Author: Gabriela

Real assets can create a tangible, enduring impact. By investing in affordable housing, green
buildings, and sustainable land management, families can generate positive, physical change in
communities they care about most.

Several ImPact member families are using assets they already own, such as family farms or real
estate companies, to create measurable social and environmental impact. Other families are
making new impact investments in real assets as part of their general asset allocation. Real asset
investments are particularly well-suited for investors whose impact objectives include supporting
underserved communities, enhancing resource efficiency, or improving sustainable food and fiber
systems.

The purpose of this primer is to explore various real asset impact investing strategies families use to achieve their overall impact and financial objectives. This document is intended to be exploratory
and not a source of investment advice.

Early-stage impact investments can be a powerful tool for scaling businesses that are designed to
make money and have measurable social impact. Though investments in mission-driven startups
are risky, they can generate extraordinary financial returns while enabling innovative businesses
to address critical social and environmental problems.

Early-stage impact investing can help preserve a family’s sense of collective purpose and cultivate
entrepreneurial spirit across multiple generations. The tangibility, excitement, and mission clarity
of early-stage impact investments often appeal to younger family members and can help engage
them in the management of family assets.

The purpose of this primer is to explore the different early-stage impact investing strategies families use to achieve their overall impact and financial objectives. This document is intended to be explanatory and not a source of investment advice.

Many of The ImPact’s member families are inspired by the opportunity to invest for impact in emerging markets. Investments in these markets have extraordinary potential to create social and environmental impact. These opportunities also present new and sometimes complex legal considerations. The goal of this primer is to provide families with a summary of the important issues and an outline of the key questions to ask their local and international counsel when making international impact investments.

This primer contains two parts: Part one explores the critical role that local counsel plays in appropriately assessing, structuring, and managing investments. It also explains how an understanding of local legal systems and cultures can facilitate better managed transactions. Part two of the primer outlines the questions families should discuss with their local counsel before entering into an international investment agreement.

By no means does this primer exhaust all the potential legal issues that may arise within cross-border impact investments. Rather, it is intended to be a tool for families to use as they conduct their due diligence and engage local legal counsel. This primer is the product of a partnership between The ImPact and New York University Law School’s International Transactions Clinic. The authors of this primer are Monica Hernandez and Claire Bang, advised by Professor Deborah Burand.

A foundation is a powerful platform through which families can express their values in society.
Yet, most families only use a small portion of their foundation assets to pursue their philanthropic
missions. Funding solutions to the world’s toughest challenges requires far more resources than
are available through foundations’ grantmaking alone.

As families grapple with the scale of these challenges, many are seeking ways to activate more of their philanthropic assets towards their missions. Impact investing is a powerful tool for maximizing a foundation’s assets for good. This primer is a guide for families looking to align and activate their foundation’s assets to achieve their social and environmental objectives while meeting their foundation’s financial needs.

From The Impact Investing Institute

This document serves as a guide for family offices interested in impact investing. It provides practical steps and resources for aligning wealth with positive social and environmental change while maintaining financial performance.

It outlines the roadmap to impact investing, covering internal advocacy, strategy development, investment policy creation, capital allocation, team building, and impact measurement and management. The guide emphasizes both “impact by design” and “shifting to impact” approaches for families. It further highlights the need for clear communication of values and impact intentions with external advisers and managers.