Publication database

The GIIN estimates the size of the worldwide impact investing market to be USD 1.164 trillion, marking the first time that the organization’s widely-cited estimate has topped the USD 1 trillion mark. The report, which was produced with the financial support of Nuveen, also spotlights two areas of development in the market that are becoming increasingly prevalent: green bonds and corporate impact investing.

This roadmap is a step-by-step guide for off-grid clean energy companies to identify and adopt strategies to serve female customers more effectively. The roadmap was developed by the Power Africa Off-grid Project following a pilot with GDC member Simusolar to develop a market-focused gender strategy. By following this roadmap, your company can gain a deeper understanding of female farmers’ demands and challenges—distinct from those of men—in gaining access to productive use of energy (PUE) technology. Power Africa is grateful to Simusolar for its collaboration and willingness to share the lessons and tools in this roadmap.

This research features first-hand insights and lessons learned from 13 last mile distributors (LMDs) that have experience of testing or selling productive use of energy (PUE) products. These kinds of products – from solar pumps and mills, to fridges and freezers – can be transformational for last mile consumers. But ensuring consumers are able to realise income and productivity gains from using these technologies is complex. The learnings presented in this report, in GDC members’ own voices, are not exhaustive; they are intended to help other LMDs to navigate various complexities on their own PUE journey. This report was produced as part of a project in partnership with Solar Sister, and financed by EEP Africa.

This how-to-guide from the Global Distributors Collective is useful for last mile distributors looking to expand their product offering for customers. Exploring what this means for different distribution models, as well as key factors to consider including market, impact, organisational and logistical fit, the guide also features four case studies from the GDC membership. It was produced via a project delivered in partnership with Solar Sister and financed by EEP Africa.

The Centre for Impact Investing and Practices (“CIIP”), together with Accenture and Singapore Management University, developed this field report to achieve three objectives: to illustrate the on-the-ground conversations about impact investing and practices that we hope to engender; to raise awareness of the inspiring impact work that is already underway in Asia; and to convene more discussions on how we can collectively deliver more impact in Asia, for Asia. The report shares insights from in-depth interviews and discussions with investors and businesses. It features case studies on the impact journeys of regional players and puts forward preliminary ideas on how we can advance the impact ecosystem in Asia together.

This research maps 50 funders actively investing in last mile distributors (LMDs) across different stages of company growth - pre-seed, seed, early growth and accelerated growth - to identify gaps and opportunities.

The goal of this document is to provide the key principles of social investment in Asia, based on an extensive literature review and in-depth interviews with a range of experts. Mapped across the life-cycle of a project, these are broad, high-level principles that work for investments encompassing the SDGs, with specific examples from areas of healthcare, gender, livelihoods and climate in Asia. For social investors looking to incorporate the SDG Impact Standards developed by UNDP12 in their work, the principles can serve as an accessible pathway to provide direction.

This research is the first ever comprehensive mapping of funders in the last-mile distribution (LMD) sector who are investing in companies at different stages of growth. This research will help LMDs to more effectively navigate the funding landscape; support funders to better communicate and collaborate; and enable us all to identify - and plug - remaining financing gaps.

IIC releases an annual “Year in Retrospect" publication that throws light on investment trends and emerging market developments across key impact sectors such as Financial Inclusion, Agriculture, Healthcare, Technology for Development and Climate-tech. Their research highlights that 2021 has proven to be a strong year for the Indian impact sector, with more than 300 impact focussed enterprises raising $7 Bn in capital. While investment activity was robust across sectors as well as the stage of development of the enterprise, several late-stage companies have raised significant amounts of capital leading to a 135% growth in overall capital raised in 2021 vis a vis 2020.

This report describes the design of a Behavioural Change Communications (BCC) campaign to promote improved cooking stoves in Kakuma town, Kakuma refugee camp and Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement, and the experiences and key learnings of the first six months of BCC campaign implementation (June to December 2021).