Case Study: Solving Problems through Capital Markets

Jim Sorenson is a successful entrepreneur, business executive, investor, and philanthropist. He
is a pioneer impact investor and plays a leadership role in building the impact investing field
worldwide. Jim believes impact investing is a powerful method for scaling solutions to local and
global challenges, and for creating significant economic value. Jim makes impact investments with
his personal capital, out of the endowments of his foundations (in the form of mission-related

investments), and uses grantmaking capital from his foundations to make program-related investments (or PRIs).

This case study focuses on Jim’s PRIs as they constitute the majority of the impact investments
he makes. Jim uses PRIs as a tool to fill critical market gaps and catalyze financing for scalable
innovations with the potential to improve the livelihoods of poor and marginalized people. While
every family is unique, Jim Sorenson has experiences that can provide for shared learning. Through understanding the decision points and outcomes of Jim Sorenson’s work, other families can make more informed decisions as they develop and implement their own impact investing programs.