August-September 2022 | Field News & Resources
This page features this month's highlights, announcements, resources, and general news related to advancements in the impact investing field.
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The World Economic Forum published its annual report, underscoring the benefits of cooperation and collaboration in making progress toward easing the multiple crises of our time. Their model of bringing business, government, civil society, expert voices and young people together is making some progress, yet still has much more work ahead to make a meaningful impact on climate, human rights, conflict, and other global and regional challenges.
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Kapor Capital has raised $126 Million to invest in pre-seed, seed stage, and Series A startups. That makes it one of the largest Black-led VC firms by assets, and will help it continue to invest in “gap-closing” impact-minded startups.
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Two years ago, in the midst of a pandemic-fueled crisis, The California Endowment raised $300 million in a "social bond" to enable it to increase its grantmaking. Now CEO Dr. Robert Ross announces its latest round of grants from that debt raise, directed to projects that they believe can create sustainable impact, and advance equity on a policy- and systems-change level.
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Read this Q&A with W.K. Kellogg Foundation CEO La June Montgomery Tabron upon her appointment to the Michigan Economic Development Corp.’s executive committee where she talks about listening to the community, making catalytic investments and the value of public-private partnerships - all interconnected with the important work of racial equity and racial healing.
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MIE member Social Finance has partnered with Governor Phil Murphy, the State of New Jersey and the New Jersey CEO Council on the nation’s first Pay It Forward program to prepare New Jersey residents for in-demand, family-sustaining jobs in industries like health care, IT, and clean energy. provides zero-interest, no fee loans for participants, along with wrap-around supports to help participants to succeed, a signature element that Social Finance includes in its programs.
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Forbes columnist Anne Field takes a look at a VC fund with a "Good Jobs" thesis from CDFI and MIE member Coastal Enterprises Inc. Among the first companies to receive investment is Senscio, maker of an at-home technology to help patients better manage their health.
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The Rockefeller Foundation announced a new $5.5 million collaboration with e-GUIDE and Atlas AI to accelerate economic development and promote climate resilient infrastructure investment across sub-Saharan Africa.
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Bridgespan has published research on three ways impact investors–especially impact-first investors–can direct capital toward improving health and well-being: expanding access to care globally, strengthening mental health and wellness supports, and supporting an aging population.
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This year's annual report by Council on Foundations + Commonfund Institute shows the number of foundations adopting socially responsible investment policies continued to increase, with 23 percent of private foundations and 24 percent of community foundations making investments ranked high on ESG criteria (up from 19 percent and 20 percent, respectively). Foundation commitment to working with diverse investment firms continued to gain traction with 17 percent of private foundations and 23 percent of community foundations investing with such firms (up from 11 percent and 13 percent, respectively).