Impact Investing Institute

It's been an honour to support Barnwood Trust on their impact investing journey - helping them shape their approach. As part of our Endowments with Impact Support Programme, we work directly with foundations to help them understand how impact investing aligns with their mission. Through independent education, facilitation and guidance, we support leadership teams to go from ‘should we be doing this’ to an agreed impact investing strategy that can be executed easily. You can learn more about our programme here: https://lnkd.in/dYEu3arE or contact [email protected]. #ImpactInvesting #Foundations #Endowments

🏘️ Building together. We're proud to share the successes from three years of our programme to strengthen UK's place-based impact investing landscape, funded by Department for Culture, Media and Sport. As a market builder working alongside incredible partners, we've learned how strategic convening and shared expertise can support transformational change. We’ve brought together investors, local authorities and CDFIs to tackle regional inequality through collaborative capital deployment. Key achievements: 💸 £77m of external investment unlocked: We’ve worked with partners to support the launch of the £62m Community Investment Enterprise Fund 2 and £154m Community ENABLE Fund, directly supporting CDFIs across the UK. 🤝 Enhanced local authority capacity: Through our Place Pilots in Wakefield and Southampton, we've connected local authorities with investor partners and shared knowledge to help develop bankable investment opportunities. 🏠 Strengthened CDFI sector: Alongside Responsible Finance and sector partners, our capacity-building programme has supported confidence and investment readiness across the community development finance sector. The results reflect what's possible when diverse partners work together: when you combine shared expertise with collaborative relationship building, you create lasting infrastructure for sustainable local economic growth. We are excited to continue our partnership with DCMS to forge the next chapter of place-based impact investment in the UK. What started as collective awareness-raising has become collaborative market development. That's the power of patient, strategic and collaborative institution building.

Unlocking Investor Action for a Just Transition in India’s Fashion Sector  Last Tuesday, we were delighted to join forces with the India Impact Investors Council (IIC) to officially launch our programme focused on driving capital towards a just transition in India’s fashion sector. A full day of engaging discussions took place featuring stakeholders across the fashion value chain and Indian investors. At the heart of the event was a powerful panel – “From Thread to Transformation” – featuring industry leaders from across the fashion value chain: Gauri Sharma (General Manager ESG & Innovation, Shahi Exports Pvt Ltd) Jyoti Narain Kapoor (Country Director, Better Cotton) Lavanya Garg (Director of Growth, Good Business Lab) Lakshmi Poti (Head of Fashion, Laudes Foundation) Moderated by our own Aisling McCaffrey, the panel explored how climate-smart, inclusive solutions are already taking shape in India – and what’s needed to finance them at scale. From regenerative cotton to responsible manufacturing to worker-led innovation, the insights shared made clear that a just transition isn't just necessary – it’s investable. This work is generously supported by the Laudes Foundation as part of our joint ambition to align capital with climate and social equity across global value chains. 📍Learn more about our work in India’s fashion sector: https://lnkd.in/dCy4b9AH #JustTransition #SustainableFashion #ImpactInvesting #India #InclusiveGrowth #WorkerWellbeing #ClimateFinance

Reflecting on some groundbreaking developments for impact in the UK... 🇬🇧 From last week’s announcement of the world’s largest social outcomes fund, to our Chair, Kieron Boyle in conversation with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Rt Hon Darren Jones MP Jones at the Civil Society Summit. In the space of a few days, we saw several major moves showing that impact investing is becoming part of government thinking and policy making. 1️⃣ Last Monday we welcomed the launch of the Better Futures Fund – a social outcomes fund comprising £500m of central government money and aiming to attract another £500m from local governments, social investors and philanthropists – targeting opportunities for vulnerable children and young people. 2️⃣ On Tuesday, Chancellor of the Exchequer Rt Hon Rachel Reeves’s Mansion House speech described a determination to “capitalise on the £200 billion opportunity of the global transition to net zero”, working through the Transition Finance Council, which is designed to establish the UK as the global hub for raising and deploying transition finance. 3️⃣ And by Thursday, we were in the room to see Prime Minister Keir Starmer and no fewer than ten other ministers deliver the Civil Society Covenant. The Civil Society and Impact Economy Summit brought together government, civil society and the impact economy to reshape how we work together for public good. Coming full circle on the week, he talked about how launching “the largest social outcomes fund in the world” shows “we’re working with businesses, social enterprises and private investors” to deliver solutions. Institute Chair Kieron Boyle then discussed with Chief Secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones:  🌍 the impact economy – why it matters and how it can support delivery of the government’s missions;  💷 the Better Futures Fund – what drove this bold commitment, and how it reflects a shift in government delivery;  🤝 partnership – what government has heard from the sector, and how it finds working with civil society, social investors and philanthropists;  🏘️ place – the role of local partners in shaping and delivering outcomes;  global leadership – the UK’s role on the global stage, and how we remain at the forefront of this agenda. We couldn’t agree more with the Prime Minister’s ambition to forge “a way forward in partnership” that recognises the vital role the impact economy plays in delivering solutions.    

