Industry’s first publicly available, searchable resource – an impact investment fund manager showcase, sees record number of applicants and assets; New emerging impact manager category brings awareness of innovative trailblazers breaking new ground in impact investing.
VANCOUVER, BC., Feb. 25—ImpactAssets has released its ImpactAssets 50 2020 (IA 50), a publicly available, online database for impact investors, family offices, financial advisors and institutional investors that features a diversified listing of private capital fund managers that deliver social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.
To continue to shine a light on impact fund innovation, the IA 50 added a new Emerging Impact Investment Fund Manager category, which spotlights newer fund managers that demonstrate the potential to create meaningful impact. The inaugural list includes 16 emerging fund managers across a variety of themes and geographies.
“With record applicants and assets under management, the IA 50 continues to reflect the rapid growth and interest in impact investing,” said Jed Emerson, ImpactAssets Senior Fellow, and IA 50 Review Committee Chair. “This year’s showcase includes eleven impact funds with more than $1 billion in assets under management. And to ensure we’re capturing the best future ideas, we’ve added emerging impact managers, who have the hunger, creativity and a willingness to explore alternatives that more seasoned fund managers may not.”
The IA 50 2020 saw a record number of private debt and equity fund manager applications. Impact investment fund managers who met the IA 50’s in-depth review criteria manage an estimated $39.8 billion in assets devoted to creating measurable, positive impact, up from $26.9 billion in 2019. Emerging impact managers direct nearly $400 million into cutting-edge strategies and high impact investments.
This year’s showcase includes:
Investment Targets and UN Sustainable Development Goals: A total of 83% of managers targeted investment in people or places that are under threat or lack access to resources and opportunity, while 64% focused on underdeveloped markets where the market is relatively new, emerging, or subject to systemic challenges. Top UN SDG categories that fund managers focused on included 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth (68%); 1 – No Poverty (63%) and 10 – Reduced Inequalities (58%).
Diversity and Inclusion: While Wall Street continues to struggle with building diverse teams, 85% of IA 50 fund managers report that 25% or more of their investment professionals are women and/or from under-represented groups, while half have teams with 50% or more women and other under-represented groups. In addition, 75% of firms have 25% or more percent management teams that are women or from underrepresented groups.
Impact and Financial Return: Impact investment fund managers remained focused on delivering both positive impact and investment performance, with 78% targeting market rates or above market rates of return. A total of 97% of impact fund managers delivered either inline or above their initial target returns.
“A responsible and experienced approach to impact investing is about identifying opportunities that successfully balance financial, social and environmental merits. Building a high performing portfolio is what attracts and retains new investors, creating a virtuous cycle for impact investing as an investment approach. This is Deetken Impact’s business, and our selection to the ImpactAssets 50 motivates us further in this mission.”
Fernando Alvarado, CEO Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy
In addition to Emerson and Sze, the IA 50 Review Committee is comprised of an expanded group of 14 impact investment experts and leaders, including Lauren Booker Allen, Vice President, Jordan Park Group Impact Advisory; Mark Berryman, Managing Director of Impact Investing, The CAPROCK Group; Ronald A. Homer, Chief Strategist, Impact Investing, RBC Global Asset Management (US) Inc.; Karl “Charly” Kleissner, Ph.D., Co-Founder of Toniic and KL Felicitas Foundation; Kathy Leonard, Senior Vice President, Investments and Senior Portfolio Manager, UBS; Malaika Maphalala, CPWA® Private Wealth Advisor, Natural Investments, LLC; Cynthia Muller, Director of Mission Investment, W.K. Kellogg Foundation; Stephanie Cohn Rupp, Managing Director and Partner, Tiedemann Wealth Management; Fran Seegull, Executive Director, U.S. Impact Investing Alliance, Ford Foundation; Liesel Pritzker Simmons and Ian Simmons, Co-Founders of Blue Haven Initiative; and Margret Trilli, President and CIO, ImpactAssets.
Sandra Osborne Kartt, CFA, Director, Investments, ImpactAssets and Jennifer Kenning, CEO and Co-Founder of Align Impact and IA 50 Senior Investment Advisor, led the ImpactAssets and Align Impact Investment teams in the application scoring and analysis process.
“The IA 50 is a proven and trusted way for investors to start exploring a subset of managers that are already working in this area and determining what interesting impact investments an investor can make today,” said Osborne Kartt. “We are excited by growing investor appetite as well as the diverse array of impact themes and strategies represented by this year’s list.”
About Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy
Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy is comprised of two funds that co-invest as a single fund in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects and companies in Central America and the Caribbean. They currently have $65MM in committed capital, with $44MM approved for investment in 13 companies in 6 countries. The funds are managed by Deetken Impact, a Canadian registered investment fund manager with a 10-year track record of delivering strong, stable returns to investors by supporting businesses that make a meaningful contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals. Together with its affiliate, Deetken Impact Sustainable Energy, Deetken Impact currently manages $100 million in impact assets. Deetken Impact is a signatory to the UN Global Compact and a certified B Corporation.
For more information, visit: https://deetkenimpact.com/ or follow on Twitter @DeetkenImpact
About the ImpactAssets 50
The IA 50 is the first publicly available database that provides a gateway into the world of impact investing for investors and their financial advisors, offering an easy way to identify experienced impact investment firms and explore the landscape of potential investment options. The IA 50 is intended to illustrate the breadth of impact investment fund managers operating today, though it is not a comprehensive list. Firms have been selected to demonstrate a wide range of impact investing activities across geographies, sectors and asset classes.
The IA 50 is not an index or investable platform and does not constitute an offering or recommend specific products. It is not a replacement for due diligence. In order to be considered for the IA 50 2020, fund managers needed to have at least $25 million in assets under management, more than 3 years of experience as a firm with impact investing, documented social and/or environmental impact and be available for US investment. Additional details on the selection process are here.
The IA 50 Emerging Impact Manager list is intended to spotlight newer fund managers that may demonstrate future potential to create meaningful impact. Criteria such as minimum track record or minimum assets under management may not be applicable.
About ImpactAssets
ImpactAssets is a nonprofit financial services firm that increases the flow of capital into investments delivering financial, social and environmental returns. ImpactAssets’ $1.1 billion Donor Advised Fund and field-building initiatives enable philanthropists, other asset owners, and their wealth advisors to advance social or environmental change through impact investment and philanthropy.
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