ImpactAssets 50 

This annually updated list is a gateway into the world of impact investing for investors and their financial advisors, offering an easy way to identify experienced impact investment firms and explore the landscape of potential investment options. The ImpactAssets 50 is intended to illustrate the breadth of impact investment fund managers operating today, though it is not a comprehensive list. These 50 firms have been selected to demonstrate a wide range of impact investing activities across geographies, sectors and asset classes.

New for 2020! IA 50 Emerging Impact Manager Category
As the field matures we don’t want to lose sight of innovative new entrants. The Emerging Impact Manager category is intended to spotlight newer fund managers that may demonstrate future potential to create meaningful impact. Criteria such as minimum track record or minimum assets under management may not be applicable. 

LAUNCH THE IA 50

The ImpactAssets 50 is not an index or an investable platform; rather, it is an information resource to begin research on the impact investing sector.

The ImpactAssets 50 is focused on private debt and equity fund managers to provide a centralized source of information that is not publicly available elsewhere. However, investing for impact can be done across many asset classes and we encourage investors to make use of other resources (US SIF, The GIIN) in evaluating sustainable, responsible, impact investing options.

Review Criteria

The ImpactAssets 50 Review Committee finalizes firms according to a set of criteria developed to ensure that the list includes a diverse set of firms with experience in the field, scale in terms of AUM and investor base, commitment to impact and representing a range of approaches, asset classes and impact areas. Particular consideration will be given to firms that demonstrate a unique strategy, under-represented impact theme and diversity in leadership in view of application pool.

IA 50 Baseline Criteria

• Fund Manager must operate in:
  • More than one country
  • In a country with significant population; and/or
  • In a sizeable region of the United States
• Manage assets that are recoverable
• Accept US investment
• Have demonstrated financial capacity/oversight
• Demonstrated significant commitment to social impact and track clear measures of social and/or environmental impact (GIIRS rating, USE IRIS metrics, or other indicators to be determined)

Changes to the General IA 50 Baseline Criteria (starting in 2020)

• AUM minimum has increased from $10MM to $25MM
• No change to the 3 year track record minimum

Emerging Impact Manager Application Criteria

• No minimum track record required
• No minimum or maximum AUM required
• The applicant must meet the IA 50 baseline criteria as outlined above

For a more detailed discussion of how ImpactAssets evaluates impact in the selection of the ImpactAssets 50, please review the ImpactAssets Issue Brief: Assessing the Impact Capacity at the Firm Level.

Best Practices in Impact Investing Reporting

As the field of impact investing grows, it is critical that the measurement and reporting of impact is thoughtful and rigorous. In addition to providing a gateway into impact investing for financial advisors and their clients, the ImpactAssets 50 also presents fund managers that are leaders in this rapidly growing field, and are paving the way through their investments as well as their impact reporting. We asked the IA 50 2013 fund managers to share the best practices and challenges that have emerged from their impact reporting:

• Theory of Change as a Basis for Reporting Outcomes

• The Need to Start Early and Integrate Throughout

• The Challenge of Balancing Realistic and Rigorous

• The Importance of Resources and Communities of Practice