Impact investment is an exciting new form of investment, offering positive social and environmental outcomes as well as financial returns.
What we mean by Impact Investment:
The widely-accepted definition is that Impact investing has the explicit intention of generating positive social and/or environmental impact alongside a financial return, with measurement of this impact. Impact investment should provide additionality, meaning there are benefits beyond what would have occurred in the absence of the investment.
However, the funds may be risky and they are available only to wholesale investors.
Mindful Money is not recommending the following funds. They are listed below solely as an information service to let investors know about the availability of impact investment opportunities.
A number of the investments shown on these pages are relatively and high risk. Investors should seek personalised financial advice for their circumstances or if they are investing a significant proportion of their portfolio.
A list of advisers certified by the Responsible Investment Association of Australasia is shown here.
These funds span:
Multi Sector
The Impact Enterprise Fund
The Fund provides growth capital to businesses that deliver social and/or environmental impact alongside attractive financial returns. This Fund aims to deliver market-rate financial returns and tangible societal and environmental outcomes. Investments focus on expansion opportunities in fast growing sectors such as sustainable food production, agriculture technology, healthcare, clean energy, and education.
Investments
LearnCoach, Grounded, ZeroJet, Waikaitu, Melon Health, Zincovery, Tether, CertusBio
Target IRR
Target 15%
Status
1st Round Closed
Soul Capital - The Awhi Fund
Soul Capital invests in companies whose purpose is to tackle societal or environmental problems head on with innovation and scalable business models. Soul Capital uses its collective expertise to support the enterprises they invest in with advice, mentoring and networking opportunities.
Their Awhi Fund invests with explicit impact intent, providing strong financial returns to investors, and facilitating co-investing with angel investors and angel funds.
Investments
Ooooby, Kara Technologies, CoGo, Grounded, Regen
Target IRR
Non-Concessionary VC
Status
Fully Deployed
Toru Group - Te Pae ki te Rangi
Te Pae ki te Rangi is multi-asset, impact-first fund which invests primarily in Tamaki and Tai Tokerau with Foundation North as the cornerstone investor. The target impact themes are increased equity, social inclusion, and regenerative environment. Priority target communities for impact and access to capital include Māori, Pasifika, Rainbow, Disability, and former refugees & migrants
Purpose Capital
The Purpose Capital Impact Fund is a collaboration between the New Zealand business, investment, and philanthropic sectors. Purpose Capital brings expertise and capital to projects and organisations working toward social and environmental solutions. We invest in asset backed projects and growth stage impact businesses. Priority areas for investment include addressing Affordable Housing, Environmental Degradation, Climate Change and Inequality.
Investments
Whakatōhea Mussels Ōpōtiki Limited, Bureta Park Build to Rent, Homes for Tamariki, Lodestone Energy and Cool Group Limited
Target IRR
6% Minimum
Status
Closed on $22M
Te Puna Hapori
Te Puna Hapori (‘spring of wellbeing for communities’) aims to empower underserved communities through flexible and fit for purpose debt financing supporting the delivery of essential community infrastructure.
Te Puna Hapori is an initiative born of a partnership between Brightlight Group and Trust Waikato that commenced in 2019. Trust Waikato is a community trust for the Waikato region in New Zealand. It aims to achieve transformational change for people, families, communities and places through its investment and granting activities. Brightlight’s Te Puna Hapori platform (fund and direct deals) aims to leverage the increasing demand for key community infrastructure especially in regions outside of the big metropolitan centres.
Climate Finance
The Climate Venture Capital Fund
The Climate Venture Capital Fund targets high-growth companies and opportunities that enable and take advantage of the rapid change to a low emissions future. Alongside financial returns, our goal is to invest in companies that collectively reduce greenhouse gas emissions by at least 1 million tonnes per $50 million invested.
Affordable Housing
Community Finance
Community Finance is a platform which enables impact investors to purchase community bonds. Bonds are issued for specific projects and are created through the establishment of a stand-alone, ring-fenced investment vehicle. A Community Housing Provider provides sufficient security to support the loan, meet a commercially standard credit assessment, be appropriately managed and demonstrate strong governance.
Investments
Salvation Army Community Bond, CORT Community Bond
Target IRR
At Least 20%
Status
Raising Capital
Positive Property
Community Finance is a platform which enables impact investors to purchase community bonds. Bonds are issued for specific projects and are created through the establishment of a stand-alone, ring-fenced investment vehicle. A Community Housing Provider provides sufficient security to support the loan, meet a commercially standard credit assessment, be appropriately managed and demonstrate strong governance.
Investments
Expected in market 2022
Target IRR
4% pre-tax cash yield plus capital gains
Status
Pending
Homes for Tamariki
The Homes for Tamariki Fund aims to deliver a transformational improvement in the housing of vulnerable children, whilst generating an attractive cash yield from a government revenue stream. The fund is designed to provide urgently needed safe and stable housing for children and young people in the care of Oranga Tamariki, and will provide investors with a commercial return, comprised of an attractive net rental yield and long term house price movement.
Regenerative Agriculture
AgRegen
AgRegen is an impact investment fund who acquires environmentally degraded and financially distressed farmland in New Zealand and applies large scale regenerative agriculture and agroforestry management techniques to environmentally degraded and financially distressed dairy farmlands. AgRegen offers investors an investment vehicle to invest in smaller privately held farm that are applying regenerative land management practices and nature-based solutions to generate competitive financial returns with co-benefits.