In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure
A few years ago, officials at the Cleveland and George Gund foundations were lamenting the lack of a state-wide green bank in the …
From executive pay to stock buybacks, corporations favor the peak of the pyramid
Up- and re-skilling Black talent for tech’s next wave (video)
Happy Returns: Elaborate spoof takes aim at Vanguard’s retreat from climate commitments
How loan guarantees and catalytic capital can amplify federal ‘green bank’ funds
-
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
Westbound raises $100 million to back tech ventures built by, for or with underrepresented people of color
-
Dealflow | Lucy Ngige
HeavyFinance raises €20 million to help farmers regenerate Europe’s agriculture
-
Dealflow | Jessica Pothering and Amy Cortese
Tribal community gets Energy Department loan guarantee for solar + storage
-
Dealflow | ImpactAlpha
The Week’s Dealflow: March 15, 2024
-
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
KAS snags $3 million for low-cost production of aquaculture ingredient
The Brief
Read by thousands of impact pros daily
Greetings Agents of Impact! In today’s Brief: Featured: Muni Impact In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure. Chances might …
Today’s brief
Featured: Muni Impact
In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure. Chances might have seemed slim for a state-wide green bank to finance local green infrastructure in economically challenged, Republican-led Ohio. Over the course of a year, the Cleveland and Gund foundations, with dozens of local stakeholders, incubated and launched one of the nation’s first Black-led green banks. The Go Green Energy Fund is now vying to manage key pieces of the $27 billion federal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund. That’s part of once-in-a-generation federal funding to stand up a locally led green revival and rebuild community infrastructure for the 21st century. “Our goal is to catalyze the market and push as much economic benefit as we can into these households, communities and businesses that ultimately can benefit,” Go Green Energy’s Michael Jeans tells ImpactAlpha. The GGRF provisions of the Inflation Reduction Act will create a distributed green bank, with historic levels of capital deployed through community development financial institutions and other local lenders. The Environmental Protection Agency is expected to announce the first GGRF awards as soon as this week. (Meet Jeans this Wednesday on ImpactAlpha’s Agents of Impact Call.)
Dealflow: Retail Impact Investing
HeavyFinance raises €20 million to help farmers regenerate Europe’s agriculture. Lithuania’s HeavyFinance offers credit to help farmers and small agri-businesses adopt regenerative practices to improve soil health and sequester carbon. The crowdfunding platform, which accepts amounts as small as €100, gives institutions and retail investors access to HeavyFinance's portfolio of farmers and businesses. The agri-investment startup has directed €53 million ($57.7 million) through nearly 1,800 loans. The model is similar to US-based Steward, which provides loans to regenerative and sustainable food businesses. HeavyFinance also links farmers to voluntary carbon markets.
Signals: Corporate Impact
From executive pay to stock buybacks, corporations favor the peak of the pyramid. Reining in executive pay. Quadrupling the tax on stock buybacks. A minimum income tax of 25% on billionaires. President Biden’s latest budget proposes tough new checks on runaway wealth inequality. But corporate wealth is growing so quickly, the rules may be outdated before they kick in, if they are enacted at all. Billionaires? We may be talking about trillionaires before the decade is out. Goldman Sachs sees surging corporate stock buybacks topping $1 trillion for the first time next year. And the average ratio of 300:1 for CEO compensation to worker pay is sounding downright quaint. A new report from the anti-poverty group Oxfam highlights companies paying their chief executives 1,500 times more than their lowest paid workers. “The problem now is that the largest corporations are actively concentrating power and money in the hands of the already wealthy, while actively limiting the power of workers, consumers and suppliers and lobbying for policies that cut taxes and regulation,” Oxfam’s Irit Tamir tells ImpactAlpha. Some highlights from “Inequality, made in America: How corporate America is fueling our inequality crisis”:
Agents of Impact: Follow the Talent
Don’t miss these upcoming ImpactAlpha partner events:
Subscribe to ImpactAlpha
Find the alpha in impact.
- What comes with a subscription?
- The Brief: Award-winning daily newsletter
- Full Access: Unlimited, ad-free articles on ImpactAlpha.com
- Community: Exclusive Slack channels, calls and events
- Career Hub: Job board and career-building resources
- Data and tools: Open funds database, climate deal mapping, and more.
