Pressuring TIAA from the inside is OUT! Dumping TIAA is IN!
TIAA-Divest! arose from a 2020 community fight to stop a massive TIAA-financed, fracked-gas-burning power plant in a small rural community. When we formed the campaign we believed that we’d be able to persuade TIAA to divest from fossil fuels and deforestation, due to TIAA’s reputation as a company that does well by doing good. Five years later we know more about TIAA’s unwillingness to change, even when their own clients are calling on them to do so.
Over the past five years, we’ve helped hundreds of TIAA participants to reach out to the company’s leadership so that you could have your voices heard. In 2022 we delivered a 22,000 signature petition to CEO Thasunda Brown Duckett asking TIAA to divest their fossil fuel assets.We helped 18 educational institutions pass resolutions asking TIAA to divest.We’ve held rallies outside of TIAA offices every year.We’ve repeatedly requested meetings with TIAA leadership.We filed a formal complaint with the UN Principles for Responsible Investing, a major undertaking that dispelled any remaining hope that TIAA really intended to “do good”.
TIAA’s only response has been silence — and an ever-increasing stream of greenwashing ads. Meanwhile, TIAA has only increased the money (our money) it pours into climate-destroying oil, gas and coal and into agribusiness and real-estate schemes that disrupt communities here and around the world.
TIAA’s inaction has given us little choice but to escalate our campaign. Since the start, we’ve encouraged TIAA participants to keep their TIAA accounts and use their voices as customers to urge the company to invest responsibly. But we always recognized that if TIAA didn’t listen, participants would need to pull their money out of their TIAA accounts. We have now reached that point. This isn’t a change in direction but the next phase in a long, strategic effort to secure ethical and sustainable investment practices for our hard-earned savings.
How are we shifting strategy?
We’re now encouraging participants to pledge to move their own money away from TIAA unless the company takes real climate action within the next year.
We are calling on TIAA to meet the following demands by September 2026:Divest from fossil fuels.End land and agriculture investments tied to deforestation and displacement.Disclose emissions, investment holdings, and detailed transition plans.Meet with TIAA-Divest! and communities harmed by TIAA investments, including substandard housing, fracked gas pollution, and farmland grabbed from Black and Indigenous farmers.We remain ready to engage if TIAA chooses integrity over deception and inaction. They have a year to make the right choice.
We understand that many people are anxious about moving their retirement money. But we are also clear that investing in fossil fuels is risky, both financially and morally.
As we wait for TIAA to step up, we’ll be developing practical tools to help TIAA participants identify safe and responsible alternatives. We’re speaking with a range of providers who offer responsible investments and can support individuals and entire institutions. We’ll help you to understand the nuances of your retirement account, whether that is annuities, 403b accounts, IRAs or target date accounts. We’ll offer guidance and peer support over the next year to help you and your colleagues plan responsibly.
Our campaign will keep building public pressure, sharing information about divestment options, and inviting TIAA to meet with us.
This escalation represents both our progress and our power. We have fostered a broad, informed, and determined movement. Aligning our money with climate justice is the only just and sustainable path forward.
How to get out of TIAA
Click here to download your copy of TIAA: A Fossil Fuel Divestor’s Guide A Personal primer to getting your retirement funds out of TIAA.