Create an Account to Apply to the ISFA Programme

 

Are you an Emerging Investment Manager?

  • The applicant is a first- or second-time investment management or investment advisory company, established or in process of establishing (the “Applicant”) and intends to set up an impact investment vehicle (the “Project”).1

  • The Applicant will demonstrate best reporting and market practices.2

  • The Applicant will demonstrate a commitment to develop and implement best practices in the management of responsible investments by being signatory to recognized responsible investment frameworks.3

  • The Applicant will or intends to be duly authorized by a competent regulatory and/or supervisory authority of countries or jurisdictions not included on the FAFT/GAFI Black List.4

Planning to set up an Impact Investment Vehicle

  • The Project will have a strategy enabling the generation of positive and measurable impact 4 alongside financial return on investments, in line with its sustainable investment objective(s).5

  • The Project will target to finance activities made with the intention to generate positive, measured, and substantial impact. The Project will highlight if/how it is addressing unmet needs for specific target populations.

  • The Project will have an integrated process in place to identify, manage, monitor, and measure the environmental and social impacts on 100% of its investments.

  • The Project will apply exclusion criteria in line with the Accelerating Impact’s Exclusion Policy and ensure the compliance of its investments with the defined exclusion criteria.

With Social Finance as its Primary Focus

  • The Project’s impact strategy must focus on relevant impact themes, with an intention to contribute to decent work across the value-chain, adequate living standards and wellbeing, and/or inclusive and sustainable communities.6

  • The Project will have at least 75% of its total assets allocated to investments that contribute to one or more of these impact themes, and shall be assessed through an impact measurement and management system aligned with best practices.

Aiming to Invest in Challenging Geographies

  • The Project will have a target portfolio consisting of investments in target countries above the programme minimum. Assets under management for every ISFA Project need to reach a minimum of 100% to be invested in countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA).7

Ready to be Accelerated?

  • The investment strategy is built from insights gained through the feasibility studies and the expertise of its team members, utilizing local networks and knowledge, but still to be refined.

  • The team has a solid grasp of the potential impact of their investment vehicle and has begun formulating their theory of change. However, the concepts of impact still require refinement and integration into a comprehensive impact measurement system.

  • The investment manager team boasts a sufficient array of expertise necessary for the successful launch of the fund. This expertise includes fund / vehicle management, investment management, investment acumen, technical proficiency, structuring, legal competencies, pipeline development, and fundraising capabilities.

  • The investment manager team possesses ample expertise and local networks, enabling them to effectively delineate a pipeline aligned with the investment strategy and impact aspirations to convince institutional investors to commit to their investment vehicle.

  • The investment vehicle and the investment manager team’s collective knowledge, time commitment and experience provide a robust foundation for taking advantage of the programme support and reinforcing their ability in navigating the complexities of fund establishment and operation, ensuring a well-rounded and effective approach to achieving the investment vehicle's objectives.

1 Eligible Applicants are unlisted entities, typically young companies with limited resources, that are initiating their first or second institutional vehicle, with the objective to advise and/or manage this vehicle. Managed accounts, SPVs, and pilot vehicles with limited AUM are not considered institutional vehicles. If the Applicant is part of a group of companies, i.e., multiple companies which are directly or indirectly controlled by a controlling entity, eligibility will consider on a group basis. Consortiums of non-eligible entities can be considered eligible if the parties are in process of establishing an eligible entity, subject to the group-level considerations.

2 Applicants undertake to prepare, at least, an impact or an Environment and Social (E&S) report, and, in addition but not limited to, CSR/sustainability guidelines/policy, annual CSR/sustainability report, engagement policy, active ownership policy, etc. published at the level of the Applicant or at the level of its group. Applicants will be subject to Accelerating Impact's General Terms of Business and General Code of Conduct (https://www.acceleratingimpact.org/our-policies).

3 Recognized responsible investment frameworks such as, but not limited to, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and the Operating Principles for Impact Management (OPIM).

4 The notion of measurable impact refers to the ability to quantify and assess the outcomes using recognized frameworks and methodologies which may include, but not only: the Impact Reporting & Investment Standards + (IRIS+), the Theory of Change, the (Inclusive Finance) Universal Standards for Social and Environmental Performance Management by Cerise+SPTF, Impact Measurement and Management by Impact Europe.

5 For a Project that is not subject to the SFDR, this requirement will be assessed on the basis of the Project’s legal and reporting documentation, and its non-financial objective described therein.

6 Social impact themes are defined according to the classification defined in the Social Investment Framework created by Accelerating Impact and LuxFLAG. Please see https://www.isfa.lu/our-eligible-areas.

7 Please see https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/daclist.htm.