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Impact Finance

Impact Finance covers fintech, payments, and capital platforms designed for measurable social or environmental outcomes. Causeartist profiles span lending, investing rails, fundraising tools, and inclusive finance with thesis detail and geography. Founders and LPs use this archive to find infrastructure partners and co-investors in the impact capital stack.

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Beneficial State Bank logo
Beneficial State Bank
Bank, CDFI, Debt Finance, Grantmaker
Beneficial State Bank is an FDIC-insured, state-chartered community development financial institution (CDFI) headquartered in Oakland, California, with branches in California, Oregon, and Washington. Kat Taylor and Tom Steyer founded it in 2007 as a triple-bottom-line community bank and donated the capital to Beneficial State Foundation, a nonprofit that is now the majority owner of the bank’s capital. That ownership is the lock: the institution is meant to stay governed in the public interest rather than recapitalize through a conventional holding-company sale. Causeartist indexes it in the funders directory as a CDFI bank and debt provider, not as a venture fund. The product is credit: deposits become loans for affordable housing, nonprofits, small businesses, and environmental projects on the West Coast. CDFI rules require at least 60% of financing to low- and moderate-income or underserved communities; the bank reported that 100% of its 2025 loan portfolio upheld that community-development mandate. It will not lend to fossil fuels, private prisons, or weapons manufacturing, industries it calls “contra mission.” It has been a Certified B Corporation since 2012 (B Lab directory; the bank’s certifications page also cites 2013), is Fossil Free Certified, belongs to the Global Alliance for Banking on Values, and describes itself as the only unionized community bank in the U.S. As of year-end 2025 it reported $1.98 billion in assets, $1.67 billion in deposits, $1.47 billion in outstanding loans, and 15.4% net loan growth. Those figures are company-reported from the 2025 Impact Report, not an independent audit.
Built EnvironmentCommunity DevelopmentImpact Finance
BESTSELLER Foundation logo
BESTSELLER Foundation
Foundation, Corporate, Impact Fund, Grantmaker
BESTSELLER Foundation is a Danish commercial foundation established in 2015. It is funded by BESTSELLER, the family-owned fashion company, but operates as a separate legal entity from both BESTSELLER A/S and HEARTLAND A/S. The foundation's current strategy focuses on expanding economic opportunity for women, particularly their ability to create, work, and own. Its work is organized around three areas: Creative industries, including fashion, craft, music, and the arts Future of work, including reskilling, childcare, and workforce participation Ownership, including assets, businesses, income, and financial decision-making BESTSELLER Foundation uses both donations and impact investments and describes itself as a long-term, evergreen investor. Over its first 10 years, it reports making more than 25 impact investments and 100 donations across 25 countries. Its geographic focus includes South Asia, especially Bangladesh, as well as Sub-Saharan Africa and Europe. Current and recent partnerships have supported women artisans, small businesses, workforce participation, water resilience, and recovery efforts following major disruptions. The foundation's legal purpose is broader than its current public strategy. Its statutory mandate includes humanitarian work, poverty reduction, entrepreneurship, agriculture, and nature conservation. Earlier investment strategies also placed significant emphasis on circular economy and climate technology. Financial Snapshot At the end of 2024, the foundation reported: - DKK 109.7 million in total assets - DKK 85.9 million in equity - DKK 88.4 million in long-term investments - Approximately DKK 20 million distributed during the year - Approximately DKK 18 million invested during the year BESTSELLER's board also approved a preliminary DKK 250 million commitment for the foundation's 2024 to 2029 strategy. This represents committed future support, not capital already deployed. The foundation does not publish a standard grant size, investment check range, or formal scored application process. Potential partners can contact the team through its website.
Community DevelopmentEducationImpact Finance
Farmland LP logo
Farmland LP
Impact Fund
Farmland LP is the largest manager focused on organic and regenerative farming in the United States, specializing in transforming conventional farmland into sustainable, high-value agricultural assets. The company manages over 19,000 acres and focuses on converting farmland to USDA Organic certified farms while implementing regenerative farming practices that improve both financial returns and environmental outcomes. Their mission centers on delivering sustainable returns by capitalizing on the growing demand for organic food while addressing the supply shortage of organic farmland. They operate by acquiring conventional farmland and implementing value-add transformations including organic conversion, precision irrigation, multi-year crop rotations, and renewable energy installations. The company follows a comprehensive approach that reduces chemical inputs, improves soil health, and supports biodiversity across more than 40 high-value crops. Farmland LP has established itself as a world leader in natural capital and sustainable agriculture investment, earning recognition from HIP Investor with the highest impact rating among 10,000 companies evaluated. Their impact extends beyond financial returns to include significant environmental benefits such as CO2 sequestration, pesticide reduction, and biodiversity enhancement. As a Certified B Corporation and PRI signatory, they have set new industry standards for sustainable agriculture investment and demonstrated that regenerative farming practices can deliver both market-leading returns and meaningful environmental impact.
