chocolate
Beats | September 7, 2017
Uncommon Cacao vs. global commodity markets
To understand the impact that volatile commodity markets have on the “little guy,” just look at the Ivory Coast. The West African country …
- Beats
- The Brief
November 28, 2023
The Brief
Featured: Climate Finance
From carbon markets to curbing methane, the case for climate optimism at COP28. Even before it begins, it has become fashionable to dismiss COP28, this year’s global climate summit in Dubai, as a charade for slow-moving bureaucrats or, worse, a captive of fossil fuel interests. The case for optimism is more persuasive, writes ImpactAlpha’s Amy Cortese. The breakneck global rollout of renewable energy suggests that the low-carbon transition is not only feasible, but inevitable. The International Energy Agency expects renewables to become the world’s largest source of electricity in 2025, overtaking coal. “The difference now from even last year is the astonishing scale-up of clean energy technologies,” says Mark Campanale of CarbonTracker. At the 28th “Conference of the Parties,” the two-week global climate gathering that begins Thursday, progress is expected on goals to triple renewable energy capacity, reduce methane emissions, finalize rules for high integrity carbon credits and stand up a “loss and damages” fund to compensate lower-income countries for natural disasters and historical climate inequities.
Dealflow: Community Finance
Mission Driven Bank Fund secures $110 million for local lenders in low-income communities. The Mission Driven Bank Fund will back a pipeline of over 300 federally-insured minority depository institutions, or MDIs, and community development financial institutions, or CDFIs, to expand access to credit and other financial services in lower-wealth, rural and communities of color in the US. “The exciting part of the fund is the flexibility and the tools we have to deploy for the banks,” said Beth Bafford of Calvert Impact, which will manage the fund alongside Elizabeth Park Capital Management, a Black-led alternative asset manager. “We can do deposits. We can do equity. We can structure solutions on- or off-balance sheet.” The fund was designed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. to complement the Emergency Capital Investment Program (see, “How the U.S. can boost community financial institutions to counter bank consolidation and bridge racial wealth gaps”). It is anchored by Microsoft and Truist and is targeting a $500 million final close next year.
Short Signals: What We’re Reading
☀️ Energy demand grows faster than clean energy supply. A boom of cheap renewable power in Europe and natural gas in the US has helped replace coal-fired generation. But global demand for electricity, especially China and India, is outstripping even the rapid growth of clean energy, leaving fossil fuels to fill the gap. (The New York Times)
Agents of Impact: Follow the Talent
Astanor Ventures appoints Thomas Nagy, ex- chief operating officer at 21st.BIO, as part-time operational partner based in Copenhagen… Hope Wandera, ex- of VU Venture Partners, joins Mercy Corp Ventures as an investment analyst… Social Finance Institute seeks a policy writer in Washington, DC… GenZero is recruiting an investment associate in Singapore.
- The Call
Climate + Gender | November 17, 2023
To be effective, climate solutions need a gender lens (video)
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – That women are more adversely affected by climate change is well established (in impact and development circles at any …
Impact Investing | October 13, 2023
State of the Impact Field: Unprecedented opportunity tempered by sober realism (video)
This week’s Agents of Impact Call continued a tradition started nearly a decade ago by Fran Seegull of the US Impact Investing Alliance …
Ownership Economy | September 29, 2023
Labor and capital align in new movement for worker ownership (Video)
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 29 – It’s the age-old struggle: labor vs capital, workers vs. owners. But what happens when employees get a stake in the …
Call Recording | August 25, 2023
Mobilizing capital in Indian Country (video)
ImpactAlpha, August 25 – A growing ecosystem of Native-led entrepreneurs, lenders, financial intermediaries and nonprofits are driving Indian Country’s emerging economy. “It’s kind …
Participants in ImpactAlpha's call on HBCUsReturn on Inclusion | July 28, 2023
Impact at HBCUs: Hubs of talent, innovation and Black excellence (video)
ImpactAlpha, July 28 – Most historically Black colleges and universities were formed during the Reconstruction era. In the more than a century since, Spelman, …
Muni Impact | June 22, 2023
Connecting supply and demand for racial equity strategies in muni markets (video)
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 22 – Even as some politicians ramp up anti-ESG rhetoric, asset owners and allocators are signaling an appetite for investment strategies …
Call Recording | March 31, 2023
Metrics Madness: Wealth, ownership and ‘quality adjusted life years’ (video)
ImpactAlpha, Mar. 31 – The search for a universal metric to guide investments in racial justice and equitable wealth-building was…aspirational. “We are still a …
Policy Corner | February 24, 2023
Policymaking for workers and communities in the Year of the ‘S’ (video)
ImpactAlpha. Feb. 24 – “A labor market where workers have more opportunities and have more power and have more leverage is a good …
Memphis skylineMuni Impact | February 9, 2023
Engaging racial-equity risks and opportunities in municipal finance (video)
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – The fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month exposed risks to the city’s finances that have …
Photo by Tamarcus Brown on UnsplashMuni Impact | November 18, 2022
Mispriced risks, investor demand and community power center racial equity in municipal bonds (video)
ImpactAlpha, Nov. 18 – Cities around the U.S. are raising low-cost capital in the municipal bond markets by highlighting intentional efforts to address long-standing …
Call Recording | September 30, 2022
Agents of Impact Call No. 45: Creative capital for gender-smart investments (video)
ImpactAlpha, September 30 – Capital to support women’s economic growth and financial inclusion is flowing – finally! – in many advanced economies. In emerging …
Climate Finance | September 19, 2022
