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’ll explore how grants and investments can be combined to unlock greater impact.

We’ll hear 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 – we’ll explain and explore 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

This session is aimed at individuals, trustees, foundations making grants and those deploying capital, and will be interactive, with time for discussion and peer exchange.

Speakers: 

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