Impact Measurement & Management (IMM): Impact Investing’s Evolving Ecosystem

To achieve the SDGs by 2030, we face a $2.5 trillion annual financing gap.

While tremendous amounts of capital are moving into impact financing to close this gap, doubts remain around their impact. This report examines this flow of capital, with a specific focus on impact investing due to its rapid emergence and challenging, subjective definition for which funds should “count.” 

Method

With support from the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship, we conducted a systems mapping (Meadows, 1999) exercise to better understand the interlocking entities within the impact investing ecosystem and how they relate to each other. This visual methodology allows for clarified communication and rapidly showcases the most pressing issues affecting current and aspiring practitioners and investors.

Here, our mapping of the impact investment landscape is also meant to provide a jumping-off point for articulating key leverage points to develop interventions, innovations, and policies that prevent impactwashing, improve impact assurance, and increase investments into impact.