Publications

Explore our articles and core research

Bridgespan Social Impact Publications about Impact Investing

Our work includes in-depth articles and reports on getting started with impact investing, the role it can play in the world, and how to measure its effectiveness. We publish in a number of leading business and social-impact publications, including the Harvard Business Review and ImpactAlpha.

Investing in Human Rights: Six Areas for Impact and a Database of Change

By Capricorn Investment Group, Bridgespan Social Impact, Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights

When we think about human rights, we often picture activists with protest signs or diplomats at negotiation tables. But what about investors? The financial community has an increasingly powerful role to play in advancing human dignity around the world—and forward-thinking institutions are recognizing this opportunity.

Human Rights Investment Database

To help investors direct their capital and to explore how investors and funders are deploying capital toward human rights, we have curated a database of funds that are actively investing in human rights outcomes. This database documents each fund’s alignment with six key areas for human rights investment: health and quality of life, affordable housing, supply chain and fair labor practices, equal access to quality education, equal access to justice, and rights to opinion, information, and privacy.

Inside Impact Investing: Growth of Climate, Decline of Social, and More

In our inaugural video, Bridgespan partners Stephanie Kater and Michael Etzel discuss the rapid growth of climate-specific funds, the potential loss of momentum on social issues, and the future outlook of generalist funds.

For Outsized Impact, Investors Should Look to Africa

For institutional impact investors, Africa is the new frontier. Rich in economic potential, the continent also offers fertile soil for investors interested in seeing their capital put to use addressing social and environmental challenges such as climate change, economic disparities, and gender inequality. And, thanks to new approaches to impact, measurement, and management pioneered in Africa, such investors can now measure the difference they’re making in the world with a precision once reserved for financial returns.

Capricorn Investment Group

Capricorn’s Sustainable Investors Fund makes early-stage investments in innovative asset-management firms to help propel their work on environmental and social issues.

How Private Credit Investors Can Get a Grip on Impact

Private credit investors have a huge opportunity to point their portfolios towards impact, writes Michael Etzel, partner and co-head of impact investing at consulting firm Bridgespan.

How Value-Creation Plans Can Put More “Impact” in “Impact Investing”

Significant opportunities exist for institutional impact investors looking to place impact at the heart of their portfolio company engagement. We share three lessons from our experiences and conversations with leading impact investors on how to do this most effectively.

Getting Money off the Sidelines: A Starting List to Invest for Racial Equity

As more investors seek to direct capital toward racial equity, here’s a starter list to help.

Why Mainstream Private Equity Firms Should Consider Launching an Impact Investing Vehicle

Three reasons why private equity firms should consider launching an impact investing vehicle.

Venture Capital’s Next Unicorn? Impact

As more venture capitalists fund entrepreneurs who strive to make a difference for people and the planet, they’re finding impact measurement to be a thorny problem. A simple framework can help them become better impact investors.

A Case for Debt Financing in Indian Impact Enterprises

At only 25 percent of total investing, Indian impact enterprises struggle to find the working capital they need to grow and fulfill their potential.

Calculating the Value of Impact Investing

Impact investing—directing capital to ventures that are expected to yield social and environmental benefits as well as profits—provides investors with a way to “do well by doing good.” But whereas the business world has tools for estimating a potential investment’s

How TPG’s Rise Fund underwrites impact to guide its global investments

The global impact investing market doubled to $228 billion in 2017 and now counts among its supporters both many of the world’s largest asset managers as well as asset owners.

How Smart Federal Policy Can Galvanize Impact Investing — and Why It’s Urgent

As part of the June 2013 G8 meeting, an international effort was undertaken to explore the possibilities for impact investing to accelerate economic growth and to address some of society’s most important issues.