How an artisanal ice cream maker grew their business year over year with funding from Slow Money investors. by Christine Rico In 2007, Blue Marble Ice Cream set a new standard in the ice cream industry. Jennie Dundas and her partner noticed a trend (first set by chefs, then adopted by the coffee industry) of […]
Impact Investing News
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Deval Patrick: Shifting GIIRS with Bain Capital’s Double Impact
Politician, civil rights lawyer, author and businessman, Deval Patrick joined Bain Capital in 2015 and is a managing director of the Double Impact business. He is the only African American to have served as governor of Massachusetts, served from 2007 to 2015 and was re-elected in 2010. A member of the Democratic Party, Patrick served […]
Announcing The Principles for Investment in Sustainable Wild-Caught Fisheries
Although billions of public and private dollars are invested in fisheries every year, more often than not, sustainability is neither the driver nor the intended outcome of those investment dollars. Pacific Community Ventures is excited to be one of the founding endorsers of the Principles for Investment in Sustainable Wild-Caught Fisheries. These principles will forward the impact- […]
Women Founders Are Benefiting From Crowdfunding, but Where are the Women Investors?
Investment crowdfunding is beginning to fulfill its promise of democratizing investment and access to capital. While women entrepreneurs are still outnumbered by men on most crowdfunding sites, their ranks are steadily growing. At Republic, a Regulation Crowdfunding portal that emphasizes women-owned ventures, 8 out of 13 businesses currently raising capital are women-owned. And on investibule, a platform […]
The Brief’s Big Ten: Revolution in finance, impact at SXSW, gender portfolio risk, badass…
The Brief The Brief’s Big Ten: Revolution in finance, impact at SXSW, gender portfolio risk, badass revivalists March 9, 2018 Photo by Tucker Good on Unsplash Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! Another week, another revolution in finance. International Women’s Day has become International Women’s week. We knew the impact investing ecosystem would produce a bounty of research and reports, […]
Gun money roundup
Smarter money Investors and funds flex their muscles on mass shootings and school carnage (Editor’s note: Add all updates in comments or in a note to TheBrief@impactalpha.com and I’ll add them in — db) Guns are the new carbon…or cigarettes…or South Africa. The $70 billion State of Michigan Retirement System sold its holdings in Olin Corp., maker of Winchester […]
Should Your Investment Strategy Incorporate a Climate Risk Discount?
Consider these three recent developments: California emerged from drought in April 2017, fewer companies reported impacts associated with water scarcity, and the average freshwater intensity of companies in the MSCI ACWI Index dropped by 15 percent between 2015 and 2016. While these are positive short term signals for investors concerned with water scarcity, 2017 was […]
The Brief’s Big Eight: Gun money, billion-dollar babies, alt-credit, values of inclusion
The Brief March 2, 2018 Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! Investors flex their muscles on guns. Guns are the new carbon…or cigarettes…or South Africa. The $70 billion State of Michigan Retirement System sold its holdings in Olin Corp., maker of Winchester ammunition. New Jersey legislators will vote on a bill to ban guns from the portfolios of state […]
Restoring forests is investable
Climate Finance Political urgency on climate action, emerging tech and new business models are converging to unlock business opportunities in restoring forests and agricultural lands Photo credit: Sebastian Engler More than three dozen governments around the world have committed to restoring more than 150 million hectares of land by 2020. That’s an area bigger than […]
Now Accepting Applications for Second Cohort of Integrated Capital Institute
RSF Social Finance has opened the application process for its Integrated Capital Institute. This intensive program will give financial practitioners the tools and strategies they need to help values-driven clients deploy various forms of capital for lasting social and environmental benefit. Fellows will learn about wealth psychology, whole portfolio activation, and RSF’s integrated capital approach: […]
ImpactAssets Releases Seventh Annual IA 50 Impact Investment Fund Showcase
Industry’s only free, searchable resource of impact investing fund managers features firms that manage $29.2 billion in assets. BETHESDA, Md., Feb. 27 /CSRwire/ – ImpactAssets has released its 2017-18 ImpactAssets 50 (IA 50), a free, online database for investors and financial advisors that features a diversified listing of 50 private capital fund managers that deliver […]
New Zealand’s first domestic impact fund reaches first close
Inclusive Economy The Impact Enterprise Fund claims to be the first domestically-focused impact fund in New Zealand PC: New Ground Capital The Impact Enterprise Fund, a partnership between Ākina Foundation, New Ground Capital and Impact Ventures, has raised NZ$8 million ($5.8 million) to invest in local startups tackling issues in sustainable food production, agriculture, healthcare, clean energy, […]
How Tariffs Will Affect the State of Solar in the U.S.A. in 2018
Guest Column – By Lyle Pennell The year 2018 did not start off well for the solar industry in the United States. In January, US President Donald Trump signed into law a 30% tariff on all imported solar panels, sending the entire renewable energy world into a controlled panic. While the White House has repeatedly […]