Must-reads on ImpactAlpha
Deploy! | Amy Cortese
In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
Westbound raises $100 million to back tech ventures built by, for or with underrepresented people of color
Dealflow | Lucy Ngige
HeavyFinance raises €20 million to help farmers regenerate Europe’s agriculture
Corporate Impact | Peter S. Green
From executive pay to stock buybacks, corporations favor the peak of the pyramid
Impact Voices
Editorials and guest essays from impact professionals
Impact Voices | Jim Baek and Aaron Seybert
How loan guarantees and catalytic capital can amplify federal ‘green bank’ funds
Much like the broader financial system, green lending in the US has primarily focused on higher-income, White borrowers with higher credit scores. The …
Impact Voices | Igor Shishlov and Tawanda Mutasah
US Export-Import Bank bucks the green finance agenda – to its own detriment
Should the US government really be allocating public funds to support oil drilling in the Middle East? This question comes sharply into focus …
Impact Management | Laurie Spengler
A case study in private equity’s role in realizing impact
Essential insights: The core of the debate Recent discussions have raised critical questions about the role of private equity in fostering resilient, inclusive …
Muni Impact | Matt Posner
To scale the IRA’s “green bank,” community lenders should engage muni finance markets
When the University of Virginia issued the first Build America Bond ($250 million) in April of 2009, it was just about three months …
Muni Impact | Lourdes Germán and Brett Theodos
Scoring municipal bonds on racial equity and social impact
Municipal (muni) bond financing is as influential for communities as it might be invisible to many. It is the driving source of funding …
Impact Investing | Rachel Robasciotti
Rachel Robasciotti, Adasina Social Capital: Climate justice is social justice
Editor’s Note: On this International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to share important moments in the lives and careers of five women in impact …
Impact Voices | Sonya Dreizler
Sonya Dreizler, CHOIR: Build a bigger table
Editor’s Note: On this International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to share important moments in the lives and careers of five women in impact …
Impact Voices | Lakota Vogel
Lakota Vogel, Four Bands Community Fund: Rewriting the rules
Editor’s Note: On this International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to share important moments in the lives and careers of five women in impact …
Gender Smart | Beth Bafford
Beth Bafford, Calvert Impact Capital: Everyone deserves a chance to fly
Editor’s Note: On this International Women’s Day, we’re pleased to share important moments in the lives and careers of five women in impact …
Ownership Economy
Strategies for wealth-creation and shared prosperity
Return on Inclusion | Roodgally Senatus
Sorenson Impact backs Redemption’s purchase of Holladay Bank to create a new Black-owned bank
ImpactAlpha, February 29 — The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., impact investor. In King’s last public address before he was assassinated, he …
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
Kachuwa Impact Fund scores $3.2 million to bring cooperatives to impact investing
ImpactAlpha, February 28 — Blake Jones, a “cooperative geek,” launched Kachuwa Impact Fund to bring the principles of cooperative ownership and governance to …
Inclusive Economy | Roodgally Senatus
Can commercial corridors + broad ownership build community wealth without displacement?
ImpactAlpha, February 22 — The West Side of San Antonio is looking forward to a thriving corridor of successful small businesses, restored buildings …
Ownership Economy | Michael Kramer
This sustainable investment firm is now governed by a perpetual purpose trust
As one of the earliest registered investment advisors exclusively dedicated to socially responsible, sustainable and impact investments since 1985, our financial advisor-owners of …
Agents of Impact | Jessica Pothering
Ines Schiller, Vyld: Reengineering the tampon – and the ethos of biotech
ImpactAlpha, January 26 – Ines Schiller got the idea for seaweed tampons while training in South Africa to be a marine environment guide. …
Dealflow | Jessica Pothering
Alt-capital and alt-ownership models for circular hygiene startup Vyld
ImpactAlpha, January 23 – Ines Schiller and Melanie Schichan had a vision to strengthen the circular economy with sustainable hygiene and care products. …
Ownership Economy | Julie Menter and Curt Lyon
Alternative ownership enterprises challenge conventional models for companies and funds
“We need economies and enterprises that are distributive by design, sharing value, power, and opportunity far more equitably with all involved—throughout their supply …
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
A to Z Impact backs Project Equity’s Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund
ImpactAlpha, January 16 — Oakland-based nonprofit Project Equity launched the Employee Ownership Catalyst Fund in 2021 to raise $20 million for retiring small …
Inclusive Economy | David Bank, Roodgally Senatus and Dennis Price
