Running a venture that helps both people and planet is hard. Amid inflation, instability and even war, it sounds almost impossible. But, for the pioneers of green business in Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt, sticking to the mission makes sense.
The social enterprise gatherings at the UK Labour Party conference left Nick Temple underwhelmed. The impact economy must stop rehashing the same old arguments if it doesn’t want to remain on the fringes of the national debate.
How is politics influencing impact investing in Latin America? How can the nascent impact investing movement grow its presence in the region? We report from Impact Minds in Oaxaca, Mexico, to answer these questions and more.
Working in a majority white organisation can make people of colour feel like they don’t belong. For some, that prompts deep commitment to change social enterprises and charities from within.
Most corporate employees believe they could help their firm have more positive impact – yet three-quarters say that's unlikely to happen soon. A gloomy outlook? Not necessarily – especially with growing support for intrapreneurs.
Social entrepreneurs are chronically bad salespeople, says Tom Szaky. The TerraCycle founder – and ChangeNOW speaker – on holding back on the purpose-filled elevator pitch, clever use of comedy, and taking a lead from Fox News.
Conservative MP and civil society review author Danny Kruger highlights new funds that social enterprises should watch, adding that Treasury ministers are “very supportive” of social enterprise – but also “very distracted” right now.
BlueMark's in-depth review of 30 investors – with a combined $99bn in impact assets under management – finds more than half not aligned with SDG targets, while cost constraints mean only 11% engage with stakeholders to assess their impact.
A formerly thriving local hub had become almost unrecognisable and was on the brink of closure – until a community asset transfer helped turn it back into a bustling space of support and creativity. The inside story on a Bristol centre's new lease of life.
Up to 50,000 firms required to meet stricter reporting standards from 2024, with proposed directive that seeks to fill major data gaps and overcome what finance chief Mairead McGuinness calls “systemic risks” for the economy.
PLUS: $100m MacArthur grant to end homelessness; Dutch VC fund backs digital-only fashion house; ImpactAssets custom investments surge; new pooled fund for southeast Asia; Resonance's launchpad loan for mums' mental health; and more.
Participatory funding puts decisions into the hands of those most affected by the money. It's a massive shift – but one that could make philanthropy and impact investing more open, transparent and community-driven.