RSF Social Finance Names New CEO
Jasper van Brakel, former head of Weleda North America, will lead the pioneering social enterprise funder in its next phase of innovation RSF Social Finance has named Jasper J. van Brakel, former president and CEO of Weleda North America, its new CEO effective March 19. In addition to offering proven leadership—van Brakel built Weleda’s brand […]
Opportunity Knocks: New Tax Incentives for Community Investment Funds
Since 2015, a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers has advocated for tax incentives for those who invest in low-income communities, recognizing that the benefits from the economic recovery have largely bypassed those communities. Their efforts were rewarded when their proposed opportunity zone program was included as Subchapter Z of the 2017 tax law overhaul that was […]
San Francisco Entrepreneurs of Color Fund
Thanks to a new partnership with JP Morgan Chase, San Francisco entrepreneurs of color have a new source of capital: The Entrepreneurs of Color Fund. San Francisco has one of the highest concentrations of small businesses owned by people of color; there are about 46,000 such small businesses in the city. The fund is designed […]
Meet Our Latest Borrower: The Good Earth School
The Good Earth School is a preschool in Kensington, California, that offers early childhood education for children 18 months to 6 years old. The Good Earth School is inspired by the Reggio Emilia approach to education, which means a Child-Centered, on-going Emergent curriculum. Emergent curriculum is a way of planning lessons that are based on […]
17th Annual Wall Street Green Summit
The 17th Annual Wall Street Green Summit (www.wsgts.com)is the longest running and most comprehensive sustainable finance event in the industry. The Summit covers cutting edge content, industry developments and features the practitioners and the leaders of tomorrow. The emergence of the “Impact Economy” is where main street investors team up with corporations, entrepreneurs and government […]
Grameen America Launches New Impact Investing Fund
Microlender Grameen America is upping its game in impact investing. The U.S.-based microfinance organization marked its ten-year anniversary last month by announcing a new $11 million impact investing fund, the first in what it said will be a series of new funds. Called the Social Business Fund, it’s aimed at providing additional money to women entrepreneurs […]
Investors wake up to a $2.3 trillion opportunity in sustainable food and agriculture
Farmer Finance For example, food corporations Cargill, Tyson Foods, PHW, and even fast-food chain McDonalds, are investing in alternative proteins Photo credit: Ben Koorengevel A 2015 report cast the opportunity to secure the world’s food supply by 2030 as a $2.3 trillion annual opportunity that could create 80 million jobs, 90% of them in developing […]
Dutch pension fund moves from impact alignment to impact management
2030 Finance PGGM takes stock of what and how much impact its investments have, but on who remains a mystery How do you turn a supertanker? By degrees. Institutional investors that last year declared their “alignment” with the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and other impact frameworks are now confronting the hard work of actually managing their investments […]
Millennials and Money: We are Not as Different as You Think
The financial services industry is a bit obsessed with trying to understand the next generation of investors – the notorious millennials. And for good reason – millennials represent the largest generation in history with a spending power of $1.5 trillion and growing[1]. Many millennials are well into their wealth accumulation phase and have already begun […]
Community Foundations Go All-In on Place-Based Investing
Two years ago, Baltimore Community Foundation was working to build race equity into its selection process for investment managers when a question was raised. “We asked, ‘Why are we not considering local impact investing that could specifically address race equity and lack of access to capital for communities that have been shut out of wealth opportunities for […]
Addenda Capital launches Canadian fixed-income impact fund
Smarter Money The fund is being built to capitalize on the rapid growth of Canadian impact investing Montreal, Canada The Montreal-based investment firm is building an impact fund made up of public debt, commercial mortgages and other types of loans in the areas of community development, climate change, health and education. Addenda says it’s the […]
Regulation Crowdfunding Market Growing at Impressive Clip, Says Report
It’s time for a crowdfunding update. Regulation Crowdfunding closed out its second calendar year, and the folks at Crowdfund Capital Advisors (CCA) analyzed the data recently in a report for the S.E.C. While still in its infancy, the investment crowdfunding market is growing at a fast clip and represents a viable capital-raising alternative for small and mid-sized […]
Local Investing for Impact: A New Tool for Place-Focused Foundations
After decades of working at the intersection of community development, philanthropy and community economic development, we see a significant shift in how philanthropic assets are being used to build vibrant, prosperous communities. More and more place-focused foundations are seeking to complement their grant-making with local investments to create greater impact in their own communities. There’s […]
BlackRock just did one thing that changed the game for anyone who invests