Great to see John Ellerman Foundation applying an impact lens to their investments! To learn more about how charitable foundations can get started on aligning their investable assets with the values that drive their grant making, check out our guide Evolving your endowment: driving change through impact investing https://lnkd.in/euPS_4uw

📢 Today’s announcement of the £500m Better Futures Fund is a major landmark. It will help thousands of families across the UK, and it puts impact investing at the centre of government policy. 📢 The fund represents a substantial commitment from government to work with impact investors, philanthropy, purpose-driven business, civil society and local government to tackle long-standing challenges – providing opportunities including improved access to education, safer homes and specialist services for those who need it most. This builds on growing government recognition of the impact economy – across the Spending Review, Industrial Strategy, Best Start In Life strategy and recent dormant assets decisions – all acknowledging that innovative funding models, impact investing approaches and purpose-centred partnerships are vital to delivering transformative change. As a partner to government and the many different actors in the impact investing ecosystem, at the Impact Investing Institute we work to accelerate the field by developing practical solutions, supporting practitioners and influencing policy makers on the value of impact investing. We’re pleased to contribute to the Social Impact Investment Advisory Group, established by HM Treasury and Department for Culture, Media and Sport, to advise on how government can develop a strategic approach to working with the impact economy. This fund demonstrates the potential of public, philanthropic and private partnerships to deliver social outcomes and economic growth in the UK, and to inspire similar efforts globally. The UK has a history of leadership in this space, with our impact investing market now standing at more than £77bn of assets under management – representing about 8% of the global impact market and with growth in recent years outpacing the wider UK investment management sector.   Growing the impact economy represents a transformation in how government policy, financial markets and business combine to shape a stronger, fairer economy.   Let’s make it happen! 

⁉️ Can failing to support the economy, environment and society that people live and work in be considered acting in their best interests? ⁉️ 🏡🌱More than 80% of UK pension holders want their pension holdings to be invested in ways that benefit the environment and society that they live in, that they will retire into and that their children will build their lives in.🙋🏻♀️🙋🏿♂️ 💷🏦Government wants to drive the £2.5 trillion of UK pension capital towards supporting domestic economic growth.🏭🏗 Yet the laws and regulations around how pensions funds can make decisions are holding schemes back from directing capital towards investments like: ⚡clean energy infrastructure 🏘housing 👩💼small/medium-sized business financing – areas that can deliver competitive returns for people’s financial futures, while strengthening the UK economy and improving people’s living standards. Why? And most importantly, what can be done about it? 💡We are urging the government to improve the way that current laws and regulations describe pension fund trustees’ responsibilities, to ensure pension fund members’ savings are truly supporting what pension savers want.💡 ✒️Read our article to learn why the upcoming Pension Schemes Bill is is a unique opportunity to provide legal clarity on what fiduciary duty really looks like. 📢Share it to spread the word. 💬Get in touch with us if you can support this work directly.

Based in India?    Join us and our partners the Impact Investors Council (IIC) in New Delhi on the 22nd July for the in-person launch of our project together: Unlocking Investor Action for a Just Transition in India’s Fashion Sector.   The fashion industry is at a crossroads: decarbonisation, sustainable sourcing, and circularity are urgent. So is ensuring that this transition is fair, inclusive, and rooted in local communities. Working with the team at IIC over the last few months, they have led a deep dive into the sector, engaging with investors and mapping the entire value chain, from sustainable cotton cultivation to textile waste management - centring the voices of workers, entrepreneurs, and communities in that process.   The event will bring together investor and industry perspectives to explore how to make this process investible and financeable, while keeping the voice of communities at the centre – ensuring a just industrial transition.    If you’re interested in attending, please fill out the form here: https://lnkd.in/g69nBC5G and the IIC team will get in touch.   To learn more about the programme - https://lnkd.in/gvHJ8Pch  

