Catalytic Capital
Fuel for Social and Environmental Progress
Investments that strengthen communities, expand economic opportunity, and support innovation that advances the well-being of people and the planet.
Building a more just, equitable, and resilient world
Millions of households, enterprises, and funds struggle to access the capital they need to build a better future for themselves and the wider world. Catalytic capital is a vital form of impact investment that addresses these critical capital gaps–offering financing that accepts disproportionate risk and/or concessionary returns relative to a conventional investment in order to generate positive impact and enable third-party investment that otherwise would not be possible. It is essential to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Research & Learning
Search for catalytic capital data and analysis that can help inform and accelerate the deployment of vital investments across sectors and regions.
News & Stories
Read more about transformative organizations and investments. Visit the Catalytic Capital Beat at ImpactAlpha for additional insights from the field.
Partners & Projects
Meet C3 investees, grantees and partners. Learn about their projects to design, deploy, and analyze catalytic capital solutions that support social and environmental progress.
Join Our Catalytic Capital Community
The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) is launching new programming in 2025, partnering with six new philanthropic investors to build a global community of practice in the field of catalytic capital through peer discussions and other opportunities to share experiences, data and analysis. Read the announcement here.
Fueling Small Businesses in Africa: A Q&A with Open Capital
As part of a research project supported by C3, Open Capital analyzed financing gaps for small and growing businesses (SGBs) in the agriculture and health care sectors in sub-Saharan Africa, quantifying the impact and need for catalytic debt in these sectors. The resulting report, Scaling Impact of Agricultural and Healthcare SGBs in SSA through Catalytic Debt, shares the perspectives of entrepreneurs throughout the region and illustrates what is needed to help businesses thrive.
C3 checked in with Remy Olsen, senior project leader in Nairobi, Kenya at Open Capital, on what he is seeing in terms of opportunity and growth potential for African SGBs. You can also check out Open Capital’s 2023 Impact Report for more.
Catalytic Capital: An Essential Impact Driver
In a commentary for Mission Investors Exchange, C3’s Urmi Sengupta takes a look at successful strategies to deploy catalytic capital in support of climate justice, place-based investing and entrepreneurship/small business development. She discusses, in particular, the increasing role of philanthropic investors in impact-first transactions.
“While many kinds of investors can participate in catalytic capital transactions, foundations and family offices are especially well-positioned to play an outsized role,” she writes. “This comes from their high degree of flexibility relative to many other types of investors, as well as their desire, if not mandate, to take an ‘impact first’ approach.”
Banner Photo: Rangsutra Crafts, India/courtesy of 200 Million Artisans.
Bottom Photo Montage: Courtesty of C3 grantees (L to R): Ashesi University, Pacific Community Ventures and 200 Million Artisans.