WATCH | Environmental Impact Investing Group (EIIG) learning programme

The Environmental Impact Investing Group (EIIG) supports trusts, foundations and individuals to learn more about environmental impact investing and develop their work in this area. Environmental impact investments are investments made with the intention to generate positive, measurable environmental impact alongside a financial return.

Below are all the event recordings from the learning programme thus far. To access the learning programme, you need to be part of EIIG. All EIIG members have been emailed the password to access this programme and relevant resources.

Our thanks go to Jenny Sansom, who led the EIIG pilot programme and review, and our current partners, Jo Heywood and Gail Cunningham.

Event recordings:

Phase 2 EIIG/SIIG Learning Session: Blended Finance

Blended Structures: How can grants and impact investments work together?

In this session, jointly hosted by ACF’s Social Impact Investing Group (SIIG) and EFN’s Environmental Impact Investing Group (EIIG), we explored how grants and investments can be combined to unlock greater impact.

We heard from practitioners sharing their experience, including:

• How blended structures (using grants and investment together) are being used in practice
• When to use grants vs repayable finance – and how to combine them effectively
• Structuring approaches – exploring using grants as first-loss capital, guarantees, catalytic capital (take a look at Good Finance’s Jargon Buster if these terms are new to you)
• Challenges and lessons learned – what’s worked and what they would do differently

Speakers included: 

• Esmée Fairbairn Foundation – Sarah Hedley 
• People’s Postcode Lottery – Joanne Anderson
• The Table Foundation – Julie Blane

Phase 2 Learning Session: Trustees and impact investing – practical perspectives

In this session, jointly hosted by ACF’s Social Impact Investing Group (SIIG) and EFN’s Environmental Impact Investing Group (EIIG) we explored the key role trustees of Trusts and Foundations play in enabling impact investment. We heard from trustees sharing their experience, including:

• How boards are approaching social and environmental impact investing
• Balancing mission, risk and financial considerations
• Governance, decision-making and internal alignment
• Lessons learned – what’s worked and what they would do differently

Phase 2 Learning Session: Prioritising investment opportunities

In this session we explored how investors prioritise opportunities across sectors (nature, community energy, climate tech etc.). 

We heard from two investors, answering: 

• How do you filter opportunities?
• How do you balance your portfolio across funds and direct investments? and why?
• What do you look for?
• Where should we be focusing our attention? 

The session offered practical insight into how experienced investors navigate deal flow and make investment decisions in a fast-evolving impact market. (Recording unavailable)

Phase 2 Learning session: navigating due diligence with limited capacity

For trusts and foundations, due diligence isn’t optional. In this session we explored what “good enough” due diligence looks like in practice when time, budget and internal capacity are limited — and how to use external support, shared approaches and proportionate processes to move from interest to investment.

In this “ask me anything” style session, EIIG members spoke to four due diligence consultants.

• Russ Bubley – i for Change
• Tej Dhami (The Change Coefficient)
• Shishir Malhotra – Independent advisor
• Gurmeet Kaur (Sumerian Partners)

Phase 2 Launch

In the first session of Phase 2, we explored the aims of EIIG, the new programme of activities and current market insights.

Phase 1 Session 8: Managing investments and structuring a portfolio

What approach can we take to managing investments and monitoring and measuring financial and impact outcomes? You have been registered automatically for this. Please look out for the zoom registration email in your inbox and follow the link. Speakers:

• David Holberton, Individual Investor and Founder of Ma’at Environment Fund
• Shishir Malhotra, Impact Investment Director, Treebeard Trust

Phase 1 Session 6: Resourcing for impact investing

What are the skills and resources needed for different impact investing approaches and how much time does it take for organisations and individuals?

In this session we will hear how others have made the case and reached the decision to dedicate resource for impact investing, as well as thinking about how this differs for foundation and individual investors. Speakers include:

• Stuart and Stephanie Mills, individual investors
• James Anthony, Social Investment Portfolio Manager, Friends Provident Foundation 
• Hannah Fanning, Impact Investment Lead, Sainsbury Family Charitable Trust

Phase 1 Session 5: Governance for social & environmental investing

Explore how you incorporate impact investment into your existing governance structure. This session will look at developing an impact investment policy which aligns with your impact priorities and charitable purpose (for registered charities). Speakers include:

• Mark O’Kelly, Director of Finance and Administration, Barrow Cadbury Trust
• Jim McCormick, CEO, Robertson Trust

Phase 1 Session 4: Breakout with Cam Ross

This is the breakout session with Cam Ross from Session 4 of the EIIG. The introduction for Session 4 is below.

Phase1 Session 4: Breakout with Dan Pescod

This is the breakout session with Dan Pescod, The Wildlife Trusts from Session 4 of the EIIG. The introduction for Session 4 is below.

Phase 1 Session 4: Breakout with Jeroen Huysinga

This is the breakout session with Jeroen Huysinga, The Wildlife Trusts from Session 4 of the EIIG. The introduction for Session 4 is below.

Phase 1 Session 4 – Introduction: Finding investments, the role of syndicates, crowdfunding platforms, and land purchase teams

This is the introduction for Session 4 of the EIIG. The breakout groups were separately recorded and can be found in the EIIG playlist.

Finding investments and being connected into the right networks can be a challenge for individual and foundation investors who are either new to investing, or getting to know a new sector. There are many different networks and platforms to know about in order to find the right types of investments. This session brings together speakers who offer different types of services to connect funders with investment opportunities. Speakers included:

• Cam Ross, Chief Executive Officer, Green Angel Syndicate
• Dan Pescod, Programme Manager, Wildlife Trusts
• Jeroen Huysinga, Senior Development Manager, Ethex
• Whitni Thomas, Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos

Phase 1 Session 3: Finding investments & due diligence for impact investment decisions

Explore finding investments and doing an initial assessment from the perspective of both small and large foundations and individual investors. We will contrast different approaches to carrying out due diligence, bringing this to life with real life portfolio examples. We will also examine setting up a financial and impact reporting process and how this differs for a fund, a direct investment or a very early stage investment. Our speakers:

• Caroline Halliday, Individual funder & Castansa Trust
• Tessa Etkin-Silver, Impact Investor, Be the Earth Foundation
• Esmee Fairbairn Foundation

Phase 1 Session 2: Getting started in environmental impact investing

Follow the impact investment journeys of foundations and individuals from those with real life experience to share. We share success stories and pitfalls around essential issues such as: how to decide your impact investing priorities, governance and developing an investment policy, gaining buy-in from others at your foundations and more. The session will also cover legal and tax frameworks for foundations and individuals led by legal and tax specialists. Our speakers:

• Andy Gnaneswaran, Head of Investment, Dunhill Medical Trust
• Felicity Malham, Director, Wates Family Charities
• Bates Wells and Buzzacott on legal and tax frameworks

Phase 1 Session 1: Emerging opportunities for environmental impact investment

Why should trusts, foundations and individual philanthropists consider impact investing, and how can they make a unique difference in this space? What does it mean to be an investor, rather than a grant funder? Where are potential investment opportunities? What things do you need to be on the lookout for? We will look at interesting case study investments with examples from different asset classes including bonds, blended finance, equity and repayable finance. Our speakers:

• Julia Davies, We Have the POWER
• Whitni Thomas, Head of Corporate Finance, Triodos Bank
• Alice Millest, Investment Director, Finance Earth