🌍 Just Transition is a broad concept: how do you approach it? At the India Climate Convening event, as a part of #ClimateWeek in London, GSG Impact, together with GSG National Partners and other experts, explored 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐚 𝐣𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐛𝐞 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐝. Together, they emphasised prioritising the interests of those most affected by the low-carbon shift, workers, vulnerable communities, SMEs, and consumers, to ensure no one is left behind. Session highlights: 🔹Kieron Boyle (Impact Investing Institute, GSG National Partner) opened the discussion with the urgent question for the planet: "𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝐽𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑇𝑟𝑎𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑢𝑟𝑔𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑖𝑠𝑠𝑢𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒. 𝐶𝑙𝑖𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑒 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑚𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑣𝑒 𝑏𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑜𝑟𝑡𝑢𝑛𝑖𝑡𝑦, 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝑑𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑖𝑡 𝑟𝑖𝑠𝑘 𝑓𝑜𝑐𝑢𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑙𝑜𝑤𝑒𝑠𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑛𝑔𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑓𝑟𝑢𝑖𝑡 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑣𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑚𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑝𝑒𝑜𝑝𝑙𝑒 𝑏𝑒ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑑?" 🔹Anjali Bansal (Avaana Capital) highlighted blended finance's role in creating robust, inclusive capital stacks. Combining public and private sector funding helps de-risk projects and mobilise essential private investment, especially crucial in emerging markets. 🔹Alasdair Maclay (GSG Impact) advocated for Impact-Linked Finance & Outcome-Based Instruments solutions, highlighting proven strategies, such as reskilling South African miners and natural capital financing for UK farmers, and cost-effective outcome-based instruments (e.g. Better Society Capital & Bridges Outcomes Partnerships study) All these efforts align directly with #GSGImpact's vision: 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐬 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬. Effective public policy, aligned with strategic private sector action, is critical in aligning social outcomes with climate goals. How is your organisation embedding a #JustTransition within your climate investment strategies❓ Thank you to all speakers and the Impact Investors Council (IIC), Impact Investing Institute, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment, British International Investment, Artha Impact (Rianta Capital), and the Impact for Breakfast (IFB) for hosting and organising.

On Tuesday this week we launched the first of three events in partnership with Save the Children Global Ventures on child lens investing – Child lens investing: what it is and how to get started.    The event attracted a fantastic audience of established practitioners and those new to the field, to explore why and how child lens investing is vital to building a more equitable future – and how we can move the field forward.   Thank you to our fantastic speakers Paul Ronalds (Save the Children Global Ventures) Francisco Biber (UNICEF), Sjoerd Rozing, CFA (Triodos Investment Management), Sarah Blackwood (Ethos Foundation), Andrew McCusker (Opportunity International) and Preeth Gowdar (Save the Children Global Ventures) for their thoughtful insights and reflections. Key takeaways:   Why child lens investing? 🧒 Children make up a third of the world’s population but are often invisible to the financial sector. Markets invest billions into sectors that affect children – education, healthcare, digital platforms, entertainment – but rarely with children explicitly in mind. The child lens offers a new way to unlock under-recognised value. 📊 Intentionality is everything: Instead of treating positive outcomes for children as an afterthought, child lens investing means intentionally designing, measuring and optimising investments for their impact on children. This approach is about measurable outcomes, not just good intentions. 📈 Building the field: The sector may still be emerging, but it is growing fast. Tools from Save the Children and UNICEF are making it easier for investors to integrate child-focused criteria into their strategies, from negative and positive screening to due diligence and stewardship without risking impact washing. 🤝 Collaboration and innovation: The event highlighted the power of partnership – across investors, governments, DFIs, IFIs, academia and NGOs – to develop new frameworks, build the evidence base and mobilise more capital for transformative impact. The commitment to collaboration (and the flexibility of philanthropic capital) is helping to de-risk and scale child-centred investments. ✅ Opportunities and challenges: Evidence and early data prove that child lens investing can offer strong returns, act as a portfolio diversifier and drive systemic change – provided intentionality and impact are at the core.   🗓️Next steps This event was the first in a series of three we’re hosting through the rest of the year, each designed to dig deeper into best practices, surface new opportunities, welcome fresh voices and help develop and grow the child lens investing field. Watch this space for further details.   ✍️ For more information, get in touch: [email protected]