Publications
& Insights

Resources created and curated to support the growth of impact investing, for those new to the field and for experienced practitioners.

Issue Briefs

ImpactAssets Issue Briefs are offered as concise, thoughtful articles exploring topics of interest to impact investors, wealth advisors and others active in the field of impact investing. Briefs have been written in response to discussions between ImpactAssets staff and others in the field.

Issue Brief #15

Construction of An Impact Portfolio: Total Portfolio Management for Multiple Returns Impact may be pursued across an entire portfolio with an appropriate consideration of various risk, impact and financial return objectives for the allocation of philanthropic, near-market and market-rate capital.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist and Lindsay Smalling, Director of Programming at Social Capital Markets

Issue Brief #14

Understanding Impact: The Current and Future State of Impact Investing Research An assessment of the current state of research on impact investing, with reference to the broad sustainable investment landscape that encompasses public and private, as well as domestic and global markets. Additionally, the Brief proposes a defined agenda for future research in both academic and professional practices.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist and Lindsay Smalling, Strategic Initiatives Officer

Issue Brief #13

The Millennial Perspective: Understanding Preferences of the New Asset Owners Explores how the Millennial generation worldview influences financial strategies and details how and why the NextGen is gravitating toward impact investments.

By Lindsay Norcott, Strategic Initiatives Officer and Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

Issue Brief #13 Adaptation

Financial Advising for the Next Generation Millennials are hooked on creating impact, from seeking personal career fulfillment, to applying a global consciousness to their purchases. As Millennials transition into control of their wealth, they will align their portfolios to the world views. This paper is a tool for financial advisors to help better serve their Millennial clients.

Adapted by Amy Bennett, Director of Marketing

Issue Brief #12

Driving Impact Through Donor Advised Funds: Community Foundations as Catalysts for Impact Investing Looks at the practice of making impact investments from Donor Advised Funds through both programmatic investments and mission-related investments, and through donor advised capital as well as the foundation endowment.

By Bert Feuss, Silicon Valley Community Foundation, Maggie Cutts, Presidio Graduate School, and Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

Issue Brief #11

Seeding the Future: Challenge and Opportunity in Early Stage Impact Investing Details the gap between investor appetite and the needs of seed stage social ventures and offers innovative opportunities to close that gap.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist, Tim Freundlich, President, and Lindsay Norcott, Strategic Initiatives Officer

Issue Brief #10

From Grants to Groundbreaking: Unlocking Impact Investments Explores the potential for greater coordination between impact investments and grants, with a focus on how grants may be structured to attract investment capital.

By Amy Chung, Living Cities, and Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

Issue Brief #9

Path to Impact: On Becoming an Impact Investor A conversation with Stuart Rudick, Managing Partner of Mindful Investors, about his journey as an impact investor and his experiences and innovations in the impact field.

Featuring an interview with Stuart Rudick, Mindful Investors

Issue Brief #8

Present Risks, Future Rewards: Shared Reflections on Building the Market for Impact Investing Reflects on developments in impact investing during the years from 2008 through 2012, along with the critiques that have accompanied the growth of the field; offers recommendations for growing the field.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist, and Lindsay Norcott, Strategic Initiatives Officer

Issue Brief #7

Increasing Impact and Enhancing Returns: Integrating Publicly Traded Water and Agribusiness Equities into Impact Investor Portfolios The water and agriculture industries require massive capital injections to meet our needs over the next few decades; highlights specific public equity opportunities to invest in solutions to these challenges.

By Steve Falci, Kleinwort Benson Investors, and Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

Issue Brief #7 Adaptation

Increasing Impact and Enhancing Returns: Integrating Agribusiness Equities Impact Investors have filled an important niche, providing capital to entrepreneurs and projects that might not otherwise receive financing. Agribusiness is ripe for investment and impact investing provides essential financing that can make distinct and measurable impact on the lives of individuals in underserved communities as well as our planet.

Adapted by B.h. Jamison, Marketing Associate

Issue Brief #6

Private Equity in Emerging Markets: Exits from Aid, Steps Toward Independence Explains how private equity investment in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) could deliver financial, social, and environmental success in emerging markets.

By Gerhard Pries and Vivina Berla, Sarona Asset Management Inc., and Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

ImpactAssets Issue Brief #5

Ultimate Impact: Unifying an Investment Portfolio within a Donor Advised Fund Highlights reasons to choose a donor advised fund (DAF) over a private foundation and provides examples of impact investing within DAFs from ImpactAssets, RSF, TIDES, and community foundations.

By Senior Staff of ImpactAssets, RSF Social Finance, and Tides

ImpactAssets Issue Brief #4

The Metrics Challenge: Assessing “Impact Capacity” at the Firm Level Explores the creation of social/environmental impact through the management of an investment group; discusses the criteria that drive “Firm Impact Capacity” with an emphasis on intent, practices, and investment impact and metrics.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist, and Sarah Williams, Advective Fund

ImpactAssets Issue Brief #3

Seven Tactics for Risk Management By Individuals Seeking to Engage in Impact Investing Explains specific steps that an investor can take to manage risk while pursuing returns and impact.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

ImpactAssets Issue Brief #2

Risk, Return and Impact: Understanding Diversification and Performance Within an Impact Investing Portfolio Discusses the interplay among risk, return, and impact; details different types of risk; and explores the idea of a “New Efficient Frontier” for evaluating portfolio management.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist

ImpactAssets Issue Brief #1

Invest with Meaning: An Introduction to a Unified Investment Strategy for Impact Explains the importance of a unified investment strategy; describes sample investment products with social and environmental impact; and provides a profile of the FB Heron Foundation.

By Jed Emerson, Chief Impact Strategist, and Tim Freundlich, President

Ready for the next step?

Impact investments are investments made into organizations and funds that generate measurable social and environmental impact as well as financial returns.