Impact FinanceSustainable Food & Agriculture
Flexport.org logo
Flexport.org
Corporate, Grantmaker
Flexport.org is the social-impact and sustainability program of freight-forwarding company Flexport, not a separately presented corporate foundation. It applies Flexport's logistics technology, carrier relationships, freight expertise, and staff knowledge to humanitarian aid and lower-carbon supply chains. The public program dates its humanitarian funding activity to 2018. Donations to the Flexport.org Fund are managed by CAF America, an independent U.S. public charity, and pay transportation costs for nonprofits and mission-driven organizations; that sponsored-fund arrangement must not be described as a standalone Flexport.org legal entity. Its humanitarian work combines several forms of support that should remain distinct. The fund can pay freight costs, Flexport can provide its logistics platform free to fund recipients, staff can advise aid organizations on shipping, and the product-donation program can connect donated goods with nonprofit demand. A funded shipment is therefore not necessarily an unrestricted cash grant, and the retail value of donated goods is not the same as cash deployed. Flexport.org also supports commercial customers with carbon measurement, reduction, and offset-related services, which are corporate services rather than charitable awards. The 2024 impact report says donations had funded humanitarian-aid shipments to more than 86 countries since 2018. That is an organization-reported geographic/output measure, not a count of grants, unique beneficiaries, or independently evaluated outcomes. Current public pages direct prospective organizations to shipping and contact pathways but do not publish an always-open competitive grant application, a general award calendar, or a broadly applicable cheque range. This profile therefore leaves application and cheque-size fields empty.
Clean TransportationCommunity DevelopmentImpact Finance
Green Accelerator logo
Green Accelerator
Accelerator
The Green Accelerator (GA) is a Hong Kong–hosted, philanthropy-funded nonprofit platform that prepares scalable, bankable green projects in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It launched in 2026 at the Hong Kong Green Finance Association Annual Forum, with backing referenced in the Hong Kong SAR Government’s 2026–27 Budget. GA is built around the climate-finance “bankability gap”: many technically viable green projects in the Global South never reach financial close because they lack project preparation, proven operating models, and documentation that meet the investment criteria of multilateral development banks, sovereign wealth funds, and international commercial banks. The platform uses philanthropic capital for design, preparation, technical assistance, and capacity building so proven technologies can be assembled into investable portfolios. Work is organized across energy transition, sustainable food systems, circular economy, and water and climate resilience. A Steering Committee of founding members sets strategy; a secretariat and regional teams run day-to-day operations. Founding members named at launch include the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership, the HKSAR Environmental Protection Department, GenZero, the Institute of Finance and Sustainability, the Silk Road Fund, and HSBC. The initiative is hosted by Sprinkles (HK) Charity Foundation, a Section 88 tax-exempt charity registered in Hong Kong, with listed office locations in Hong Kong, London, and Singapore.
Circular EconomyClean EnergyImpact Finance
Icehouse Ventures logo
Icehouse Ventures
Venture Capital
Icehouse Ventures is a New Zealand venture capital firm backing Kiwi founded companies with the potential to scale into global markets. The platform traces its roots to Ice Angels, launched in 2003 as New Zealand’s first angel investment network. It raised its first fund in 2013 and formally became Icehouse Ventures in 2019, when Simplicity KiwiSaver, Jarden, and Sir Stephen Tindall’s K1W1 joined as shareholders. Today, Icehouse Ventures manages a range of investment vehicles spanning pre seed through pre IPO, supported by a co investor network of more than 3,000 investors. The firm says it has invested more than $800 million across more than 390 Kiwi founded companies. Its portfolio includes some of New Zealand’s better known technology companies, including Halter, Crimson Education, Sharesies, Partly, Hnry, Dawn Aerospace, Tracksuit, Tradify, Ethique, Basis, Fuel50, and Spalk, alongside international investments such as Wayve, Substack, and Nuro. Growth Fund III is currently being marketed as an open investment vehicle. Icehouse Ventures is a generalist technology investor rather than a dedicated climate fund, but sustainability is part of its broader investment framework. The firm publishes a Responsible Investment Policy aligned with the UN Principles for Responsible Investment, and Principal Bex Gidall leads both the Arc Fund and Sustainable Technologies Fund. Its climate and impact related portfolio includes companies such as Neocrete, which develops additives designed to reduce cement use in concrete, and Ethique, a solid personal care brand focused on reducing packaging waste.