At Stake in ’24: Expanded ownership and access to capital to build wealth and bridge divides
ImpactAlpha, December 18 — If the redistribution of wealth pits the haves and have-nots against each other, the predistribution of ownership may put …
Climate Finance
Investments in the transition to a low-carbon economy
Deploy! | Amy Cortese
In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure
A few years ago, officials at the Cleveland and George Gund foundations were lamenting the lack of a state-wide green bank in the …
Climate Finance | Lucy Ngige
HeavyFinance raises €20 million to help farmers regenerate Europe’s agriculture
HeavyFinance offers credit to help farmers and small agri-businesses adopt regenerative practices to improve soil health and sequester carbon. The Lithuania-based crowdfunding platform, …
Deploy! | Jessica Pothering and Amy Cortese
Tribal community gets Energy Department loan guarantee for solar + storage
The future of energy access runs through locally-led and inclusive businesses. Indigenous-owned renewable energy developers in the US are getting their first cut …
Climate Finance | David Bank
Happy Returns: Elaborate spoof takes aim at Vanguard’s retreat from climate commitments
Climate change can be stressful, including for investors profiting from fossil fuels in the face of record-breaking temperatures around the world. Climate activists …
Impact Voices | Jim Baek and Aaron Seybert
How loan guarantees and catalytic capital can amplify federal ‘green bank’ funds
Much like the broader financial system, green lending in the US has primarily focused on higher-income, White borrowers with higher credit scores. The …
Climate Finance | Lucy Ngige
Green Climate Fund invests in India’s climate resilience via the Avaana Sustainability Fund
The Small Industries Development Bank of India is the main financing body for tens of millions of India’s small businesses. The bank manages …
Clean Energy | Jessica Pothering
The path to universal energy access is local, inclusive and women-led
In Zimbabwe, Agriput Solar leverages a network of local women to sell solar home products in rural communities. Women-led Grean World in Ethiopia …
Impact Voices | Igor Shishlov and Tawanda Mutasah
US Export-Import Bank bucks the green finance agenda – to its own detriment
Should the US government really be allocating public funds to support oil drilling in the Middle East? This question comes sharply into focus …
Muni Impact | Matt Posner
To scale the IRA’s “green bank,” community lenders should engage muni finance markets
When the University of Virginia issued the first Build America Bond ($250 million) in April of 2009, it was just about three months …
Career Hub
Build your impact career on ImpactAlpha
10 tips to speed your transition to an impact finance career
There is no denying that impact finance is one of the most sought after spaces in finance right now, but what does it …
How to get a job in impact investing
NEW Job Board
-
Country Manager Mexico
-
Latimpacto
-
Mexico
-
-
Investment Manager
-
ICA Fund
-
Anywhere
-
-
Climate Senior Investment Officer
-
Opportunity Finance Network
-
Washington, DC
-
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: March 1, 2024
-
Careers | ImpactAlpha
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 23, 2024
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 16, 2024
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 9, 2024
-
Careers | ImpactAlpha
The Week’s Impact Jobs: February 2, 2024
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: January 26, 2024
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: January 19, 2024
-
Careers | Roodgally Senatus
The Week’s Impact Jobs: January 12, 2023
Agents of Impact
Bold leaders. Taking action. Driving impact.
Deploy! | Amy Cortese
Beats | Amy Cortese
In Cleveland, stakeholders mobilize to deploy climate funds for community infrastructure
Dealflow | Roodgally Senatus
Beats | Roodgally Senatus
Westbound raises $100 million to back tech ventures built by, for or with underrepresented people of color
Climate Finance | Lucy Ngige
Beats | Lucy Ngige
HeavyFinance raises €20 million to help farmers regenerate Europe’s agriculture
Policy Corner | Peter S. Green
Beats | Peter S. Green
From executive pay to stock buybacks, corporations favor the peak of the pyramid
Deploy! | Jessica Pothering and Amy Cortese
Beats | Jessica Pothering
Tribal community gets Energy Department loan guarantee for solar + storage
Plugged In | Sherrell Dorsey
Beats | Sherrell Dorsey
Up- and re-skilling Black talent for tech’s next wave (video)
Climate Finance | David Bank
Beats | David Bank
Happy Returns: Elaborate spoof takes aim at Vanguard’s retreat from climate commitments
Come for the article. Stay for ImpactAlpha’s full package of high-value features.
Agents of Impact who subscribe get access to what makes ImpactAlpha invaluable:
- The Brief: Award-winning daily newsletter
- Full Access: Unlimited, ad-free articles on ImpactAlpha.com
- Community: Exclusive Slack channels, calls and events
- Career Hub: Job board and career-building resources
- Data and tools: Open funds database, climate deal mapping, and more.