Open Road

#TBT Last month, we proudly announced that Open Road was selected to the ImpactAssets 50 2024 as an Emerging Impact Manager. It's a pleasure to be selected among a diverse group of impact investment fund managers demonstrating the potential to create impact. The IA 50 Emerging Impact Manager list spotlights newer fund managers to watch that may demonstrate future potential to produce meaningful impact. H/T to others on the list including Chasing Rainbows, 1863? Ventures, Impact Engine, Active Impact Investments, Community Investment Management, Beyond Capital Ventures, Mission Driven Finance?, EcoEnterprises Fund, Aruwa Capital Management and all the others on the list. See the full list here: https://lnkd.in/e5Th5bye

Climate United is taking the legal fight to the EPA to protect the green bank. “As community lenders know, bringing clean energy, efficiency, and resiliency to homeowners, schools, and small businesses saves them money and makes our local communities stronger,” Beth Bafford told ImpactAlpha. “That’s what we care about and that’s why we’re filing in court.” Read more ?? https://lnkd.in/ec-erkHG

Who is stepping up with funding now that #USAID has faltered? Here are 5 donors you can approach now to support your programs. 1?? Open Road ?provides 0% bridge financing to companies directly affected by USAID cuts 2?? Founders Pledge?in partnership with?The Life You Can Save?is expanding its Global Health & Development Fund 3?? Developed Countries NGO Delegation to the Stop TB Partnership Board?will support 130 local TB organizations in 38 countries affected by foreign aid suspensions 4?? GlobalGiving?launched emergency fundraising to support grassroots organizations impacted by the aid freeze 5?? NEAR (Network for Empowered Aid Response)?provides flexible, trust-based grants to its members significantly impacted by this funding freeze

Anne Field spoke with The Global Impact Investing Network's Amit Bouri about the role impact investors can play today and major trends he sees on the horizon. "It’s really important that impact investing connects with people and has the right framing that responds to the moment we’re living in," says Amit. Story via Forbes. Read the full piece here ?? https://lnkd.in/epZg5dhW

WIIP’s Career Trek to the Nation’s Capital ??? Last Friday, Wharton Impact Investing Partners led a trek to Washington, DC to meet with some of the leading voices in impact investing in the nation’s capital. Our group met with a mix of early-stage equity inventors, multilaterals, short-term bridge lenders, and more to get a robust picture of the state of impact investing broadly in Washington, DC. We are incredibly grateful for all the professionals who met with us and shared their passion and advice. A huge thank you to David Mathewson at Quona Capital, Luis Simón and Vinicio Stort at IDB Lab/IDB Invest, Emily (Praktish) Stofft at Open Road , Raimundo Nery, Rashad Kaldany, and Mauricio Orellana at Blue like an Orange Sustainable Capital, Maddie Ulanow at The Global Impact Investing Network, and Joanna Abousleiman, Jacob Kim, Valeria Vecchi, Erinda Semanjaku, Rudy Perecin Mare?o and Shenna R. at IFC as well as everyone who attended our happy hour to connect with other dedicated investors. We would also like to shout out the Wharton Club of the National Capital Region for their support in bringing together Wharton alumni across the space for meaningful conversations. The Wharton School, #WhartonImpactInvestingPartners #SustainableInvesting #SocialImpact #InvestmentAssociate #WhartonMBAInvestForGood #CareersWithImpact Student participants: Mallika Patkar, Alexa Huether, Paula Benitez, Vitoria Velho, Abigael B., Ari Brathwaite, Rakan Aboneaaj, Abhi Chadha

The MacArthur Foundation will increase its annual giving from 5% of its endowment—the minimum required by the IRS—to at least 6% for the next two years, President John Palfrey told the AP. The foundation, which reported $8.7 billion in assets in 2023, typically distributes around $400 million annually. “This is a major crisis for our sector and it’s a time when those of us who can do more should do more,” said Palfrey told The Associated Press.

For impact investors, there’s much keep in mind as we move into the new year, including the growing demand for catalytic capital and an evolving approach to climate finance. These “seven things to watch” from The Global Impact Investing Network may be helpful to see: https://bit.ly/4k1YhaT

EPA’s efforts to claw back ‘green bank’ funds hit a snag. “The grants were awarded through a transparent, competitive process, just like any other federal grant program. The suggestion that these funds were “unknown” or part of a secret agenda is nothing more than an attempt to delegitimize clean energy investments and justify efforts to dismantle climate funding under the guise of fiscal oversight," writes Chéri Smith of the Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy on LinkedIn.?

Our founder, Laurie Michaels, and our CEO, Caroline Bressan, spoke with Inside Philanthropy about how Open Road learned to embrace impact investing, and our approach during uncertain times. You can read the full piece here: https://lnkd.in/eq5Kwycg Thank you for the write-up, Ade A.

It’s been a disruptive few weeks in the #internationaldevelopment sector to say the least. Many of you in my network are being affected and I wanted to share my support in the form of several resources ?? . For organizations looking to diversify your #funding strategies: ?? Check out Caroline Bressan's post last week on how Open Road could potentially support - also reposted on my profile. ?? Follow Unlock Aid for some great resources (including bridge funding they’re raising from a consortium of funders) and to review their 90-day #ForeignAid Review Memo ?? Follow Kevin L. Brown on LinkedIn for effective fundraising and brand-building tips. ?? Read “Finding Your Nonprofit’s Funding Strategy” https://lnkd.in/eSvyrJMT by The Bridgespan Group. It walks through 3 main questions: ? ?? What is your funding model today and what has it taken to raise that money? ?? What might be the optimal one or two revenue categories for your organization? ?? What capabilities do you need to successfully raise money from those revenue categories? See Funder Categories table in the article (and below) for Funder Motivations (key!) and Assets & Capabilities your organization needs to pursue various types of funding. For individuals looking for new opportunities: ?? If you’re thinking about going independent - I’ll be sharing about my personal lessons learned plus valuable tips shared with me by other independent consultants. ?? Check out the Job Seekers and Job Opportunities Google doc started by Joanne Sonenshine https://lnkd.in/eBu7P9XT #fundraising #fundraisingtips #internationalaid