Governing boards, finance professionals, and managers can apply. As such, there is very high alignment between the foundations charitable objectives and acumens target investments. We look for teams of highquality entrepreneurs with a track record of leadership and performance either in the companys specific industry or in prior entrepreneurial ventures. Acumen fund was created in 2001 to offer new approaches to social impact investing, acting as an intermediary between philanthropic. Acumen brings a venture capital sensibility to aid work. Acumen expects gcfs anchoring investment to catalyze private capital into araf by derisking the investment through a first loss facility. Intertradeireland can assist you to source and fund the right people to help you increase your crossborder export sales north or south. We invest patient capital in businesses whose products and services are enabling the poor to. These documents are presented as submitted by the accredited entity and the national. Multiplex property trust mpt in multiplex acumen prime property fund the fund. Learn what makes an acumen investment we invest in earlystage companies tackling the problems of poverty from banks in rural pakistan supporting lowincome farmers to ambulances in mumbai with a mandate to serve all regardless of income, our companies are solving some of the worlds toughest social problems. Trelstad, the chief investment officer of the nonprofit global venture fund acumen fund, had been a mentor to chen and her colleagues as they worked to develop a low cost infant warmer to meet the needs of low birthweight babies, their mothers, and healthcare providers in developing countries. Nov 27, 2019 the subfunds investment objective is i to provide shareholders with long term capital growth from a multiasset portfolio taking account of the subfunds environmental, social and governance policy esg investment policy which is limited in scope and application as outlined in further detail below and ii to.
The organizations investment committee and its chief investment officer, brian trelstad, must decide whether or not to fund two forprofit ventures. This pakistani entrepreneur took a gamble to bring power to 55 million people. Acumen funds model of social investment centre for. Donors and investors that fund social enterprises with the expectation of social, environmental, and financial returns grant funds. By applying a venture capital model, acumen fund supports enterprises that increase income, increase assets, and create jobs for the four billion people around the.
Investment supply for small and medium enterprises african. Incorporating environmental, social and governance. Acumen funds model of social investment centre for public. Jane chen gsb 08 and brian trelstad gsb 99 had known one another for years. With powerful individual vision, magnum photographers chronicle the world and interpret its peoples, events, issues and personalities. In our evaluations of acumen fund, we have not been able to answer key questions see our blog post. Measurement in impact investing b case solution,acumen fund. The fund will do this through a combination of capital growth, which. Expected return takes into account the anticipated social benefits of an investment against its. Incorporating environmental, social and governance esg factors into fixed income investment v acknowledgments this research report is the result of a partnership between the world bank group wbg and government pension investment fund gpif of japan, initiated by the world bank groups president.
Acumen esg protection portfolio supplement dated 27. An application to list the fund on asx will be lodged within seven days of the date of this pds. Our global investment focus sectors are energy, agriculture, health, and education. Acumen was incorporated on april 1, 2001, with seed capital from the rockefeller foundation, cisco systems foundation and three individual philanthropists. The acumen esg protection portfolio is a ucits fund which aims to provide investors with longterm capital growth from a multiasset portfolio comprised of holdings, which adhere to the funds environmental, social and governance esg investment policy. Acumen fund aims to create selfsustaining organizations that also have social impact e. Hence, while the total investment of time was significant, the total burden placed on any one staff member was not overwhelming. Acumen is rated 4 out of 4 stars by charity navigator. Patient capital is a third way that seeks to bridge the gap between the efficiency and scale of marketbased approaches and the social impact of pure philanthropy. Were leveraging technology to learn from lowincome customers and create better solutions to poverty. Responsible for establishing the fund often located in fund centres such as london and new york vary in size from boutique firms to global players markets the fund to investors often works with distributors to market funds across multiple jurisdictions manages portfolio of investments and makes investment.
A funding proposal summary titled acumen resilient agriculture fund araf submitted by acumen fund inc noobjection letters issued by the national designated authorityies or focal points. Acumen fund is a notforprofit that invests patient capital in. An investment that has been shown to improve the lives of customers for example, tracking bednet use in areas served by a to z. Equity and grant first of its kind adaptation focused agriculture fund involving private sector an adaptation impact fund to support and scale up inclusive early stage agribusinesses. Other funds include broader investment criteria and are designed more.
Its primary social metric is the number of lives reached in. Acumen fund is a global venture capital firm with a dual purpose. As a business development pro national sales records and many awards and having worked for 5 years in social impact by leveraging business to solve americas poverty, i was excited to apply to a company that fit both my talent sales and passion poverty alleviation. Had a phone screen for about an hour and answered questions about my background, interest in the position, and a few behavioral questions. Our desire was to transform the world of philanthropy by looking at all human beings as members of a single, global community where everyone had the opportunity to build a life of dignity. Impact investment evaluator kl felicitas foundation. We invests in companies that have significant operations or impact within east africa, west africa. Acumen fund was created in 2001 to offer new approaches to social impact investing, acting as an intermediary between philanthropic organisations and social enterprises. With this definition in mind, we selected a team that strives to strengthen our clients investments and aims at reaching their precise investment goals. Acumen fund investors the nature and type of social investors. An investment that has been shown to improve the lives of customers for example, tracking bednet use in. Acumen fund and social enterprise investment the givewell blog. Social enterprise 101, financial modelling, strategies for scale, and market segmentation.
