Impact Funders Directory (Page 8)

Nonprofit Finance Fund (NFF) is a national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that provides flexible financing, consulting, advocacy, and financial tools to help nonprofits build long-term financial resilience. Founded in 1980, NFF partners with nonprofit organizations, foundations, government agencies, and impact investors to strengthen communities through mission-aligned capital and financial expertise. NFF combines lending with strategic consulting, research, and sector advocacy to improve how nonprofits are financed. Its work spans affordable housing, education, healthcare, arts and culture, community development, climate resilience, and other mission-driven sectors across the United States.

Norrsken is a non-profit impact ecosystem that connects entrepreneurs with the capital, knowledge, and network they need to build businesses focused on solving global challenges. They operate as a foundation that believes entrepreneurship and technology can be powerful forces for positive change, supporting founders who are making "saving the world their business." Their mission centers on the belief that if impact-driven entrepreneurs succeed, everyone benefits. Norrsken operates through a comprehensive ecosystem approach, providing not just funding but also knowledge sharing and networking opportunities to help founders scale their solutions. They position themselves as enablers of entrepreneurial solutions to global problems. Norrsken has established a significant presence in the impact investing ecosystem with physical locations across multiple continents including Amsterdam, Brussels, Barcelona, Kigali, and Stockholm. Their Houses serve as hubs for impact entrepreneurs, and they're expanding with new locations planned. They matter because they're creating infrastructure and community for impact entrepreneurship, bridging the gap between good intentions and scalable business solutions.

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.

Omidyar Network is a philanthropic investment firm and impact organization focused on shaping a more equitable, inclusive, and human-centered digital future. Founded by Pierre Omidyar and Pam Omidyar, the organization invests in entrepreneurs, nonprofits, researchers, policymakers, and ecosystem builders working at the intersection of technology, governance, business, and culture. Omidyar Network supports initiatives that promote shared power, digital trust, responsible AI, economic inclusion, civic participation, and democratic resilience in an increasingly technology-driven world.

Oncology Ventures is a healthcare-focused venture capital firm investing in commercially validated startups transforming cancer care through data, technology, artificial intelligence, and healthcare infrastructure innovation. Founded by cancer survivor Ben Freeberg, the firm focuses on solving systemic challenges across the oncology ecosystem, from early detection and diagnostics to patient navigation, care delivery, and survivorship. The firm backs companies building the non-drug infrastructure of cancer care, helping improve outcomes, reduce inefficiencies, and increase access to evidence-based treatment for patients across the healthcare system.

One Acre Fund is a nonprofit agricultural service provider that supplies smallholder farmers across Sub-Saharan Africa with quality seed, fertilizer, financing, training, and last-mile delivery. Rather than one-time charity, the organization invests in farmers to help them grow more food and earn more income on the same plot of land — creating pathways out of hunger and poverty while strengthening rural economies.

Open Road Impact is a specialized lender that provides fast, flexible, short-term debt to impact-first organizations addressing social inequality and climate change. They focus on eliminating funding delays and barriers that prevent mission-driven nonprofits, social enterprises, and entrepreneurs from achieving their impact goals through bridge financing solutions. The organization operates with a mission to make capital markets more effective and accessible for impact-driven organizations by solving systemic funding gaps across the impact finance ecosystem. They typically provide loans within 4-6 weeks of application submission, designed to "unstick" capital and keep organizations on track while they secure longer-term funding from other sources. Open Road has proven to be a catalytic force in the impact investing space, with each dollar they loan out leveraging an average of 10x in additional follow-on financing from other impact and commercial investors. Since 2012, they have evolved from providing small grants to becoming a market leader in impact sector bridge financing, consistently adapting their approach to meet the shifting needs of the organizations they serve.

Pay it Forward Ventures (PIF) builds better lives for billions by investing in source-solving rather than symptom-solving. They fund and found ventures that create new paradigms across financial technology, health, energy, and digital infrastructure — and donate 20% of GP profits to philanthropy because they believe in paying it forward.

Pharo Foundation is a mission-driven, impact-oriented organization that designs, funds, and operates economic development programmes toward a vibrant, productive, and self-reliant Africa. The foundation focuses on three core missions: education, water, and productivity, operating primarily in the Horn of Africa including Ethiopia, Somaliland, Rwanda, and Kenya. Distinguished as a privately funded organization, Pharo Foundation combines sustainable ventures with non-profit projects, prioritizing problem-solving, research, and economic empowerment. In 2019, the foundation expanded its approach by adding a commercial arm called Pharo Ventures, which operates for-profit social enterprises to complement its non-profit activities and create sustainable impact across the continent.

