Impact Dispatch - April 2025

Lately, community has been on my mind. I recently had the privilege of joining impact investors at the GIIN’s West Coast Impact Forum in San Francisco. As we gathered together with GIIN members and other guests, sharing learnings and inspiration, I became inspired anew by the passion and expertise in our community. I remain energized by the strategic focus demonstrated by leaders at this event, and I’d like to share a few examples of how they are meeting the moment.

Ownership economy

As impact investors look to build long term economic stability for all people, building an ownership economy is top of mind. Creating pathways to homeownership and robust retirement savings are essential, along with providing opportunities for worker ownership of companies.

Employee ownership isn’t new, but it’s often overlooked – and many impact investors are working to expand it. This movement has broad appeal globally, aiming not just to create jobs with dignity, but to build lasting wealth that addresses intergenerational inequities.

Sustainable agriculture

Impact investors in agriculture are advancing the sustainability of our food systems, while also investing in the farmers’ livelihoods and rural communities. They’re helping build more resilient farms that can navigate extreme weather, use water efficiently and build food systems that reach local communities and create healthier populations.

São Paulo-based venture capital firm and GIIN member SP Ventures is taking big bets on entrepreneurs rethinking the food system. It has invested in innovative companies using hydroponic farming, increasing agricultural productivity while reducing pesticide use, providing financial access to farmers and more.

Affordable housing

Around the world, 2.8 billion people lack access to adequate housing, the UN estimates, making access to affordable housing a fundamental part of building an economy that works for all people. Here, private investors can complement the work of local governments, investing to build vibrant and accessible communities.

Take the example of GIIN member Enterprise Community Partners. Enterprise invests to build resilience and upward mobility in communities and has created or preserved 1 million homes across the U.S. In Washington D.C., Enterprise invested in Columbia Heights Village, a large housing complex, using creative financing solutions to ensure that over 400 homes remained affordable for residents.

I’m proud of and inspired by the community that we’ve built, which in turn is working hard to build companies that improve livelihoods and the environment during this dynamic time. We need to meet this pivotal moment and commit to using the power of investing to help build a world where everyone, everywhere has access to prosperity and a life of dignity on a healthy planet.

Forty-three percent of investors plan to increase their allocations to emerging markets, according to the GIIN’s State of the Market 2024 research, and those investments are more urgent than ever. I’ve said before that we’ll know how much impact capital is enough when all people have access to good jobs, economic mobility and a healthy world to live in. At times such as this, that world may feel further out of reach. However, I hold onto a conviction in the power of the solutions our industry offers. When we invest for positive outcomes we deploy a tool that cycles money to scale impact quickly — allowing us to extend the reach of markets and tangibly improve lives. 

- Amit Bouri

• Highlighting learnings from the GIIN’s Impact Lab, GIIN Chief Research Officer Dean Hand and Senior Research Associate Jacob Tate share new insights on what drives effective impact measurement in an article published by Stanford Social Innovation Review.
• Japan’s impact investing market is undergoing a remarkable transformation, Private Equity International reports. With growing interest from major institutions, strong government support and a focus on domestic social challenges, impact is being thoroughly adopted as part of a broader national agenda.
• Impact investing can drive alpha in investments in listed equities, according to a new study published by GIIN member Schroders in partnership with Oxford University’s Saïd Business School.
• New York City’s pension funds are putting their weight behind climate goals, telling asset management companies that the pension will seek other partners if they’re unable to meet their climate requirements. Three of the five major NYC pensions plan to reduce their financed carbon emissions to net zero by 2040.

• Explore resources and tools from the GIIN Impact Lab including benchmarks, analytic tools and factors driving evidence-backed impact on our newly updated Impact Lab site. The Impact Lab was founded by Temasek, Visa and the EQT Foundation, with catalytic support from Mission Throttle and the Max and Marjorie Fisher Foundation.
• For CFOs, treasury professionals and corporate financial leaders interested in aligning their corporate treasury with long-term organizational values and sustainability goals, the GIIN recently published Impact Investing Through the Balance Sheet: A Guide for CFOs and Treasury Professionals. Treasury assets can be a powerful tool to advance corporate sustainability and social impact strategies, supporting economic inclusion, climate resilience, community development and more.
• Investors joined the GIIN for two days for insightful conversations and impact investing training this month in San Francisco. Soon we’ll gather in Singapore for the Asia Impact Forum and Investor Training July 30 - 31. This intimate gathering of 100 leaders offers opportunities for learning, networking and contributing to the growth and evolution of an industry that is transforming how we solve the complex social and environmental problems facing the world today.
• Join the flagship GIIN Impact Forum in Berlin, October 7 - 9, where an estimated 1,600 global leaders from institutional asset owners, asset managers, family offices and more will gather.
• In March, the GIIN welcomed 3 new members: CAIXA, Cross-Border Impact Ventures and Enerjisa Uretim.