About C3

C3 is an investment, learning, and market development initiative to promote greater and more effective use of catalytic capital and enable a more just, equitable, and resilient world.

Our Goal

The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) is a collaborative effort launched in 2019 to increase the knowledge, awareness, and use of catalytic capital–a vital form of impact investing 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.
Through both grantmaking and investing programs, C3 is demonstrating the power of catalytic capital as synergistic with other forms of investing across the full continuum of capital (including commercial rates of return) to safeguard the environment, support those most in need, and ultimately to help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
C3’s founding Strategic Partners—the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, The Rockefeller Foundation, and the Omidyar Network— jointly funded $10 million in grantmaking to support these aims. MacArthur also made investments totaling more than $123 million to advance the C3 initiative.

C3 is now embarking on its next chapter, partnering with nine new impact investment leaders to expand the global catalytic capital community and fuel increased investments to advance the SDGs. In addition to ongoing support from MacArthur, new funders include Blue Haven Initiative, Builders Vision, Ceniarth, Ford Foundation, The Lemelson Foundation, Small Foundation, Sorenson Impact Foundation, Surdna Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation.

What is Catalytic Capital?

Grantmaking

Supporting field-building work. Funding helps to answer critical questions about the scope of the need for catalytic capital, identify when and how catalytic capital can be most effective, and demonstrate what tools and practices are needed, all in service of building a robust community of practice.

Grantmaking Approach

Investing

Deploying capital to funds and initiatives that demonstrate a powerful use of catalytic capital. Investments are meant to reduce risk, build track records, increase the scale of promising fund managers and set the stage for other investors to participate. The MacArthur Foundation has provided financing for C3-related investments.

Investment Field Partnerships

C3 Funding Partners

Below are the past and new funders of the C3 Grantmaking Program. C3 Grantmaking is housed at and administered by the New Venture Fund (NVF).

Ford Foundation Logo
Sorenson Impact Foundation Logo
Surdna Foundation Logo

Grantmaking Leadership

 A project advisory board and program officer provide oversight and leadership for C3 Grantmaking. MacArthur Foundation’s impact investment team manages investments in impact funds, organizations and initiatives that advance the C3 initiative.

Urmi Sengupta

Chair, Project Advisory Board

Urmi is field support manager & senior impact investments officer on the Impact Investment team at the MacArthur Foundation, where she focuses on grantmaking for field-building and collaborative activities to support increased investor awareness and participation in impact investing.
Photo of Daniel Wanjira

Daniel Wanjira

Member, Project Advisory Board

Daniel is a director at Blue Haven Initiative, where he manages the Initiatives Portfolio, deploying impact prioritizing capital to build the impact investing practice and address transient market pain points.
Photo of Lindsay Zizumbo

Lindsay Zizumbo

Member, Project Advisory Board

Lindsay is the executive director at Sorenson Impact Foundation, an investing platform focused on making transformative investments in high-potential, but underserved markets around the world.

Photo of Maggie Flanagan

Maggie Flanagan

Member, Project Advisory Board

Maggie is a senior program officer at The Lemelson Foundation, where she leads the Invention and Entrepreneurship Initiative in India and East Africa focused on supporting market-based solutions to environmental and social problems.

Stacy Xiao

Program Officer, Grantmaking

Stacy leads the day-to-day activities and implementation of the C3 grantmaking program. Contact her at stacy.xiao@newventurefund.org.

Banner Photo: Young Leaders of the Americas fellows/courtesy of Agora Partnerships.

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