Catalytic Capital Consortium Announces Grants for Impact Investing Networks Serving Latin America, Asia, Africa and Europe
EVPA has been awarded funding from the C3 Grantmaking programme to help increase the use of catalytic capital to address critical social and environmental goals across Europe and beyond.
The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) is expanding its support for impact investing networks around the world. The C3 Grantmaking program is making more than $650,000 in grants to the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), the African Venture Philanthropy Alliance (AVPA), Latimpacto and the European Venture Philanthropy Association (EVPA) to support efforts that promote investor engagement with catalytic capital.
The funding is part of C3’s broader strategy to increase the knowledge, awareness, and use of catalytic capital, helping the impact investment field realize its full potential for creating inclusive growth, achieving equity, improving health, and fighting climate change, as well as addressing the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
C3 is an investment, learning and market development initiative launched in 2019 by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and Omidyar Network. These three strategic partners are jointly funding the initiative’s $10 million grantmaking program, which is housed and administered at the New Venture Fund.
The new funding complements earlier C3 Grantmaking support for global and U.S.-based impact investing networks, funding for research projects to build the evidence base and foster solutions and infrastructure for catalytic capital, as well as other efforts to advance the practice of deployment of catalytic capital via the development of resources and investor communities of practice. It will help these four regional networks collaborate with their respective investor communities, each other, and the field to identify and share catalytic capital best practices, develop informational resources, host convenings, and undertake other activities that strengthen and expand the use of catalytic capital.
New Networks Receiving Funding
The Asian Venture Philanthropy Network, based in Singapore, is the largest network of social investors in Asia, with over 600 diverse members across 33 markets. Its mission is to close the SDG gaps in Asia, by enabling its members to increase the flow of financial, human, and intellectual capital towards impact.
“Philanthropists and social investors in Asia-Pacific are increasingly looking for ways in which they can achieve a multiplier effect through their giving,” said Naina Batra, AVPN CEO. “Innovative approaches such as blended finance and catalytic capital can open a floodgate of urgently needed financing to address the SDGs. Through this landmark partnership, we are looking forward to working with C3 and our sister networks to collectively move more catalytic capital toward impact in the region.”
The African Venture Philanthropy Alliance, based in Nairobi, is a pan-African network for social investors interested in collaborating to increase the flow of social investments in Africa and ensure that capital (financial, human and/or intellectual) is deployed as effectively and innovatively as possible for maximum social impact.
"Africa remains a major impact opportunity in the world but is largely held back by inadequate financing for social investments,” said Dr. Frank Aswani, AVPA’s CEO. "Progress towards mobilizing sufficient social investments to address our SDG financing gap will only be achieved if we can creatively mobilize and deploy private capital for social investments, and catalytic investments are important in unlocking this capital. Through this program we intend to train African grantmakers and investors on catalytic investing, thus enhancing their ability to work with and mobilize private capital for sustainable impact on the continent,” he said.
Latimpacto, based in Bogota, is a community of human, financial, and intellectual capital providers committed to achieving solutions with significant social and environmental impact in Latin America and the Caribbean. Its 139 members include leading foundations, corporations, investment funds, family offices, accelerators, and incubators from inside and outside the region.
“The partnership with C3 is a high priority for us, and it is fully aligned with our purpose: to mobilize more capital towards impact in Latin America through the effective use of catalytic capital throughout the world, working with all our members and a broader ecosystem through various opportunities for knowledge, training, and connections,” said María José Céspedes, chief product officer.
The European Venture Philanthropy Association, based in Brussels, is a community of 320 organizations, covering a full range of venture philanthropy and social investment activities, including venture philanthropy funds, social investors, grantmaking foundations, impact investing funds, private equity firms, professional service firms, philanthropy advisers, banks and business schools.
“Investors for impact in Europe are early pioneers of deploying catalytic capital to transform society for the better. With the Catalytic Capital Consortium’s support, we aim at building on our community’s experience to mobilize investors from across the full spectrum of capital and deliver the positive change at scale we so desperately need for people and planet,” said Roberta Bosurgi, EVPA CEO.
Catalytic Capital Consortium Strategic Partners
John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation
The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation supports creative people, effective institutions, and influential networks building a more just, verdant, and peaceful world. MacArthur is placing a few big bets that truly significant progress is possible on some of the world’s most pressing social challenges, including advancing global climate solutions, decreasing nuclear risk, promoting local justice reform in the U.S., and reducing corruption in Africa’s most populous country, Nigeria. In addition to the MacArthur Fellows Program and the global 100&Change competition, the Foundation continues its historic commitments to the role of journalism in a responsive democracy as well as the vitality of our headquarters city, Chicago. MacArthur is also working to build the field of impact investing and provide catalytic capital to address social and environmental challenges around the world.
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. Rockefeller works to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Their focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for their newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow them on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.
Established by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar, Omidyar Network is a social change venture that has committed more than $1 billion to innovative for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations since 2004. Omidyar Network works to reimagine critical systems and the ideas that govern them, and to build more inclusive and equitable societies in which individuals have the social, economic, and democratic power to thrive.
For more information on C3 Grantmaking, contact Emily Duma, C3 program officer, at emily.duma@newventurefund.org. Read about our Building the Evidence Base, Advancing Practice and Fostering Solutions and Infrastructure workstreams on our website, or follow our activity on our new LinkedIn feed.