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Social Enterprises Can Grow Their Revenue and Impact by Partnering with Corporations – Here’s How to Support Them
Against the backdrop of cascading global crises, a growing number of corporations are looking to social enterprises to advance their environmental, social and governance goals. To capitalize on this opportunity to scale social enterprises' revenue and impact, Alexandra Nemeth at MovingWorlds argues that support organizations like impact investors and accelerators should prioritize corporate readiness. She explores five key trends that are driving the momentum behind corporate partnerships with social enterprises, and five ways to build these enterprises' capacity for successful partnerships.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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The Power of Results-Based Funding for Poverty Alleviation: What We Learned from Africa’s First-Ever Development Impact Bond – and What’s Next
Development impact bonds (DIBs) are an innovative, results-based funding model with the potential to reduce poverty and make aid more effective. To assess their impact, a randomized controlled trial was conducted on Africa's first-ever DIB for poverty alleviation, which supported a poverty graduation program implemented by Village Enterprise. Dianne Calvi at Village Enterprise and Brian Boland at the Delta Fund (one of the nine philanthropic investors in the DIB) discuss the results of this study, what they mean for the sector, and how results-based funding can evolve to maximize its impact.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing
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Press Release: DFC Approves $1.4 Billion for Projects that Advance Development Impact Across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Latin America and the Caribbean
34 transactions approved this quarter utilize DFC’s tools including equity and funds investments to address U.S. priorities and global development challenges
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- Global
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How Blockchain Can Support Social Impact: Three Innovative Use Cases that Highlight its Potential
When it comes to blockchain technology, cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin seem to dominate the headlines, whereas blockchain itself – cryptocurrencies’ underlying technology – often gets overlooked. But according to Raj Jain at the Social Finance Fund, blockchain may actually have a more compelling future than cryptocurrency – and the technology is flourishing in a variety of different spaces, including the social impact sector. He highlights three organizations that are putting blockchain to innovative use in social impact.
- Categories
- Impact Assessment, Investing, Technology
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Press Release: Schroders and BlueOrchard’s Climate Impact Strategy Rapidly Attracts $100 Million
Schroder ISF BlueOrchard Emerging Markets Climate Bond Fund has attracted USD $100 million in less than three months since launch.
- Categories
- Energy, Environment
- Region
- Global
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When It Comes to K-12 Education, Where Are the Impact Investors?
For decades, reports have shown how schools in America are lagging behind their counterparts in other countries in key areas – particularly in lower-income communities. But though more funding could help schools achieve better results, impact investors have yet to contribute meaningfully to the funding of K-12 education systems. Mark Medema at the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools argues that the private sector, led by impact investors, can and must play a bigger role.
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India’s Impact Enterprises Need More Debt Financing to Grow: Here’s How Businesses, Lenders and Regulators Can Make That Happen
Many Indian social entrepreneurs struggle to obtain debt financing, as banks typically steer clear of these young companies, and alternative lenders charge unsustainably high interest rates. Meanwhile, India’s impact investors have shown far more interest in buying stakes in impact enterprises than lending money to them. Sudarshan Sampathkumar and Anuja Kadam at The Bridgespan Group explore solutions to this challenge, based on the findings from a new report.
- Categories
- Investing, Social Enterprise
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Avoiding Information Overload: Four Lessons From a Performance Manager on How To Use Data To Drive Development Outcomes
Development impact bonds (DIBs) are a popular way to drive successful social outcomes – but assessing a program's effectiveness requires a lot of data. Dayoung Lee and Dia Banerjee at Dalberg Advisors share lessons they've learned from managing the performance of the world’s largest education DIB, showing how data can improve outcomes without causing undue burdens on the organizations that should be benefiting from it.
- Categories
- Education, Investing, Technology