Smarter Money CEO of world’s largest asset manager tells companies that measuring impact is no longer optional Photo by Christine Roy on Unsplash My firm, Village Capital, always tells entrepreneurs to build a product that’s a painkiller, not a vitamin. Vitamins are products people theoretically want, and make you feel better. People don’t need them, though. Painkillers are […]
RSF Social Finance Invests More than $1 Million in Women-Led Social Enterprises
RSF’s Women’s Capital Collaborative supports inspirational entrepreneurs who are having a positive impact on women in Africa, Haiti and the U.S. San Francisco, CA (Jan. 18, 2018) – RSF Social Finance has just invested over $900,000 in four women-led enterprises that are creating opportunities for women and girls around the world: Akola Project, Eu’Genia Shea, […]
Impact Investing Marketplace ImpactUs Shuts Down
ImpactUs launched last spring with a splash. Hatched out of the CDFI world and funded by heavyweights including the Ford and MacArthur foundations, the impact investment marketplace promised to bring new ease to connecting investors with vetted funds as well as direct investments in social enterprises. Its goal: $1 billion in transactions over five years. But less […]
Investing Close to Home
with the Homewise Community Investment Fund By Laura Altomare, CFRM, Director of Communications and Development, Homewise Since our founding in 1986, we’ve helped over 14,000 households become more financially educated, 3,600 become homeowners, 2,100 make energy-efficient home improvements and emergency repairs, 600 refinance to more affordable mortgages, and we have built over 600 high-quality affordable […]
For Real Estate Lender Groundfloor, It’s Slow and Steady and Open to All
Real estate has been one of the hottest areas of crowdfunding, although most of it is focused on wealthy “accredited” investors who put money into funds, known as REITs. (And let’s face it, accredited investors don’t lack investment options!) Just two platforms allow direct investing by unaccredited investors. One is Pittsburgh-based Small Change, which uses the […]
Hummingbird puts farmers first in transforming a region’s food system
Tom Hunton, a third-generation Oregon farmer, was visiting a local school when he received an unexpected thank-you gift: a bag of muffins baked by fourth-graders. Accompanying the baked goods was a note that said, “Thank you, Mr. Hunton, for making the food that we eat every day.” The muffins were made from organic wheat Hunton […]
From Sundial and Unilever, an M&A Trend We’d Like to See More of
It’s been a busy few months for Richelieu Dennis, the founder of Sundial Brands. After selling Sundial, the personal-care products company he founded, to Unilever in late November, he kicked off 2018 by buying Essence, the storied black culture magazine, from Time Inc., returning the magazine to black ownership. “I’m very focused on giving back, investing and growing my community,” […]
The Brief’s Big 10: Local economy, conservation finance, the regenerative economy
The Brief Jan. 12, 2018 Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The Brief’s Big Ten Inclusion generates opportunities. Impact investors are letting President Trump know. Building homes in Haiti. Leapfrogging energy grids in El Salvador and across Central America. Creating models on the African continent for 21st century skills and education, food and agriculture and financial inclusion. Countries overcoming […]
Community Impact Investing
From affordable housing, neighborhood revitalization, to small business development Community Capital Management, Inc. (CCM) is a registered investment advisor, headquartered in Weston, Florida, with offices in Boston, Massachusetts and Charlotte, North Carolina. The firm manages just over $2.4 billion, $2.1 billion of which is in the CRA Qualified Investment Fund (CRA Fund). “CRA” stands […]
The ImpactAssets Handbook for Investors
Practical guide to impact investing lays out how individual investors, family offices, financial advisors and foundations can generate social and environmental value through capital investing. With greater demand than ever for investments that provide social and environmental benefits as well as financial returns, ImpactAssets announced in December the release of The ImpactAssets Handbook for Investors: Generating […]
The Brief’s Big Five: tax bill opportunity, a greener New York, holiday #dealflow
The Brief Jan. 5, 2018 Photo credit: Ryan Johns Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! Here’s a short roundup from a short week. #Featured: The Brief’s Big Five 1. A bipartisan morsel in the Republican tax bill (yes, we found one). We’re waiting for the fine print, but the “Investing for Opportunities Act” that is part of the bill could draw significant […]
Economist Event – Investing for Impact
Save the date to join Economist editors and 200 financiers, institutional investors, policymakers, academics, impact investors and philanthropists at the second iteration of Investing for Impact: Risk, return and the future of the world. Thursday, February 15th, 2018, New York City. The discussion at this year’s conference will cover the ways in which the world […]
Investing for opportunities, alternative protein, 2018 optimism, immigration and population growth
The Brief Jan 2, 2018 Old Rajinder Nagar, New Delhi, India l Photo credit: Dewang Gupta Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! We hope you had relaxing and refreshing New Year’s break. ImpactAlpha is ready for an impactful 2018. Stay tuned to The Brief for in-depth coverage of impact investing. (And please add editor@impactalpha.com to your email contacts to ensure […]
Entrepreneurs: Looking to Raise Capital in 2018? Do This First.
