ImpactAssets Releases Annual IA 50 Impact Investment Fund Showcase

Fund managers included in the IA 50 2015 manage an estimated $13.3 billion in assets devoted to creating measurable, positive impact.

“As impact investing continues to move into the mainstream, the IA 50 list has become the ‘go to source’ for new impact investors seeking a curated overview of impact funds,” said Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist of Impact Assets. “It’s exciting to see a growing number of investors creating change and making impact with their resources.”

The IA 50 is the only free, public, searchable database of outstanding impact investing fund managers. This year’s showcase, which includes funds based in the United States, Africa, Europe and Latin America, highlights the increasingly diverse opportunities for investors to help create social value across the globe. The featured funds focus on issue areas including: health and wellness, microfinance, small business development, sustainable agriculture, and water and sanitation.

The IA 50 Selection Committee is chaired by Jed Emerson and includes: Karl “Charly” Kleissner, Co Founder of Toniic and KL Felicitas Foundation; Kathy Leonard, Senior Vice President – Investments and Senior Portfolio Manager for UBS; Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons, Co-Founders of Blue Haven Initiative; and Matthew Weatherley-White, Managing Director of The CAPROCK Group.

“The IA 50 provides an entry point for investors and advisors seeking fund managers with established track records across a range of impact investment criteria,” said Kathy Leonard, Senior Vice President – Investments and Senior Portfolio Manager for UBS. “Investors who have been watching from the sidelines and waiting for the field to mature will find no shortage of opportunities.”

ImpactAssets produces the IA 50, and has released 15 impact investing issue briefs to help both novice and experienced investors better understand the field and vet the opportunities that may best serve their goals.

“Every year we see the quality of applications increase, and a more nuanced understanding of the risk, return, and impact profiles of each fund manager articulated in their profiles,” said Amy Bennett, ImpactAssets’ Director of Marketing. “The commitment to evaluation and metrics to support each fund’s investment thesis has also grown in the IA 50 2015.”

The IA 50 is not an index or investable platform and does not constitute an offering or recommend specific products. It is not a replacement for due diligence. In order to be considered for the IA 50 2015, fund managers needed to have at least $10 million in assets under management, more than 3 years of experience as a firm with impact investing and documented social and/or environmental impact. Additional details on the selection process are here.

About ImpactAssets
ImpactAssets is a nonprofit financial services firm that increases the flow of capital into investments that deliver financial, social, and environmental returns. ImpactAssets’ donor advised fund (The Giving Fund), impact investment notes, and field building initiatives enable philanthropists, other asset owners, and their wealth advisors to advance social or environmental change through investment.