New independent institute launched to make it easier for investors to have a positive social impact

A new independent institute that will make it easier for people to invest their money to benefit communities and society is launching today.

The Impact Investing Institute will look for more effective ways to combine financial returns with a social purpose to help improve people’s lives.

The body will encourage ordinary savers to choose ISAs, pensions and savings products that benefit the issues they care about. These could include investments in organisations that provide housing to homeless people, renewable energy companies or businesses committed to delivering sustainable employment.

It will bring together the UK National Advisory Board on Impact Investing (UK NAB) and the Implementation Taskforce on Growing a Culture of Social Impact Investing in the UK (Implementation Taskforce).

The initiative is being led by their chairs, Sir Harvey McGrath and Elizabeth Corley, who have launched the process to recruit the CEO of the Impact Investing Institute today.

The Institute has broad backing across the financial services and social sector, and will be supported by private firms and foundations alongside the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Department for International Development and the City of London Corporation.

The launch of the Institute builds on the UK’s history of encouraging a world leading market for social impact investing and promoting the UK as a global impact investing hub.