Tired of bootstrapping and ready to raise money to expand your business this year? Congratulations. That’s the first step toward achieving your dreams. Too many of us, especially women, constrain our business’ potential by scraping by on a tight budget or maxed out credit cards. But before you dive in, it pays to get really […]
CULTURE, SOCIETY AND NEXT ECONOMY – A LIFT Economy Manifesto
Growing the Next Economy are new organizations that operate with a distinctive ‘DNA’ from that of the current economy and for that DNA to propagate seems to imply a transformation of the DNA of human culture and human settlement. These are big concepts and ideas and this article will attempt to provide some additional context […]
Aspiration raises $47 million for “conscious banking”
Smarter Money Investors include Allen & Company, Omidyar Network, Capricorn Investments, actor Orlando Bloom, L.A. Clippers coach “Doc” Rivers and former Citigroup COO Deborah Hopkins PC: Aspiration Most banks profit from overdraft, ATM and other fees, or from financial products ill-suited to their customers. Los Angeles-based Aspiration lets customers themselves choose how much to pay in […]
Inclusive Economy: Year in Review. Overlooked assets, local ecosystems, economic revival
The Brief Dec. 20, 2017 “Focus” l Lake View, Chicago l Photo credit: Mikaala Shackelford Greetings, ImpactAlpha readers! Year in Review: Inclusive Economy Middle America is an engine of innovation. Low-income communities are investable. Immigrants are assets, not liabilities. Inclusive prosperity is a pro-growth strategy. In cities and towns across the U.S. and around the world, […]
High Water Women’s 2017 Investing For Impact Symposium
By Laura Malo – GRI reporting analyst, G&A Institute On November 30th the High Water Women organization’s 5th Annual Investing for Impact Symposium in New York City drew a record crowd; I was pleased to attend as a G&A Institute representative (G&A was a sponsor of the event). Background: In 2005, High Water Women organization […]
What’s New In Impact Investing? December Roundup
Impact investing is about using markets and money for social good. Impact investing is built on the belief that private capital can play a powerful role in solving the massive global challenges of our day, and that capital markets should work for good as well as profit. This vision is realized through investments made into […]
The Brief’s Big Ten: 2030 Finance, tax-cut casualties, investing in Detroit, Colorado and Virginia
The Brief Dec. 15, 2017 Good Friday evening, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The Brief’s Big Ten 1. Introducing 2030 Finance, where ImpactAlpha tracks the global shift of capital. The tagline for our new sub-site, 2030 Finance: “Investors meet the global goals.” That’s both a description, as more investors find the Sustainable Development Goals and the global climate agreement […]
Impact Investing: Temporary Trend or Paradigm Shift?
An Interview with Joan Trant of TriLinc Global Q: Joan, do you see Impact Investing as a time-sensitive fad or a paradigm shift that is changing the way investment managers and investors allocate capital? A: The evidence is clear that impact investing – deploying capital to achieve market-rate returns alongside positive social, economic, and environmental progress – […]
How a green bank could finance New Jersey’s clean-energy economy
New Jersey has the U.S.’s fifth-highest solar installed-capacity, but only 5% of the state’s power comes from renewables Even many Jersey voters might not know that Governor-elect Phil Murphy’s clean-energy platform aims to put the Garden State on a path to 100% clean energy by 2050. New Jersey has the U.S.’s fifth-highest solar installed-capacity, but only […]
Own Your Impact edition: Steve Case’s impact argument, gender lens culture shift, beyond complicity…
Own Your Impact edition: Steve Case’s impact argument, gender lens culture shift, beyond complicity, bottom-up revival Dec. 7, 2017 Good Friday evening, ImpactAlpha readers! #Featured: The Brief’s Big Eight: Own Your Impact Edition 1. SteveCase walks back his comments to The New York Times — onImpactAlpha. “I wanted to set the record straight: I absolutely believe that impact investing […]
The Case for Impact Investing by Small and Mid-Size Family Foundations
By Stacey Faella & Margaret Gifford Impact investing, or the idea of making money and doing good, is going mainstream and investors of all types are jumping into the marketplace—including foundations. But while some of the largest foundations have led the charge on impact investing, the movement is leaving many behind. Earlier this year, the Ford Foundation committed one billion dollars from its endowment to mission-related investments, opening […]
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