echoing-green
Dealflow | April 14, 2017
And then there were 73…Echoing Green finalists
Women Rising Take a peek at the list of 73 finalists for 2017 Echoing Green fellowships, and takeaways from a review of all …
From Atlanta to St. Paul, bond issuers are steering muni markets toward racial equity. When the city of St. Paul, Minn. needed to remove and replace trees devastated by an invasive insect, the city floated a municipal bond and prioritized neighborhoods with the lowest tree canopy, largely in low-income parts of the city. In Atlanta, proceeds from a “social bond” last year were earmarked for affordable basic infrastructure, access to essential services, and socio-economic advancement. Issuers across the country are increasingly tapping the $4 trillion municipal bond markets for capital to redress long-standing inequities. Boston-based Public Finance Initiative is convening issuers from St. Paul and Atlanta, as well as Chicago, Dallas and other places, to better understand the racial equity and social impacts of bond issuances. “There’s no common system for measuring impact,” Atlanta Treasurer Courtney Knight tells ImpactAlpha. “We wanted to take a leadership role in the bond market and be very scientific about developing a specific set of measurements around the impact of our investment.”
Emerging fund managers score nearly $30 million for Africa’s small businesses. Mastercard Foundation’s Africa Growth Fund has allocated $200 million for investment managers supporting economic opportunities for women and youth (see, “Funds of funds provide more than capital for local investors in small and growing businesses”). Mastercard’s latest deals, totalling $27 million, include $8 million for Tanzania-based SME Impact Fund, which invests in agrifood businesses that work with smallholder farmers. VestedWorld scored $10 million for its second fund, a $50 million vehicle called Rising Star Fund that makes early-stage investments in Ghana, Nigeria and Kenya and intends to expand to other African countries (see, “The Liist”). Nairobi-based Chui Ventures, a women-led fund, notched $9 million for its planned $20 million fund for seed-stage tech investments in Kenya and Nigeria. The investment is a “game-changer for exceptional African startups,” said Chui’s Joyce Ann Wainaina.
Driving foundation endowments toward social justice. Friends of ImpactAlpha Eric Horvath and Lucas Turner-Owens are out with the second episode of Impact(ed), featuring interviews with BIPOC practitioners working to unlock the power of investing for good. Private foundations, with more than a trillion dollars in investable capital. In the episode, Horvath and Turner-Owens speak with Essma Bengabsia of the Annie E. Casey Foundation to explore the untapped potential of foundation investing.
How institutional investors can up their sustainability game in private markets. Institutional investors have pushed private equity funds to adopt environmental, social and governance, or ESG, considerations. But they struggle to assess the depth of funds’ approaches and fall short on ESG in their due diligence, according to the Center for Sustainable Business at New York University’s Stern School of Business. “There is clearly an opportunity for improvement,” write NYU’s Tensie Whelan and Julien Marchese, and Arthur D. Little’s Jessica Weiss. In their latest guest post, they introduce a tool to help investors assess fund managers and “measure the actual impact and financial benefits of specific sustainability strategies, rather than the typical yes/no compliance exercise.”
Macro, the film and production company, names Reena Singh, ex- of The Walt Disney Company, as executive vice president… John Guzek, ex- of SES ESOP Strategies, joins Ownership Works as business engagement manager… Antonia Chorschew, ex- of Ufenau Capital Partners, joins Blue Earth Capital as a fundraising and investor relations associate… The IFRS Foundation elected Emmanuel Faber to a second three-year term as chair of the International Sustainability Standards Board.
