PHILADELPHIA (April 22, 2025) – On Earth Day 2025, the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) announced the organization has endorsed the Vanguard S.O.S. campaign. Vanguard S.O.S. is an effort to pressure the investment firm Vanguard to shift their investment strategy away from fossil fuels and to incorporate climate considerations into their business decisions. In Philadelphia, near Vanguard’s international headquarters, the campaign is led by Earth Quaker Action Team (EQAT), a group of Quaker environmental activists.
“We are proud to join the Vanguard S.O.S. campaign, and we believe that Vanguard – and all companies – must urgently divest from fossil fuels,” said Brett Heinz, AFSC’s Global Policy Coordinator for Economic and Climate Justice. “Vanguard's actions pour gas on the flames of the climate crisis, and they must bring an end to the financing of big polluters which endanger our environment and human well-being.”
Vanguard is the world's largest investor in fossil fuels, holding $444 billion in coal, oil, and gas companies. They also rank near the bottom of major asset managers in terms of voting for sustainability in shareholder resolutions.
The Vanguard S.O.S. campaign was formed as an alliance of groups concerned about the role that Vanguard plays in fueling the climate crisis, including EQAT, Amazon Watch, the Sierra Club, Friends of the Earth, and Dayenu: A Jewish Call to Climate Action. The campaign is calling on Vanguard to decarbonize their investment portfolio, use their shareholder votes to support sustainability efforts, and to take climate justice into consideration in their business decisions.
In joining this campaign, AFSC has committed to avoid any financial ties to Vanguard, and is calling on others to join the “Never Vanguard” pledge so long as Vanguard continues investing in the destruction of our communities and the planet. "We are thrilled to have AFSC join us in action in this campaign, and call on all people of conscience to join us," said Lina Blount, Director of Strategy and Partnerships for EQAT.
AFSC has a long history of engagement in divestment campaigns and in responsible investment actions for peace and civil rights issues worldwide, including corporate accountability campaigns in the anti-apartheid movement, farmworkers' rights campaigns, the movement for nuclear disarmament, peace and anti-militarism campaigns, and struggles against mass incarceration and for the rights of immigrants.
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The American Friends Service Committee (AFSC) promotes a world free of violence, inequality, and oppression. Guided by the Quaker belief in the divine Light within each person, we nurture the seeds of change and the respect for human life to fundamentally transform our societies and institutions. We work with people and partners worldwide, of all faiths and backgrounds, to meet urgent community needs, challenge injustice, and build peace.