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How a Foundation is Looking to Help Millions of Young People Find Work in Africa
By 2035, there will be more young people entering Africa's workforce each year than in the rest of the world combined. Can that high-stakes challenge be solved with better training and education, savvy use of technology, and wider financial inclusion?
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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NRD Foundation Supports Jibu with First Philanthropic Pledge
The foundation was inspired by Aziz Hashim, the successful multi-unit franchisee that created a franchise-focused private equity firm NRD Capital, to support social entrepreneurs and job growth around the world. The first focus for the foundation is Africa, where NRD Capital already has investments.
- Categories
- Entrepreneurship, Investing, WASH
- Region
- Sub-Saharan Africa
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Living Right: Buen Vivir Fund Heralds a More Democratic Kind of Impact Investing
“The Buen Vivir Fund,” notes Reines, “has created a system, referred to as Aportes, whereby borrowers make a solidarity contribution of their choosing that will remain in the fund for current and future projects. The structure of Aportes contrasts with the conventional investment operation of interest, in which money is paid at regular intervals at a particular rate and accrues earnings for the purpose of increasing return on investment to investors.”
- Categories
- Investing
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Viewpoint: Nonprofit Earned-Income Ventures Aren’t Rockets: Another Launchpad Failure
Hailed as a potential game changer, ImpactUs fell apart eight months after opening even though the impact-investing intermediary had the backing of the MacArthur Foundation, Ford Foundation, Kellogg Foundation, Open Road Alliance, Enterprise Community Partners, and City First Enterprises. Another firm is picking up the pieces, so it may not be a total loss, but why did the initial effort flame out so quickly? Here, John MacIntosh advances some tenets for nonprofits to follow to give their venture activities a greater chance of success.
- Categories
- Investing
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Just desserts – Sara Lee foundation to invest all assets into social change
“How we invest our assets and leverage our influence as an investor are powerful tools to make that change to happen.”
- Categories
- Investing
- Region
- North America
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Viewpoint: Foundation Impact Investing Is Gaining Steam. But Can Proponents Answer These Four Questions?
This week, it’s the Nathan Cummings Foundation making a move. And it’s going all in, pledging to “align 100 percent of our nearly half-billion dollar endowment with our mission.” NCF is the largest foundation to take this step, and it follows most directly in the footsteps of the F.B. Heron Foundation, which made the shift to 100 percent alignment under the leadership of Clara Miller. In contrast, the other major foundations engaged in impact investing—an increasingly long list—have mostly committed only small portions of their endowments to this approach.
- Categories
- Investing
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Private Wealth Firm Abbot Downing Turns Focus to Social Impact
Abbot Downing, the Minneapolis-based private wealth arm of Wells Fargo & Co. for individuals and families with at least US$50 million in investable assets, is responding with a “social impact analysis” center within its revamped family governance practice, the Institute of Family Culture, according to Arne Boudewyn, head of the practice.
- Categories
- Investing
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Press release: Convergence Design Funding generates USD 116M of blended finance investments for global development
Convergence's grant program, Design Funding, is establishing itself as the nerve centre for the next generation of blended finance structures. Since 2016, blended finance vehicles supported by Convergence have raised about USD 116M of investments from public, philanthropic, and private investors.
- Categories
- Investing
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