responsible approach to investing and how it applies a biblical worldview to ESG criterion. More recently, due to pervasive liberal activism under the guise of “ESG”, the term has received backlash from conservatives and has become broadly perceived as the antithesis of biblical values. To reflect this development of public perception, Inspire publicly renounced the ESG label, explaining their decision in an article published by Inspire CEO, Robert Netzly.
“We adopted ESG hoping to see a “two-party system” in the ESG community, where biblical values could provide counterpressure on the overwhelming progressive-left dominance in the space,” commented Netzly. “Due to the escalation of leftist intolerance and rancor in recent months, we no longer desire to identify our investment approach as being part of the ESG category. In our view, ESG has joined CRT in the list of acronyms worth fighting against.”
Read the full article describing Inspire’s decision to renounce ESG at inspireinvesting.com.
Effective August 22, 2022, the Funds’ names will change as follows:
About Inspire Investing
Inspire is a leading provider of biblically responsible investments managing over $2 billion in assets under management (as of 8/16/2022), and creator of the globally recognized Inspire Impact Score™, which is used by investors around the world to measure the biblical alignment of their investments according to Biblically Responsible Investing (BRI) principles.
Inspire ranked in the “Top 50 fastest growing RIA firms” by FA Magazine for the past three years in a row and was recognized in The Financial Times “Americas’ Fastest Growing Companies” 2021 and 2022 report, as well as the Inc. 5000 list of fastest-growing private companies in America three years running. Inspire also donates 50% or more of its net corporate profits to support impactful ministry projects around the globe through its Give50 Program. To learn more, visit www.inspireinvesting.com.
Media contact:
Eric Smyth
(208) 994-0832
eric.smyth@inspireinvesting.com
Important Risk Information
There is no guarantee that the Funds will achieve their objective, generate positive returns, or avoid losses. Before investing, consider the funds’ investment objectives, risks, charges and expenses. To obtain a prospectus which contains this and other information, call 877.658.9473, or visit www.inspireetf.com. Read it carefully. The Inspire ETFs are distributed by Foreside Financial Services LLC., Member FINRA. Inspire and Foreside Financial Services LLC are not affiliated. Copyright © 2025 Inspire. All rights reserved.
The Fund invests its assets in securities with an Inspire Impact Score® of zero or higher. As a result of its strategy, the Fund's exclusion of securities of certain issuers for nonfinancial reasons may cause the Fund to forgo some market opportunities available to funds that do not use these criteria. The value of investments in larger companies may not rise as much as smaller companies, or larger companies may be unable to respond quickly to competitive challenges, such as changes in technology and consumer tastes.
The removal of “ESG” from the Fund names did not affect their investment objectives, strategies, risks, or expenses. Investors should refer to the prospectus for complete information.
References to asset growth, firm rankings, or assets under management (AUM) are provided for informational purposes only and should not be construed as performance or an indicator of future results.
