Impact investing is an investment strategy that aims to generate positive social or environmental effects in addition to financial gains – mobilising existing investment capital to make a much larger social impact.
Working with The Human Safety Net, Generali Investment is investing a proportion of its funds in enterprises that put measurable positive social impact at the forefront of their business model.
As part of a pilot project, Generali has invested €22million in two leading impact funds – Impact Growth IV and Raise Impact – both of which invest in social enterprises across Europe, focusing on a wide range of issues, including health, education, employment and renewable energy.
In addition, in July 2021, Generali France launched a dedicated impact investment arm, Generali Investissement à Impact, together with INCO Ventures, a leading fund manager. This €12m fund invests in companies that help integrate refugees, as well as those which improve the lives of the most vulnerable families and children through access to education, health, food and housing.
For The Human Safety Net, impact investing is a way of mobilising investment capital above and beyond its philanthropic resources. Because it is complementary to the grants given by The Human Safety Net, it is a strategy that unlocks human potential on a far greater scale.
The investments with The Human Safety Net address three themes: children and families; displaced people, immigrants and refugees; and financial distress among these beneficiaries – all central to its core activities.
Emma Ursich, Executive Director of The Human Safety Net, said: “Impact investing allows us to create a dramatic expansion of our mission to support vulnerable families and refugees. The projects funded contribute to social inclusion more broadly, making investments in areas such as social housing, nutrition, microfinance and stable employment, all of which help to create an enabling environment for the disadvantaged people served by our programmes and NGO partners.”