ENHANCING THE IMPACT MANAGEMENT PROCESS

The Surdna Foundation is a 100 year-old charitable organization with an endowment of over $1 billion, roughly $170 million of which is allocated to impact investing in racial equity, climate justice, and narrative change. In order to measure the particular outcomes and social benefits that result from investments in its impact portfolio and align them more closely to its goals, Surdna’s impact investing team engaged a Capstone team to conduct broad field research to understand the capabilities of fund managers and shared challenges within the industry. The team focused on developing tools to help Surdna become more strategic in selecting new investments and understanding how those investments can create social change. The team provided Surdna with two reports: the first details best practices from the industry and looks critically at solutions for organizational stumbling blocks, and the second provides targeted recommendations on communication and implementation.