New momentum and stubborn challenges as Climate Week kicks off (Call No. 44)
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 19 – Investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and world leaders have descended on New York for Climate Week, the annual gathering alongside the …
- Podcasts
Impact Investing | November 17, 2023
Impact(ed): Steering pension funds toward impact with Tara Mei Smith and Marcela Pinilla (podcast)
Pension funds, with hundreds of billions in long-term assets, can be a key source of capital for impact investors and entrepreneurs. Black, Indigenous, …
Podcasts | November 10, 2023
Lessons from the Wilmington coup of 1898
The Wilmington coup of 1898 is not as well known as the Tulsa massacre of 1921. But the events of that day changed …
Podcasts | November 3, 2023
Maria Hollan of Timke Ventures shares her journey to impact investing
ImpactAlpha’s Dennis Price catches up with María Hollan, a second-generation steward of her family’s assets at Timke Ventures in Mexico City. Hollan was …
Podcasts | October 27, 2023
What the mainstreaming of impact investing means for smaller impact fund managers
David Bank catches up with Courageous Capital Advisors’ Laurie Spengler to talk about what the mainstreaming of impact investing means for smaller impact …
Podcasts | October 20, 2023
Repurposing churches with Graham Singh
Graham Singh shares the financing mechanisms that Trinity Centres Foundation is developing for repurposing churches. And, David Bank shares ImpactAlpha’s big news. Plus, …
Podcasts | October 13, 2023
There’s a new impact lens in town
Unicef USA’s Cristina Shapiro joins David Bank to introduce child-lens investing, a framework for considering investment harms and benefits to children, who have …
Podcasts | October 6, 2023
Veris’ due diligence framework for racial and gender justice.
Roraj Pradhananga and Jane Swan of Veris Wealth Partners join host Monique Aiken to discuss how the wealth manager is rethinking due diligence …
Podcasts | September 29, 2023
Strategies for finding the employee-ownership edge
Host Brian Walsh shares highlights from this week’s agents of impact call, “The employee-ownership edge,” which explored the range of opportunities for investing …
Podcasts | September 22, 2023
What is ‘wealth supremacy,’ how does it drive crises, and what can be done about it?
David Bank is joined by Marjorie Kelly of The Democracy Collaborative to explore the ways that impact investors both help and hinder systemic …
Podcasts | September 15, 2023
Looking ahead to Climate Week NYC
🎧 Impact Briefing. Host Brian Walsh chats with Amy Cortese to set the stage for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. …
Podcasts | September 8, 2023
Revamped SOCAP seeks radical ideas and scaled solutions
David Bank catches up with Robert Munson, President of SOCAP and Managing director at the Sorenson Impact Center, who is putting together next …
Podcasts | September 1, 2023
Democratizing gender lens investing in Latin America
Pro Mujer’s Carmen Correa joins host Monique Aiken to share how the pioneering Latin American microfinance institution’s bonds are democratizing gender lens investing …
- Opinion
Ceniarth's Diane Isenberg and Greg Neichin
Catalytic Capital | November 27, 2023
Ten lessons for 10 years: Inconvenient truths from an impact-first investor
The impact-first philosophy that Ceniarth has championed has had its fair share of challenges. But we remain convinced that it is critical to …
Impact Management | November 21, 2023
Private equity is leaving billions of dollars in sustainability value on the table
Private equity has a significant opportunity to create financial and societal value through sustainability. PE firms that invest in improving the management and …
Climate Finance | November 15, 2023
Climate tech experts identify the biggest opportunities, and challenges, in the low-carbon transition
Climate tech investment is booming. Since 2013, there have been more than 6,000 investors (private, public and philanthropic) in climate tech startups, and …
Impact Voices | November 14, 2023
Five ways to supercharge energy retrofits
When UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak watered down the UK’s commitment to its Net Zero targets earlier this fall, he at least started …
Macro Impact | November 13, 2023
‘First-time ever’ economic conditions challenge impact investors to rethink models and expectations
Pump it up until you can feel it. Pump it up when you don’t really need it. – “Pump it Up,” Elvis Costello …
Impact Management | November 2, 2023
In impact investing, failure is good – if we learn and share the lessons
In the US, venture backed investments are failing at rates not seen since the Great Recession. The market forces slamming these companies are …
Impact Voices | November 1, 2023
Busting three common ‘scope 3’ myths
California just enacted a set of bills that together represent a huge leap forward in tackling the climate crisis. Under SB 253, about …
Photo credit: OrienteaCatalytic Capital | October 26, 2023
Creative capital helps entrepreneurs scale impact in a down market
Five early-stage startups in Tunisia beat the odds of fundraising in a declining venture market last year, collectively raising $10.3 million with the …
City of Refuge, BaltimoreImpact Voices | October 19, 2023
How the IRA’s ‘direct pay’ provision is driving community ownership and resilience
ImpactAlpha, Oct. 19 – Just a year after its passage, the Inflation Reduction Act has helped kickstart new battery and EV manufacturing plants …
ImpactAlpha Open | October 17, 2023
ImpactAlpha Open: Child-lens investing + State of the Field
Hi there, Agents of Impact! Welcome to ImpactAlpha Open, our free weekly roundup of top news and opportunities in impact investing and sustainable finance. ImpactAlpha’s Cesar …
Impact Voices | October 17, 2023
Tapping the creativity of local fund managers to scale small business finance
Small businesses are the growth engine for inclusive and resilient development in Africa. Yet the $330 billion annual financing gap remains stubbornly sticky …
Impact Voices | October 2, 2023
Investing for a post-affirmative action economy
After the US Supreme Court decision curtailing affirmative action in college admissions, 21 Democratic attorneys general powerfully came together to take a stand: …
- Agents of Impact
© Margo Moritz. Used by permission.
