Social Venture Funds
Acumen Fund
- Non-profit global venture fund that uses entrepreneurial approaches to solve the problems of global poverty
- Invest in projects targeting the four billion people living on less than $4 a day
- Also focused on building a global community of professionals, donors, institutional partners and social entrepreneurs capable of deploying financial, human and intellectual capital to solve some of the most intractable problems of poverty
Catalyst Fund, U.K.
- Recently approached by Barclays with a £5 million commitment to about launching the fund
- Investments in education, wellness, alternative energy, environmental or ethical consumer products (i.e. organic food)
- Management fees range from 2.5 to 2.75%
Good Capital (US focused)
- Invests equity in for-profits and debt that acts like equity in non-profits that address a wide range of social issues, including social enterprise financing, community and economic development, brownfield development, healthcare, education, fair trade, organic food, and nonprofit services
- Seeks later stage (Series B and beyond) equity and equity-like investment ranging in size from $1-3 million
- First two investment of its Social Enterprise Expansion Fund (SEEF) is $2 million Betterworld.com an online bookseller that ships carbon neutral saves hundreds of thousands of pounds of books from landfills each year and gives seven percent of topline sales to literacy partners in the U.S., Africa and Asia. In addition, the non profit literacy partners own five percent of the company's stock via a vesting schedule. The econd investment is $1 million in Adinaforlife.com, a competitor to Starbuck's Frapucino that is lower calory, organic and certified Fair Trade (coffee, sugar, tea and vanilla sourced from Fair Trade coops).
Grey Matters Capital
- Creates programs and provides early stage equity capital for social business focused on underserved populations
- $15 MM portfolio; investment range - $250,000 to $2MM
NEF (New Economics Foundation)
- Has been investigating the finance needs of social enterprises
- Developed the Local Investment Fund, Scarman Trust, and Adventure Capital Fund, which provide investment for long-term community renewal
Root Capital
- A nonprofit investment fund that can lend up to $750,000
- Lends directly to cooperatives in the developing world, allowing them to use their orders as collateral. Similar to factoring, but Root charges only 9% interest
Skoll Foundation
- Foundation created by Jeff Skoll of Ebay that supports social entrepreneurship
- Mission is to advance systemic change to benefit communities around the world by investing in, connecting and celebrating social entrepreneurs
- Manage $40 MM in current portfolio
Social Venture Partners International
- Social Venture Partners International is the member association that supports the efforts of Social Venture Partners affiliates in their local communities and across the SVP network
- Goal to support grant making, volunteerism, nonprofit capacity building, and philanthropic education
Venturesome Fund
- Founded in 2002 in the UK
- Provides innovative financial instruments for supporting social enterprises
Related Organizations