Planet A Ventures is a European venture capital fund that supports founders tackling the world's largest environmental problems by investing in green technology startups. They focus on building the economy our planet needs by partnering with European green tech start-ups that have significant positive impact while building scalable businesses globally. Planet A operates as the first European VC with an in-house science team that calculates life cycle assessments to quantify the impact of startups before investment. Their scientists hold veto power over investments if there is no significant positive and quantifiable impact, ensuring a rigorous science-based approach with no greenwashing. They combine venture capital with scientific know-how to mentor and support founders in developing sustainable solutions. The fund is pioneering scientific impact investing as the new normal in venture capital, openly sharing their methods and results to inspire others to adopt a scientific approach to investment decisions. Through their operational platform and extensive network, they provide ongoing support beyond just capital, making environmental impact the central metric of success. Their portfolio includes innovative companies working on solutions from compostable materials and carbon mineralization to AI-powered sustainable supply chain decisions.

Praxis is a global venture-building ecosystem supporting entrepreneurs, nonprofits, investors, and culture makers motivated by faith to address major social and cultural challenges. Through accelerators, fellowships, mentorship, and community-building programs, Praxis helps founders build “redemptive ventures” focused on renewal, restoration, and long-term societal impact. The organization supports both for-profit and nonprofit ventures across sectors including education, healthcare, technology, community development, social innovation, and ethical entrepreneurship.

Propeller is an ocean-focused venture capital firm investing in early-stage companies building technologies and infrastructure at the intersection of the ocean economy, climate resilience, industrial innovation, and carbon solutions. The firm backs founders developing scalable businesses across ocean industries, carbon management, maritime technology, energy systems, aquaculture, robotics, transportation, and biological innovation. Propeller invests where the ocean affects or is affected by the climate transition, seeking opportunities that deliver both strong economic returns and measurable environmental impact. Operating from a thesis centered on Ocean Industrials, Carbon, and Organics, the firm supports entrepreneurs transforming legacy industries and building new markets across the blue economy.

The PwC Charitable Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity driven by the people and values of PwC, striving to build resilient, equitable, and enduring communities. The foundation focuses on unlocking potential and accelerating paths to opportunity through strategic investments and collaborations. Since 2001, the foundation has distributed significant funding across three core focus areas: supporting PwC people ($10 million), education initiatives ($220 million), and humanitarian efforts ($50 million). The foundation invests in innovative work and collaborates with transformative organizations to create more inclusive pathways to education and career opportunities, while also advancing preparedness and recovery capabilities to strengthen communities facing humanitarian crises.

Quona Capital is a pioneering impact venture capital firm that invests in fintech innovators advancing financial inclusion across high-growth emerging markets. Since 2015, the firm has been backing fintech companies that pursue profits with purpose, prioritizing not just access to financial services, but the quality, relevance, and usability that turn access into lasting impact. With a global presence spanning from Latin America to India and Southeast Asia to the EMEA region, Quona's team speaks 18 languages and lives and breathes in the markets they serve. The firm has achieved significant scale with their portfolio companies touching 151.5M lives (75% underserved), serving 31.2M retail customers (87% underserved), and creating over 23,000 jobs.

Reach Capital is a leading early-stage venture capital firm that has been backing visionary founders since 2015 across learning, health, and work sectors. The firm invests in entrepreneurs building technologies that expand access to opportunity and care, with a belief that when people can grow their skills, nurture relationships, maintain health, and find meaning in work, communities thrive. Reach Capital brings a distinctly 'liberal arts' approach to supporting founders, with team members having diverse backgrounds as former founders, operators, educators, designers, and writers. Impact is at the heart of their work, measuring success across three dimensions: access, scale, and quality to ensure solutions reduce barriers and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Realize Impact is a philanthropic capital investment non-profit that helps donors make impact investments through their Philanthropic Investment Grants (PHIGs) program. They serve as an intermediary where donors make grants to them and recommend where the funds should be invested, allowing philanthropic capital to flow into impact investments. They also provide fiscal sponsorship services for mission-driven organizations without 501(c)(3) status. Their mission is to relieve poverty, create jobs, and improve social and environmental health by investing in impactful companies that lack access to financing from conventional sources. They operate on the principle that all investing should be impact investing, and their purpose is to make impact investing easy, rewarding, and possible for everyone. The organization follows values of audacity, responsibility, and bridge-building in their approach. Realize Impact plays a crucial role in the ecosystem by bridging the gap between philanthropic donors and impact investments, making it easier for traditional philanthropists to participate in impact investing. They distinguish themselves by focusing on true impact rather than ESG metrics, emphasizing what companies do rather than just how they operate. Their model enables the recycling of returns from successful investments back into new impact opportunities, multiplying the effect of initial donations.

REDF invests in businesses that reveal and reinforce the talent of people breaking through barriers to employment. They focus specifically on employment social enterprises - businesses that create jobs and opportunities for individuals who face significant challenges in accessing traditional employment pathways. The organization operates through a comprehensive approach that combines capital, capacity building, and community support to help their portfolio enterprises grow further and faster. Their mission centers on building a thriving and inclusive society where all people have the jobs and support they need to realize their full potential, guided by the vision of creating an economy that works for everyone. REDF plays a critical role in the social enterprise ecosystem by not only providing direct investment and support to employment-focused businesses, but also by evaluating what works and sharing their learnings to drive broader policy and systems change. Their multi-faceted approach spans from early-stage accelerator programs to growth-stage investments and advocacy partnerships with government entities, positioning them as both an investor and a thought leader in advancing employment opportunities for underserved populations.

