Australia initiative aims to help non-profits prepare for impact investment

Thursday, February 23, 2017

The Impact Investment Ready initiative, launched Tuesday by Impact Investing Australia and Philanthropy Australia, will support not for profits with Discovery Grants, as well as for-purpose organisations with Growth Grants.

Philanthropy Australia’s Chris Wootton, who manages the Discovery Grant arm of the program, said impact investment was a significant opportunity for not-for-profit organisations to secure funding.

“Impact investing now opens up… a whole new range of capital, with huge potential,” Wootton told Pro Bono News.

“It’s a much larger source of funds, it’s potentially 20 times what is available in grants.”

Impact investing is a growing field where investments are made into organisations and projects likely to produce positive social and environmental outcomes, along with a financial return.

It evolved in response to large and complex social challenges which can not be addressed or funded by government and philanthropy alone.

Grants of up to $50,000 will help not for profits prepare for impact investment.

“A lot of not for profits aren’t what we call ‘impact investment ready’,” Wootton said.

Source: Probono Australia (link opens in a new window)

Categories
Impact Assessment, Investing
Tags
ESG, impact investing, philanthropy