IFC Women, Financial Innovation, and Impact Investing Strategy
November 2019

For 2020-2022, Impact Finance Center will focus on our Women Financial Innovation and Impact Investing Strategy. Our goal is to accelerate the amount of capital available for women social ventures and to encourage public companies to support women.

Background:

During the pilot CO Impact Days 2016-19, IFC identified and activated over 50 new impact investors and sourced over 550 social ventures. Approximately half of those social ventures were led by women, half directly benefit women as a core part of their mission and offerings. The first three CO Impact Days events resulted in $260M of investment in social ventures. For 2020, we want to take these lessons learned and replicate and scale these successes. 

IFC activates impact investors in four primary ways

  • Evaluation of Investment Advisors

    • Case Study: We evaluated AJL Charitable Foundation and determined that they spent an extra $230,000 in fees to underperform by $1,400,000 over seven years and made investments that undermined their mission. We then attempted to work with the existing advisor to upgrade governance and impact reporting, and ultimately helped AJL transition to a new Investment Advisor by leading one of the first search processes focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion.

  • IFC Fellowship

  • Impact Investing Giving Circle

    • Case Study: In partnership with Women’s Foundation of Colorado and initial support from Anchor Point Foundation, we launched the first-ever Impact Investing Giving Circle (i.e. Investor Accelerator) where 37 women are learning to make their first 3-5 direct investments into nonprofits and for-profits for as little as a $2,000 tax-deductible donation.

  • Impact Investing Institute

    • Case Study: We delivered over 200 different investor and social venture education classes in person and are now producing them online and through webinars with the long-term plan to create a private labeled Institute platform that organizations such as Techstars, Community Foundations, and Universities can license.

Phase II Women, Financial Innovation and Impact Investing Class

In March 2019, during CO Impact Days Women and Impact Investing Session, IFC partnered with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado. IFC simulated a 9 month Impact Investing Giving Circle in 2.5 hours with the goal of recruiting at least 20 members to pilot the first every Impact Investing Giving Circle in partnership with a community foundation. Not only did the session result in the launch of the first Circle, during CO Impact Days session, The Dakota Foundation met and ultimately invested $75,000 in the social enterprise, Simply Good Cakery. Simply Good Cakery provides their life-saving work to provide safe housing, supportive services, and job training to survivors of sex trafficking. 

In Spring 2019, we launched the Colorado Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle in partnership with the Women’s Foundation of Colorado, which includes 37 members who will learn how to make their first 3-5 direct investments. In 2020, the Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle will launch a Call for Colorado Women Social Ventures and make their first 3-5 direct investments into Colorado women social ventures that include projects, nonprofits, small businesses, startups, cooperatives, funds, and hybrid tandem organizations.

In December 2019 after a year of providing pro bono education for the Women’s Forum of Colorado, a chapter of the International Women’s Forum, of which Dr. Gripne is a Trustee, taught a committee about impact investing, developed Investment Beliefs and moved a $260,000 Women’s Forum of Colorado Fund that was only using 5% to support women to the Women’s Foundation of Colorado where $160,000 will be invested in gender lens investing and $100,000 will be used to establish a $100,000 WFCO Colorado Main Street Loan Program. Additionally, we will be announcing a $100,000 Colorado Women’s Main Street Loan Program in partnership with Colorado Lending Source, which will make up to $50,000 available to women who have good small business ideas, good character, and bad or no credit. 

For Phase II, IFC seeks $250,000 to philanthropic support IFC developing full curriculum for the Impact Investing Circle (i.e., in person, online, and webinar) that would include a 1:1 match for Colorado Women’s Impact Investing Giving Circle investment capital and production of five online Women, Financial Innovation, and Impact Investing online courses, and develop Women’s Investment Advisor Evaluation Program piloting with the Women’s Foundations.

Phase III Women, Financial Innovation and Impact Investing Class

  • Intermediaries: CDFIs, Nonprofit Loan Programs and Funds, and Managers

    • Colorado Lending Source’s Women’s Main Street Loan Program

    • MCE Social Capital

  • Women Investor Clubs

    • SheEO

    • Golden Seeds

    • Next Wave

  • Association of Associations: Women’s Main Street Alliance

    • Title III

    • DPO

    • Main Street Loan Program

  • Women and People of Color Manager Cooperative for 

    • Are there 100 individuals and organizations that would contribute $5,000-20,000 to hire analysts at $150,000 + benefits to research managers – women and people of color. Two analysts could  

  • Shareholder Action – Active

  • Shareholder Action – Report Cards

About Impact Finance Center

Impact Finance Center is a multi-university nonprofit academic center that identifies, trains, and activates individuals and organizations to become impact investors, helping them better align their assets with their values. Just as the TechStars team identifies, educates, and invests in entrepreneurs, Impact Finance Center is an Accelerator for impact investors. We identify, educate, and activate early adopter individuals and organizations who want to make a return on their investments while furthering social good.

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