Agents of Impact | November 3, 2023
Andrea Armeni, NYU: On a quest to transform finance
Sustainable development? “More of the same.” Forest carbon credits? “Outside-imposed extraction.” Impact investing? “Are we really going far enough? Or are we just …
Christopher Bentley | Photo by The De-Carceration Fund.Agents of Impact | September 8, 2023
Christopher Bentley, The De-Carceration Fund: Lifting ‘justice tech’ entrepreneurs
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — In 15 years in impact investing, Christopher Bentley noticed “a lot of for-profit companies focused on the criminal justice …
Agents of Impact | August 18, 2023
Monica Brand Engel, Quona Capital: Taking on the messy work of financial inclusion
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – Monica Brand Engel’s advice to impact investors is this: Imperfect execution is ok. “Authentic impact is about accepting imperfection …
Samuel Yeboah of Mirepa Investment AdvisorsAgents of Impact | August 11, 2023
Samuel Yeboah, Mirepa Investment Advisors: Helping Africans invest in Africa
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 11 – Samuel Yeboah isn’t discouraged by the economic storm battering his home country of Ghana and many other emerging economies. “As …
Impact Investing | July 14, 2023
Amy Duffuor, Azolla Ventures: Bridging climate gaps with catalytic capital
Many investors look at promising new climate solutions and say, ‘Great, come back to me when you have traction.’ Azolla Ventures is more …
Katherine Stodulka (foreground) with Mark Swilling of the University of Stellenbosch, Colombian Minister of the Environment Maria Susana Muhamad, and climate justice researcher Nina CallaghanAgents of Impact | June 30, 2023
Katherine Stodulka, Systemiq: Making introductions to bridge gaps in sustainable finance
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The first thing that Katherine Stodulka does when you meet her is suggest you meet someone else. Then she’ll …
Agents of Impact | May 26, 2023
Jessica Espinoza, 2X Global: Proving gender as a value-driver
ImpactAlpha, May 26 – A decade ago, investors pushed back against the loan products Jessica Espinoza was designing for female business owners as …
Agents of Impact | May 12, 2023
Aina Abiodun, VertueLab: Centering community in climate tech in the Pacific Northwest
ImpactAlpha, May 12 – Nigeria-born climate entrepreneur and “professional nomad” Aina Abiodun is bullish on place-based climate innovation. “There is nothing more urgent than …
Agents of Impact | May 5, 2023
John Moore, ImpactPHL: Stocking the pipeline of impact investments in Philadelphia
ImpactAlpha, May 5 – John Moore quit his corporate gig and moved to Philadelphia two decades ago. He found a city rich in …
Agents of Impact | April 28, 2023
Su Sanni, Dollaride: From dollar-van commuter to urban-mobility entrepreneur
ImpactAlpha, April 28 — A first generation Nigerian-American, Su Sanni grew up in East New York, Brooklyn and Jamaica, Queens. The low-income neighborhoods, …
Lourdes Germán | Photo credit: Public Finance InitiativeAgents of Impact | April 21, 2023
Lourdes Germán, Public Finance Initiative: Tilting the $4 trillion muni market toward racial equity
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 21 – Attorney and academic Lourdes Germán recognized early the power of public finance. She has spent years working at firms including …
Podcasts | April 14, 2023
Ariane Mahler, Veridien Global Investors: Going beyond ‘net-zero’ in public markets
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 14 – “Net zero is not going to get us anywhere,” Ariane Mahler of Veridien Global Investors tells ImpactAlpha’s David Bank. “You …
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