ImpactAlpha, November 17 – That women are more adversely affected by climate change is well established (in impact and development circles at any …
This week’s Agents of Impact Call continued a tradition started nearly a decade ago by Fran Seegull of the US Impact Investing Alliance …
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 …
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 …
ImpactAlpha, July 28 – Most historically Black colleges and universities were formed during the Reconstruction era. In the more than a century since, Spelman, …
ImpactAlpha, Jun. 22 – Even as some politicians ramp up anti-ESG rhetoric, asset owners and allocators are signaling an appetite for investment strategies …
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 …
ImpactAlpha. Feb. 24 – “A labor market where workers have more opportunities and have more power and have more leverage is a good …
ImpactAlpha, Feb. 9 – The fatal beating by police of Tyre Nichols in Memphis last month exposed risks to the city’s finances that have …
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 …
ImpactAlpha, September 30 – Capital to support women’s economic growth and financial inclusion is flowing – finally! – in many advanced economies. In emerging …
ImpactAlpha, Sept. 19 – Investors, entrepreneurs, corporate executives and world leaders have descended on New York for Climate Week, the annual gathering alongside the …
Private foundations collectively control more than a trillion dollars of capital invested across a variety of traditional asset classes. A small portion of …
ImpactAlpha’s Amy Cortese speaks with Full Cycle’s Stephan Nicoleau at the start of COP 28 to hear what he’s expecting – and hoping …
Pension funds, with hundreds of billions in long-term assets, can be a key source of capital for impact investors and entrepreneurs. Black, Indigenous, …
The Wilmington coup of 1898 is not as well known as the Tulsa massacre of 1921. But the events of that day changed …
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 …
David Bank catches up with Courageous Capital Advisors’ Laurie Spengler to talk about what the mainstreaming of impact investing means for smaller impact …
Graham Singh shares the financing mechanisms that Trinity Centres Foundation is developing for repurposing churches. And, David Bank shares ImpactAlpha’s big news. Plus, …
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 …
Roraj Pradhananga and Jane Swan of Veris Wealth Partners join host Monique Aiken to discuss how the wealth manager is rethinking due diligence …
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 …
David Bank is joined by Marjorie Kelly of The Democracy Collaborative to explore the ways that impact investors both help and hinder systemic …
🎧 Impact Briefing. Host Brian Walsh chats with Amy Cortese to set the stage for the UN General Assembly and Climate Week NYC. …
This crypto rally can be different. Crypto’s rise, then fall, then recent rise again, presents an opportunity for venture capitalists to invest more …
Editor’s Note: Community Finance Brief is weekly newsletter from Matt Posner of Court Street Group, now syndicated on ImpactAlpha. When a town, city …
Institutional investors – aka, Limited Partners, or LPs – are increasingly integrating sustainability into their investment processes for private markets. That requires managing …
The backlash against investing for racial equity has only grown since last summer’s Supreme Court ruling that struck down the use of race …
An expanding range of financing mechanisms and vehicles are emerging to help private capital providers direct money and resources to their small business …
As the private sector has become increasingly engaged in the effort to combat climate change, debates have emerged about the impact and legality …
The private equity industry, known for its focus on efficiency improvements and earnings growth, has expanded dramatically in the past decade, tripling assets …
There is an urgent race to curb rising temperatures and prevent the worst effects of climate change. This is reflected in a growing …
The impact-first philosophy that Ceniarth has championed has had its fair share of challenges. But we remain convinced that it is critical to …
Private equity has a significant opportunity to create financial and societal value through sustainability. PE firms that invest in improving the management and …
Climate tech investment is booming. Since 2013, there have been more than 6,000 investors (private, public and philanthropic) in climate tech startups, and …
When UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak watered down the UK’s commitment to its Net Zero targets earlier this fall, he at least started …
Sustainable development? “More of the same.” Forest carbon credits? “Outside-imposed extraction.” Impact investing? “Are we really going far enough? Or are we just …
ImpactAlpha, September 8 — In 15 years in impact investing, Christopher Bentley noticed “a lot of for-profit companies focused on the criminal justice …
ImpactAlpha, August 18 – Monica Brand Engel’s advice to impact investors is this: Imperfect execution is ok. “Authentic impact is about accepting imperfection …
ImpactAlpha, Aug. 11 – Samuel Yeboah isn’t discouraged by the economic storm battering his home country of Ghana and many other emerging economies. “As …
Many investors look at promising new climate solutions and say, ‘Great, come back to me when you have traction.’ Azolla Ventures is more …
ImpactAlpha, June 30 – The first thing that Katherine Stodulka does when you meet her is suggest you meet someone else. Then she’ll …
ImpactAlpha, May 26 – A decade ago, investors pushed back against the loan products Jessica Espinoza was designing for female business owners as …
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 …
ImpactAlpha, May 5 – John Moore quit his corporate gig and moved to Philadelphia two decades ago. He found a city rich in …
ImpactAlpha, April 28 — A first generation Nigerian-American, Su Sanni grew up in East New York, Brooklyn and Jamaica, Queens. The low-income neighborhoods, …
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 21 – Attorney and academic Lourdes Germán recognized early the power of public finance. She has spent years working at firms including …
ImpactAlpha, Apr. 14 – “Net zero is not going to get us anywhere,” Ariane Mahler of Veridien Global Investors tells ImpactAlpha’s David Bank. “You …
Women Rising Take a peek at the list of 73 finalists for 2017 Echoing Green fellowships, and takeaways from a review of all …