Built EnvironmentEnvironment & ConservationImpact Finance
Interledger Foundation logo
Interledger FoundationNew
Foundation, Grantmaker, Accelerator, Fellowship
The Interledger Foundation is a U.S. nonprofit working to make digital payments more open, affordable, and accessible. It supports open payment technology and funds the developers, researchers, educators, and organizations building on it. Its work began with the Interledger Protocol, created in 2015 by Stefan Thomas and Evan Schwartz. The goal was to help money move between different banks, wallets, currencies, and payment networks as easily as information moves across the internet. The foundation became a nonprofit in 2019 and began operating publicly in 2021. Briana Marbury serves as president and CEO. Stefan Thomas chairs the board, and Evan Schwartz remains a director. The organization is based in San Francisco but has a distributed international team. The foundation supports three main technologies. The Interledger Protocol moves value between different financial systems. Open Payments gives developers a standard way to add payment features to their products. Rafiki provides open-source software that banks, wallets, and other regulated financial institutions can use to connect. The foundation does not charge a fee for using the protocol and has no investors. Grantmaking is also a major part of its work. The foundation reports awarding more than $21 million to over 300 projects across more than 45 countries. Its programs support payment infrastructure, education, research, leadership, public policy, and creative work exploring how financial systems are built. Grants range from small campus awards of up to $5,000 to larger fellowships and accelerator programs offering between $50,000 and $92,000. The foundation reported $96.4 million in net assets and $10.6 million in charitable distributions for the year ending December 2024. This financial base allows it to fund open payment technology and expand access to financial services without relying on protocol fees or outside investors.
AI & TechnologyArts, Culture & MediaCommunity Development
LeapFrog Investments logo
LeapFrog Investments
Impact Fund
LeapFrog Investments is a private equity firm that focuses on scaling purpose-driven businesses across Asia and Africa to achieve sustainable growth, profitability, and measurable social impact. The firm invests in companies operating primarily in three key sectors: financial services, healthcare, and climate solutions, targeting businesses that serve emerging consumers and low-income populations. LeapFrog operates on a "profit with purpose" model, partnering with business leaders to drive integrated returns that combine financial performance with social impact. Their approach is grounded in a clear theory of change aimed at empowering low-income consumers to become agents of their own transformation, providing them with tools and services to make entrepreneurial leaps out of poverty. The firm provides not just capital but also resources and expertise to help portfolio companies reach emerging consumers at scale with relevant, affordable, and essential services. LeapFrog has established itself as a significant player in the impact investing ecosystem, demonstrating that commercial returns and social impact can be successfully integrated. Their rigorous approach to impact measurement, aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals, sets industry standards for transparency and accountability in impact investing. The firm's scale of operation, reaching 559 million people through their portfolio companies and supporting 33 million jobs, positions them as a major force in driving inclusive economic growth in emerging markets.
Community DevelopmentHealth & WellnessImpact Finance
MIT Solve logo
MIT Solve
Accelerator
MIT Solve is an initiative of MIT that provides social impact and entrepreneurship services, connecting startups with funding and resources to address global challenges. The organization launches open calls for exceptional and diverse solutions to pressing global problems from innovators anywhere in the world, focusing on areas including climate, economic prosperity, health, learning, indigenous communities, youth innovation, and innovative financing. MIT Solve operates on the belief that building a better future requires new voices and ideas from diverse sources. They run challenges to identify groundbreaking solutions, then provide selected innovators with the backing of MIT and their community of supporters to scale their impact and drive lasting change. The organization has established itself as a platform that bridges the gap between innovative solutions and the resources needed to implement them at scale. Over its ten-year history, MIT Solve has become a significant force in the global innovation ecosystem, having run over 100 challenges and received more than 26,800 applications from 185 countries. Their community of innovators and solutions have reached over 370 million lives worldwide, demonstrating tangible impact from refugee education in Lebanon to agricultural improvements in Ethiopia. The organization has mobilized over $80 million and forged over 1,000 partnerships, establishing itself as a crucial connector between social entrepreneurs and the resources they need to create meaningful change.
Climate TechCommunity DevelopmentEducation
Obvious Ventures logo
Obvious Ventures
Venture Capital
Obvious Ventures is a venture capital firm that backs exceptional founders building breakthrough solutions to solve humanity's biggest problems. They focus their investments across three key areas: human health and longevity (including healthcare, biopharma, and consumer wellness), planetary health (clean energy, electric mobility, and carbon reduction), and economic health (helping individuals and small businesses achieve financial prosperity). The firm operates on the fundamental belief that the most valuable companies of our time will be those solving humanity's biggest challenges, viewing profit and purpose as a virtuous circle. They place great emphasis on values and culture, holding themselves and their portfolio companies to high ethical and moral standards while selecting for values-based leadership. Their approach combines humility in acknowledging imperfection with audacity in taking bold risks and investing in companies they wish existed. Obvious Ventures has made a significant impact in the startup ecosystem by supporting transformative companies like Beyond Meat, Gusto, Diamond Foundry, and Virta Health since their founding. Their portfolio demonstrates their commitment to reimagining huge sectors of the global economy in ways that move the planet forward. By combining their operating experience with a focus on both big vision and detailed execution, they help define what world-positive entrepreneurship looks like in practice.
