Supporting fresh entrepreneurial approaches for social impact Explore | Experiment | Improve #impinv #startups #SDGs #AIforGood @startingupgood.bsky.social
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Amini has about $6 million in disclosed funding from investors including Salesforce Ventures and Female Founders Fund, and it is building national data infrastructure with the government of Barbados. Founder Kate Kallot made the case for that work at three #UNGA81 events. Read more from our partners at @sdgcounting sdgcounting.substack.com/p/s…
Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors' Impact Investing Handbook features case studies and detailed guidance for individuals, families, foundations, and corporations ready to pursue #ImpactInvesting: rockpa.org/project/new-impac…
Kate Kallot spent years building AI at big US tech companies, most recently NVIDIA, then moved from New York City to Nairobi in 2022 to found Amini. At #UNGA81 she made the case for building data infrastructure in the countries the data describes, starting with Barbados' national archive. Read more from our partners at SDGCounting: sdgcounting.substack.com/p/s…
Fewer than 1% of foundations use program-related investments (PRIs). Nonprofit Quarterly explores how PRIs provide an alternative to grants by deploying repayable capital for charitable purposes that enables capital recycling and expands impact over time without compromising mission. This approach suits nonprofits with revenue streams and can strengthen investees' access to commercial capital.
nonprofitquarterly.org/a-gra…
In September, Patagonia announced a program to encourage the 11.2 million environmental voters who didn't vote in 2024 to head to the polls. It offered a $100 credit or donation to anyone who encouraged 3 people to vote in the 2026 midterms.
The results are in:
- Within a week, customers shared over 480K vote plans with friends and family and earned $11.2M in Patagonia credits.
- By late October, customers sent 500K+ vote plans.
- 30% of plans went to people under the age of 30 and 25% went to people who didn't vote in 2024.
Devex reporters Adva Saldinger, Michael Igoe and Elissa Miolene discuss what the US elections could mean for the global development sector in this week's podcast: devex.com/news/what-do-the-u…
A generic form of the twice-yearly injectable HIV prevention drug lenacapavir has received tentative FDA approval, enabling affordable access at $40 per year in 120 low- and middle-income countries. The injection offers a convenient alternative to daily pills and could significantly reduce global HIV infections and deaths.
sg.news.yahoo.com/generic-hi…
This article from Science discusses persistent environmental pollutants known as "forever chemicals," highlighting their ubiquity and resistance to degradation. It evaluates cutting-edge technologies aiming to destroy these substances and underscores that while progress is made, comprehensive and scalable solutions remain elusive. Tackling this contamination requires ongoing innovation and collaboration to protect health and ecosystems.
science.org/content/article/…
Where should philanthropic funding from AI companies and employees go to accelerate development? Are there particularly promising AI-specific opportunities? These are potential topic questions for In Development and Asterisk Magazines' essay contest (winner gets $10K) on how transformative AI will affect low- and middle-income countries, and how they might respond. indevelopmentmag.substack.co…
John Elkington of Volans examines what the sustainability movement can learn from effective altruism - and vice versa - in his latest Substack post: johnelkington.substack.com/p…
Anthropic’s IPO filing reveals a complex governance structure designed to balance its AI mission with shareholder interests, but its public benefit commitment is not fully guaranteed long term. A Long-Term Benefit Trust and founders’ voting rights aim to keep the company mission-driven, yet stockholder powers could override these safeguards in the future.
impactalpha.com/ipo-filing-c…
Devex highlights the races to watch this election day: devex.com/news/special-editi…
The shrinking civic space in the U.S. demands funders adopt new strategies learned from supporting nonprofits in restrictive environments worldwide, writes Laura McKechnie of Civic Safeguard Strategies and formerly with USAID and the Department of State in the Stanford Social Innovation Review. Flexibility in funding, co-design with local partners, and legal expertise are critical to helping organizations adapt and sustain impact as democracy contracts.
ssir.org/articles/entry/fund…
Impact Entrepreneur writer Sandra Stewart outlines how purpose-driven mergers and acquisitions can help social enterprises grow their economic power while preserving mission integrity. Experts stress the need for aligned buyers, thoughtful financing, and seller preparedness to protect stakeholder commitments in values-aligned deals that foster shared prosperity. This approach aims to reshape capitalism by scaling impact-driven businesses through strategic ownership transitions.
impactentrepreneur.com/dealm…
Devex explores how Kanika Bahl - CEO of AI Access Initiative, Founding Member of Anthropic’s Long-Term Benefit Trust, and former CEO of Evidence Action - advocates for scaling AI tools through government systems to maximize public impact. Integrating AI into public services requires navigating complex bureaucracies and data privacy challenges to realize its full potential. Learn more: devex.com/news/kanika-bahl-o…
#ICYMI The GIIN released its State and Size of the Impact Investing Market report for 2026 last week. Download the full report: ow.ly/LHMR5102sZ2
The Chronicle of Philanthropy reports that Anthropic plans to allocate 20% of its shares—valued between $300 billion and $400 billion after its expected IPO—to the public good. However, nonprofit leaders raise concerns about vague commitments, unclear governance, and how much will actually benefit charitable causes, signaling a critical need for transparency as this massive potential funding source evolves.
philanthropy.com/news/anthro…
Alliance magazine proposes that philanthropy's $2.4 trillion endowments risk undermining responsible investment by relying on flawed ESG ratings dominated by a small oligopoly and dependent on company self-reporting. This creates gaps in accountability for corporate harms, especially amid a global funding crisis for independent business and human rights research. The authors from Swedwatch suggest foundations directly engage with civil society actors around risks and harms identified within their endowment portfolios to help drive robust active stewardship engagement.
alliancemagazine.org/blog/ph…
Liberia’s former president and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Ellen Johnson Sirleaf nominates USAID for the Nobel Peace Prize: devex.com/news/devex-newswir…
Impact investing assets under management have grown to $1.76 trillion, up $200 billion since 2024 despite geopolitical and market challenges. This slower yet steady growth signals resilience and maturity in the market, with institutional investors leading capital allocations and family offices driving fund formation, reports Impact Alpha.
impactalpha.com/chin-up-impa…
