An ecosystem-wide effort
Many groups and individuals were involved in Impact Frontiers, including a cohort of innovative asset managers and owners; experienced convenors; and partners that are helping to build the field of impact investing. The Canadian cohort was part of a global network of Impact Frontiers, running cohorts around the world.
Convenors
Impact Frontiers and Rally Assets co-convened the program in Canada.
Rally Assets
Rally Assets is an impact investment management and advisory firm. The firm helps investors generate positive social and environmental impact alongside a financial return.
Rally Philanthropy is Rally Asset’s educational foundation, which partners with others to deliver research, education and training on impact investing. Registered charity 734407315 RR0001.
Impact Frontiers is a project of Rally Philanthropy, being delivered by Rally Assets.
Impact Frontiers
Impact Frontiers is a peer learning and market-building collaboration, developed with and for asset managers, asset owners and industry associations.
The initiative creates practical tools and peer-learning communities that support investors in building their capabilities for managing impact, and integrating impact with financial data, analysis, frameworks, and processes.
Impact Frontiers originated at Root Capital, migrated to the Impact Management Project in 2019 as a natural platform for industry collaboration, and is now continuing as an independent non-profit initiative of the Bridges group.
Cohort
Anthos Fund & Asset Management
Cofra Holding
Desjardins Investments
Fair Finance Fund
Foundation of Greater Montreal
Mackenzie Investments
The McConnell Foundation
Raven Indigenous Capital Partners
Partners
By sharing knowledge and insights, partners supported the delivery of this initiative.
Canvas Impact Advisors
Canvas works with investors, entrepreneurs and policymakers to build the social innovation and social finance. Their experience ranges from managing Canada’s leading academic research centre on social innovation, to incubating over 40 social ventures and managing millions of dollars in impact capital.
Common Approach to Impact Measurement
The Common Approach is an initiative that is working toward better impact measurement for social purpose organizations. It is a flexible standard for impact measurement. The Common Approach is composed of four related standards that are community driven.
Karim Harji
Karim Harji has a decade of international experience in impact measurement and impact investing. He is Programme Director of the Oxford Impact Measurement Programme at the Said Business School, University of Oxford. He was the Co-Chair of the Impact Measurement Task Force convened by the Government of Ontario, a Member of the Impact Measurement Working Group of the G8 Social Impact Investment Task Force, and an Advisor to the Rockefeller Foundation on social impact measurement.
MaRS
MaRS is North America’s largest urban innovation hub. A registered nonprofit, MaRS supports high-growth startups and scale-ups tackling key issues in health, cleantech, fintech and other sectors. In addition, MaRS convenes all members of the tech ecosystem to drive breakthrough discoveries, grow the economy and make an impact by solving real problems for real people — in Canada and around the world.
Responsible Investment Association
The Responsible Investment Association (RIA) is Canada’s industry association for responsible investment. RIA Members include asset managers, asset owners, advisors, and service providers who support the mandate of promoting responsible investment in Canada’s retail and institutional markets.
SVX
SVX is a nonprofit, diversified financial services firm driving impact for investors, organizations, funds and enterprises. SVX provides knowledge and insights, designs strategies and products, manages funds and operates a platform for raising impact capital and making impact investments. SVX works across sectors that deliver meaningful impact: cleantech, health, education, food, and social inclusion, helping investors find and make impact investments and issuers raise impact capital.
Table of Impact Investment Practitioners
The Table of Impact Investment Practitioners is a pan-Canadian, mission-driven, bilingual and practitioner-led community of practice. Its members are Canadian-based and Canadian-owned funds investing primarily in non-publicly traded Canadian enterprises.
“We joined the collaborative as we were developing new tools and processes for impact management, and being part of the group was incredibly helpful during this phase. We benefited from the structured approach to designing and testing the components of the [integrated portfolio analysis]. But maybe even more helpful was being able to connect with other investors and really get under the hood of their tools and see different ways of thinking. I would recommend joining the collaborative to any investor that is looking for ways to systematically tie impact into decision-making, and build a really smart network of peers.”
Impact Frontiers is a global initiative. The first Impact Frontiers ran from 2018-2020 in the US. This initiative in Canada (2021-2022), co-convened with Rally Assets, built on that important work.