ReGen Ventures is an impact-focused venture capital firm that invests in foundational regenerative technologies designed to power a future of abundance. They focus on four core investment areas: clean energy, planetary intelligence, programmable matter, and adaptive robotics, partnering with founders who are building transformative technologies from the atomic to planetary scale. The firm operates with a mission to reimagine the world by supporting technologies that make regeneration inevitable, enabling infinite growth and prosperity on a finite planet. They take a hands-on approach with founders, providing comprehensive support that ranges from business modeling to personal wellness, emphasizing long-term sustainable returns over short-term wins. ReGen Ventures positions itself as an innovator in the investment space, paving a new path for what investments should be by focusing on root causes rather than symptoms of environmental challenges. They are building what they call a "ReGenerative Future" where climate change is reframed as an opportunity for transformation, backing founders with unreasonable ambition who alter understanding of what's possible in addressing planetary challenges.

Regeneration.VC is a venture capital firm that invests in early-stage Consumer ClimateTech startups focused on driving the circular economy through sustainable innovation in materials, consumer products, and carbon solutions. The firm specifically targets climate-focused companies that are working to transform unsustainable consumption models and create regenerative value chains. Their mission is to regenerate consumer industry value chains to meet planetary boundaries, recognizing that humanity currently consumes nearly twice what Earth can replenish and that 7 of the 9 planetary boundaries have been transgressed. They operate with a theory of change centered on transforming the "take-make-waste" consumption model that drives climate change and biodiversity loss by investing in solutions that enable circular and regenerative approaches. Regeneration.VC matters in the impact ecosystem because they take a rigorous, data-driven approach to measuring circularity and regenerative impact through their CRISP protocol, developed in partnership with Circle Economy Foundation. The fund brings together a multi-disciplined team of investors, entrepreneurs, scientists, and corporate leaders, with strategic advisor Leonardo DiCaprio, positioning them as a significant player in scaling breakthrough technologies that can deliver outsized net environmental benefits.

Renewal Funds is a sustainability-focused impact venture capital fund based in Vancouver that supports exceptional founders building technology and platform businesses driving the affordability and accessibility of climate solutions. They invest across five primary sustainability themes: energy transition, mobility, food systems, zero waste, and natural resources, focusing on opportunities where their expertise and network can best support mission-aligned founders. As a "mission venture capital" firm, Renewal Funds operates with the dual goal of achieving financial success while creating positive impact for people and planet. They make minority preferred equity investments in high growth, capital efficient businesses, partnering with exceptional, mission-driven founders who have built category leading companies and can demonstrate excellent product-market fit and customer traction. Renewal Funds has established itself as a significant player in the impact investing ecosystem, currently managing $240 million in assets under management across three funds. Their influence extends beyond direct investments, as they work to prove to investors and the broader financial community that mission-driven investing represents the future of finance, contributing to the growing acceptance and adoption of impact investing approaches.

Responsibly Ventures is a PreSeed VC Impact Fund focused on backing remarkable teams building startups in sustainability and social good sectors. They support founders in realizing what they call 'Venture Scale Positive Impacts' by investing in companies that create measurable environmental and social benefits alongside financial returns. Their mission centers on understanding not just what teams are building, but why they're building it and who they're building it for at a fundamental level. They operate by seeking startups with an 'impact moat' - where the company's mission-driven focus provides a unique strategic advantage in the market. The fund actively promotes all forms of positive impact as core value drivers, including diversity, inclusion, empathy, social responsibility, ethics, and actions focused on both people and planet. Responsibly Ventures has created meaningful impact in the venture ecosystem through their portfolio companies and broader community initiatives. Their partner community 'posi2ive' includes over 10,000 impact-aligned investors and founders, creating a network effect for sustainable innovation. They've demonstrated concrete results through portfolio companies like Kidsy (diverted over 1 million pounds of products from landfill) and it's electric (expanding EV charging access across 9 cities), proving that impact and venture-scale returns can coexist effectively.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to transforming health in our lifetime through bold and innovative approaches. The foundation works collaboratively with others to achieve health equity faster and create a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a fundamental right for all. RWJF focuses on taking bold leaps to address systemic health challenges and promote inclusive solutions that benefit communities across the nation. The foundation operates with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing that achieving true health equity requires addressing the root causes of health disparities and working toward comprehensive transformation of health systems.

The Rockefeller Foundation is one of the world’s largest and most influential philanthropic organizations, focused on advancing human well-being through large-scale investments in energy access, food systems, health, economic opportunity, climate resilience, and emerging technologies. Founded in 1913, the foundation partners with governments, nonprofits, corporations, and local communities to tackle systemic global challenges through innovative finance, data, and technology-driven solutions. The foundation is known for making ambitious “big bets” aimed at improving the lives of hundreds of millions of people worldwide, particularly in underserved and economically vulnerable communities.