Acumen fund and embrace, from the leading edge of social. Fund looks to quantify an investments social impact and compare it to the universe. Details of our evaluations we have considered acumen fund at 3 times. Acumen is a development and relief services charity located in new york, ny. In this section we summarise these characteristics for each fund.
We invest in intrepid entrepreneurs and early stage innovators tackling the problems of poverty. Sample business acumen training programs center for. Components which no longer meet the relevant esg investment policy criteria, within 125 calendar days, taking into account the best interests of shareholders. It aims to demonstrate that small amounts of philanthropic capital. Incorporating environmental, social and governance esg. An investment in the fund is subject to investment and other risks, including loss of. Acumen resilient agriculture fund country gcf financing accredited entity financial instrument uganda, ghana and nigeria usd 26 million acumen fund, inc. The markets alone cannot solve the problems of poverty. Magnum photos is a photographic cooperative of great diversity and distinction owned by its photographer members. With several billion dollars raised for social investment funds in the last few years, social. Bank of americas capital access fund is a limited partner lp in pacific community ventures, a fund that invests in job creation in distressed communities in california. The organization of mek has chosen acumen asset management to be its fund manager due to the teams impressive track record and its ability to obtain high returns on the funds that it manages.
Acumen funds model of social investment centre for public impact. Acumen is a nonprofit venture fund that invests in earlystage companies bringing critical services like agriculture, clean energy, education, financial inclusion, healthcare and workforce development to lowincome communities in 14 countries across east and west africa, south asia, latin america, and the united states. Within the united states, we focus on financial inclusion, health, and workforce development. Acumen invests patient, longterm capital in innovative and sustainable startups that deliver critical goods and services to the worlds poor. Based on the success of araf, we expect much larger leverage for gcfs capital in followon funds and lower first loss. In africa, the 8 miles fund promoted by bob geldof, acumen fund, grofin, and. Acumen formerly known as acumen fund is a nonprofit impact investment fund with over 15 years experience in investing in social enterprises that serve lowincome communities in developing countries across subsaharan africa, south asia, latin america, and the united states. Incorporating environmental, social and governance esg factors into fixed income investment iii acronyms and abbreviations abs assetbacked securities ai artificial intelligence aigcc asia investor group on climate change aim affirmative investment management alm asset and liability management aodp asset owners disclosure project cat catastrophe bonds ccm. Prg seeks investment opportunities where it can create and add value through our operational expertise and relationships, capital markets acumen, and broad network of relationships. Conclusions the gfoas financial management selfassessment model is designed as a resource for the whole organization. Acumen fund investment funding konbit konbit ayiti. Acumen portfolio investment objective and policy the aim of the fund is to increase in value, over a minimum of five years, by investing in a range of asset classes and global markets.
Acumen fund is a global nonprofit organization focused on creating sustainable change to improve the lives of the poor. Acumen fund investors the nature and type of social. Acumens investees use a businessminded franchising strategy to impact. The framework criteria was sent to the board for consideration at b. Draper richards kaplan foundation new profit investment funds. Intertradeirelands acumen programme will help you develop new markets, new customers and new sustainable sources of income, right here on the island. Acumen s mission is to change the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. Learn what makes an acumen investment we invest in earlystage companies tackling the problems of poverty from banks in rural pakistan supporting lowincome farmers to ambulances in mumbai with a mandate to serve all regardless of income, our companies are. Acumen fund rise fund donor collaboratives collaborations or funder networks that make grants or share information grantmaking. Acumen fund the tamer center for social enterprise. You say your evaluation of acumen fund rests on three criteria and i quote. It developed a theory of patient capitalism, which provides earlystage social enterprises with significant funding and then helps nurture their development.
Acumen is changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders and ideas. This document captures the framework criteria as adopted by the board in decision b. Measurement in impact investing b case analysis, acumen fund. By identifying patterns that we found in our research, we have categorized four impact measurement methods. The fund represents an opportunity to invest in an impressive portfolio of cbd of. Acumen formerly known as acumen fund is a nonprofit impact investment fund with almost 15 years experience in small and mediumsized enterprises smes that serve lowincome communities in developing countries primarily in subsaharan africa and south asia. The center for executive development offers courses in business acumen to develop your skills in key areas.
Yes no the risk profile of acumens typical investments would normally. Patient capital is a third way that seeks to bridge the gap between the. It aims to demonstrate that small amounts of philanthropic capital, combined with large doses of business acumen. It also seeks to deliver a level of capital protection. Patient capital that dares to go where markets have failed and aid has fallen short. Acumen fund investment acumen raises charitable donations which are then used for longterm debt or equity investments for earlystage companies providing reliable and affordable access to agricultural inputs and markets, quality education, clean energy, healthcare services, formal housing, and safe drinking water to lowincome customers. Acumen income portfolio x acc fund factsheet trustnet. An investment in the subfund should not constitute a substantial proportion of an investment portfolio. While the merits of each investment will vary, we evaluate your venture according to the following criteria. Were catalyzing entrepreneurship to build sustainable businesses that work for the poorest.
Acumen investment team, led by rana adawi, brings more than 80 years of combined experience in the financial services industry. Acumen fund monitors its investments continuously, with its primary metric being the number of lives reached. Impact investing christine kapkusum senior associate, portfolio east africa acumen fund october 4, 2011. Acumen fund is a venture philanthropy firm with a portfolio of over 75 investments in social enterprises in africa and asia. Acumen is considered to be one of the only companies that managed to be mandated the management of an onshore fund in egypt in such a short time.
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