EPA’s new partners plot a $27 billion path to a US green bank
The announcement of the winners of “green bank” funding under the Inflation Reduction Act is so close at hand that the Environmental Protection …
How a $75 million ‘basket bond’ is catalyzing climate lending to small businesses in emerging markets
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Dealflow | Lucy Ngige
Capria Ventures backs fintechs in Nigeria and Bangladesh to expand financial services
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Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
InStride Health raises $30 million for pediatric mental health services
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Dealflow | Dennis Price
Mexico’s Savia Ventures backs Chilean alt-protein startup Done Properly (video)
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Dealflow | Jessica Pothering
New Global Innovation Lab cohort dives into regional climate finance solutions
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Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
Evari raises $7.5 million to build more efficient heat pumps
The Brief
Read by thousands of impact pros daily
Greetings Agents of Impact! In today’s Brief: Featured: Deploy! EPA’s new partners plot a $27 billion path to a US green bank. The …
Today’s brief
Featured: Deploy!
EPA’s new partners plot a $27 billion path to a US green bank. The announcement of the winners of “green bank” funding under the Inflation Reduction Act is so close at hand that the Environmental Protection Agency has imposed a 48-hour press blackout. Even if they're not saying anything publicly, the lineup of nonprofit housing developers, state-level green banks, local community development financial institutions, and other networks seeking mandates under the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund already know who they are. The three coalitions that are widely expected to be chosen to manage the largest part of the fund, the $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund, include Power Forward, Climate United and the Coalition for Green Capital. The capital infusion is expected to accelerate not only the low-carbon transition, but access to capital in low-, middle-income and other communities that have borne the brunt of environmental pollution (see our recent Agents of Impact Call). Another $6 billion for the Clean Communities Investment Accelerator will be distributed through a half-dozen nonprofit hubs to provide technical assistance to community lenders; and $7 billion in Solar for All grants is expected to soon go out to states, territories, tribal governments, municipalities and nonprofits.
Sponsored by Heading for Change
Private investing and blended capital with a climate + gender lens. Partners Invest for Better and Heading for Change are offering a five-part virtual course on investing at the nexus of climate and gender. Heading for Change, established by Suzanne Biegel and Daniel Maskit, makes catalytic investments and grants to accelerate climate solutions and advance gender equity. Producer and host Tuti Scott, author of “Moving Money for Impact: A Guide to Gender Lens Investing,” designed the 90-minute sessions to move participants from interest to knowledge to action. The weekly program kicks off Wednesday, April 17. Whether you're a seasoned investor or new to private equity and debt, this course promises valuable insights and a supportive community eager to help you make a difference.
Dealflow: Investing in Health
InStride Health raises $30 million for pediatric mental health services. About one-third of young people will struggle with anxiety disorder or obsessive compulsive disorders by the age of 18. Boston-based InStride launched in 2021 to provide affordable specialty outpatient care for young patients. The company uses evidence-based treatments such as cognitive behavioral therapy and exposure and response prevention. InStride says 90% of its nearly 1,000 patients experienced a reduction in anxiety after two months. InStride's digital platform offers care "at a lower cost than inpatient care, making it easier for underserved populations to access care," said Erin Sietstra of San Francisco-based Hopelab, founded by the Omidyar Group, which backed InStride’s Series B round. Other investors in the round include General Catalyst, Mass General Brigham Ventures and .406 Ventures.
Signals: Catalytic Climate Finance
How a $75 million ‘basket bond’ is catalyzing climate lending to small businesses in emerging markets. Local and community lenders in the US are preparing for a windfall of financing from the federal government to advance climate resilience and the green transition in underinvested communities (see above). There isn’t yet a comparable pot of capital for lenders in underinvested and climate-vulnerable countries. Investors are designing instruments to prepare and capitalize local financial institutions for green lending to small businesses at scale. “There's a real need for this type of smaller-ticket climate lending,” says Jo Fry of British International Investment. The UK development finance institution partnered in 2022 Symbiotics on a “basket bond” to spur green lending among small business lenders in Africa and Asia.
Agents of Impact: Follow the Talent
Bala Nagarajan, formerly of NextEra Energy, joins S2G Ventures as managing director of its energy team… The Climate and Clean Energy Equity Fund and the Climate Equity Action Fund seek a president and chief executive officer… Blue Earth Capital is recruiting a private equity analyst or associate in New York… Blackrock is hiring a climate finance partnership director in New York or London… Black Farmer Fund seeks a development and investor relations director and a business support director.
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To scale the IRA’s “green bank,” community lenders should engage muni finance markets
When the University of Virginia issued the first Build America Bond ($250 million) in April of 2009, it was just about three months …
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EPA’s new partners plot a $27 billion path to a US green bank
The announcement of the winners of “green bank” funding under the Inflation Reduction Act is so close at hand that the Environmental Protection …
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How a $75 million ‘basket bond’ is catalyzing climate lending to small businesses in emerging markets
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Agents of Impact
Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact.
Deploy! | Amy Cortese and David Bank
Beats | Amy Cortese
EPA’s new partners plot a $27 billion path to a US green bank
Climate Finance | Jessica Pothering
Beats | Jessica Pothering
How a $75 million ‘basket bond’ is catalyzing climate lending to small businesses in emerging markets
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Beats | Lucy Ngige
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Wealth-building and community ownership in the next stage of The Great Deployment
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