Bax Innovation’s Post

How can impact investing kick-off a European affordable housing boom? Our Director Rolf Bastiaanssen will moderate an expert panel on affordable housing at Europe's leading impact investment conference this week. At Impact Europe's Impact Week in Bilbao, the panel - hosted by Erste Social Finance - will discuss how impact investment funds can speed up the building of high-quality affordable housing. Affordable and social housing remain existential challenges to Europe. 1 in 10 city-based Europeans live in a household spending more than 40% of income on housing costs. Around 900,000 people are experiencing homelessness. More affordable housing is needed, and quickly. Learn more about Impact Week ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ewUkUiq3 #ImpactWeek

Today we launch the third impact report for the Schroder BSC Social Impact Trust which aims to provide investors with sustainable financial returns and access to a diversified portfolio of high-impact investments addressing social issues in the UK, including homelessness, fuel poverty, inequality, health and social care. So far, the Trust has committed £87m to 194 social organisations, reaching more than 400,000 people. This report sets out the social impact being achieved through a unique partnership between investors and frontline organisations. It also shares the Trust’s methods for impact investing, what the team are learning, and their aspirations for enhancing impact over the coming year. Capital at risk. https://lnkd.in/e--EsKtb https://lnkd.in/e8qv_E7m

100 funds by 2028, #13, 87 to go (#92 on hold 🇵🇸). I aim to spotlight 100 impact investing funds by 2028. It's been a while, but I have so many great initiatives lined up now. Looking forward to continue sharing with you! Ok Ok Ok. I know. This first share of 2024 is not an actual fund. Transformative 25 actually represents no less then 26 amazing Impact Investing Funds. I could have just counted all #26 funds, bringing the number to #38, but somehow that didn't feel fair. I promise to share some of the funds separately though, as they deserve the spotlight. It was a great honor to join the bright minds of the "collective action for just finance 2024 committee" and actively join the collective effort of "financial activists" to support the community of funds creating a new economy build on principles of regeneration and prosperity for all people. The 2024 cohort was announced earlier this week on May 1st. You can find the full list here. You can find a link to the funds in the comments. The chosen 26 impact funds combined represent: 💸 $ 588M raised 👨💼 👩💼 from 5293 investors 🏭 made 3768 investments By teams that were 96% BIPOC, 19% indigenous, 73% female and 8% SLGBTQIA led. This initiative is still very US and Americas focussed. It's my goal to bring more awareness of this initiative to the EU (and beyond). Let me know if you're interested to help out with this. #100funds, #100impactfunds, #impacttogether, #impinv, #impactinvesting Jennifer Astone, Joan Coello, 🕊️✌️Ewa Konczal

Broad access or limited access? The power of open architecture.

For nonprofit institutions, the power of investment choice can be critical. Open-architecture investment programs offer investors broad access to investment managers, across a range of asset classes. In contrast, closed-architecture programs offer fewer options, with access only to predetermined products and providers.   Are you investing in an open- or closed-architecture program?   Dive deeper into why this matters in SouthCol Advisors' article: https://lnkd.in/euuVh6i   #OpenArchitecture #EmpoweringPortfolios #MissionInvesting #ImpactInvesting #PowerYourMission #Transparency

Imagine if your investments could change lives and create thriving, equitable communities. Impact investing isn’t just about returns - it's about driving equity and opportunity where it’s needed most. By directing resources to underserved communities, impact investments are helping to close the gaps that traditional financial systems have left behind. Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are on the front lines, mobilizing these investments to support small businesses, create affordable housing, and foster long-term, sustainable progress. Through impact investing, we’re not only generating financial growth but also laying the foundation for thriving, equitable communities. If you're passionate about both purpose and profit, consider how impact investing can change lives and build a better future for us all. Discover more about how to make a difference through impact investing at https://lnkd.in/ee3V5Y-F #ImpactInvesting #CommunityDevelopment #Equity #SocialImpact #EconomicGrowth

👏 Congratulations to our partners at Esmée Fairbairn Foundation on making 2023 their highest-ever funding year with investments totalling £73.3m! The team provided £57.3m in grants, allocated £12.9m to support new impact-first business and social investment models and made two new impact investments, totalling £2m. These figures include a funding partnership between ourselves, Esmee Fairbairn Foundation and MariaMarina Foundation. This partnership boosts our capacity to support early-stage social enterprises that tackle inequality in the UK, focusing on those led by or serving people from minoritised communities. It also provides an active learning platform to develop our collective understanding of the skills support needs and types of patient and flexible capital that social enterprises require to succeed. Learn more in Esmee's Annual Report and Accounts for 2023: https://lnkd.in/egtHZ2qR #ImpactFirstInvesting #SocialInvestment #SocialEnterprise

Impact investing is on the rise. 600bn in 2019 to 1.57 trillion today The younger generation of impact investors are stepping into the board rooms and taking the reigns. The numbers are real and timely. The world needs the top 1% to contribute back to society. Back in 1600’s in Florence, the wealthy elite realised that they needed to continue to redistribute their wealth to the rest of the population via philanthropic activities that built schools, hospitals, public spaces, etc. They did this to ensure their wasn’t a revolt. Contrast that with today's environment, and the wealthy, ably supported by compliant governments, are hoarding their wealth and minimising their taxes, so functioning societies are reliant upon the benevolence of a wealthy few. The few are now turning into the many The change can’t happen fast enough.

This is exciting news for Community Investment! The British Business Bank has launched the Community Enablement Funding Programme, a new £6 million initiative aimed at bolstering community-focused investment. This programme is a fantastic opportunity to channel vital funding into organisations dedicated to making a tangible difference in their local areas. We know just how transformative community-focused funding can be – from helping businesses grow to creating social and environmental benefits that ripple across entire regions. This new programme will provide critical support for local initiatives, enabling them to scale and maximise their impact. Well done to the British Business Bank for recognising the importance of empowering communities. I’m looking forward to seeing how this funding enables impactful change across the UK – and at BBRC, we’re ready to play our part in making it happen! Let’s keep driving the impact investment movement forward. #ImpactInvestment #CommunityFunding #PositiveChange

Multiple actors are needed to effectively address complex societal challenges. This means making the most of private, public and philanthropic resources. Philea and Impact Europe have published recommendations for national and EU policymakers to enable more impact investments and collaboration opportunities. The recommendations call on policymakers to help bolster this effort by: 1. Enabling impact investing at the programme level 2. Developing a co-investment facility under the InvestEU financial programme 3. Facilitating impact investing and mission related investments at the endowment level 4. Integrating philanthropy from the start in the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework If you're interested in unleashing philanthropy’s potential, check out the full recommendations here! https://bit.ly/3Bnh0eS