Impact Finance
Prosper Global Ventures logo
Prosper Global Ventures
Venture Capital, Impact Fund, Accelerator
Prosper Global Ventures is the early-stage impact investing and venture-building platform of Prosper Global, the global development organization formerly known as Mercy Corps. The platform was founded in 2015 as Mercy Corps Ventures and now operates as a family of funds backing founders whose technologies help people and markets withstand climate and economic disruption. Its Resilient Future Thesis is organized around three connected areas: adaptive agriculture and food systems, inclusive climate fintech, and climate-smart technologies. The team invests primarily across Sub-Saharan Africa and Latin America, prioritizing founders who understand the communities they serve and businesses that can scale across a region or globally. Earlier Fund I activity also included Southeast Asia. Prosper Global’s current Ventures page reports 61 early-stage companies supported, $753 million in follow-on capital catalyzed, and 46.3 million customers reached across 90 countries. Its 2025 impact report says 83% of portfolio companies had raised follow-on capital and 46% had at least one woman co-founder. These are Prosper Global Ventures’ reported portfolio figures, not independent impact measurements. The platform combines equity investment with pilots, technical assistance, impact measurement, partnerships, and post-investment support. Representative investments made under the Mercy Corps Ventures name include Pula, which provides agricultural insurance and advisory products for smallholder farmers; Floodbase, which develops flood-risk data and analysis; Wasoko, a last-mile commerce and financing platform for small retailers; AgriAku, an agricultural input marketplace; Ejara, an inclusive savings and investment platform; and Verqor, an agri-fintech platform serving farmers in Mexico. Prosper Global Ventures is embedded within Prosper Global’s humanitarian and development network, giving portfolio companies potential pathways to test products with communities affected by climate volatility, financial exclusion, fragile food systems, and infrastructure gaps. The venture platform is associated with Scott Onder, its co-founder and senior investment leader, while Tjada D’Oyen McKenna leads the parent organization as CEO.
Clean EnergyClimate TechImpact Finance
Sorenson Impact Institute logo
Sorenson Impact Institute
Grantmaker
Sorenson Impact Institute is a multidisciplinary impact institute housed at the University of Utah's David Eccles School of Business and, according to both its own site and Sorenson Impact Group, one of the Group's four branches. Its official history traces the organization to a student-run venture fund founded in 2001 and says impact investor Jim Sorenson endowed the work in 2013. The Institute was previously known as Sorenson Impact Center. The 2001 date therefore describes its institutional lineage, not the incorporation date of a freestanding Sorenson Impact Institute legal entity. The Institute is primarily an institute, applied-research and program operator, education provider, convener, and professional-services provider. Its current practice areas help foundations, investment portfolios, companies, governments, health systems, nonprofits, impact funds, and other clients with impact-investing strategy, impact-finance structures, and impact measurement and management. Published examples include portfolio impact strategy and diligence, community equity funds, opportunity-zone work, outcomes-based finance, research, reporting frameworks, and student experiential learning. A client engagement, research project, or student-managed investment exercise is not necessarily an investment made by the Institute. In 2026 the Institute also operated the Collaboration Fund, a pooled grant fund supporting strategic consolidation among nonprofit field-building organizations in impact investing, inclusive capitalism, and immediately related fields. The RFP anticipated that most grants would be US$100,000-$400,000 and allowed merger feasibility, due diligence, legal and consulting, integration, staff-transition, change-management, and strategic-communications costs. Those award expectations applied only to that time-limited RFP: letters of intent were due June 11, full proposals were due August 22, and the public page promised lump-sum distribution after selection. As of this profile's September 18 review, both deadlines had passed. The Institute must not be conflated with other Sorenson entities. Sorenson Impact Foundation is a distinct U.S. private foundation (EIN 45-3203840) whose filings report its own assets and charitable disbursements; an Institute project page describes the Foundation as a client for a program-related-investment measurement framework. Sorenson Impact Funds develops investment products, while Sorenson Impact Advisory identifies itself as an SEC-registered investment adviser. Their portfolios, assets, investments, grants, and returns do not belong to the Institute. Likewise, the University of Utah houses the Institute but is not its interchangeable funder identity, and named initiatives such as University Venture Fund remain program-specific.
Community DevelopmentEducationImpact Finance