CHICAGO (October 24, 2024)—Leaders of the Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) today announced the next chapter of the C3 Grantmaking initiative: the extension of a collaborative program working to build the catalytic capital community and increase investments that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Beginning in 2025, six new philanthropic partners will join the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in extending the C3 initiative for an additional three years, providing grant support to promote learning, collaboration, and catalytic investment for social and environmental impact, while helping grow an energetic and activated community of practice. C3’s work will include a new focus on the role of catalytic capital in specific areas, starting with climate.
Funders for the three-year effort include MacArthur, one of C3’s founding strategic partners, as well as Blue Haven Initiative, Builders Vision, Ceniarth, The Lemelson Foundation, Small Foundation, and Walton Family Foundation. New Venture Fund serves as fiscal sponsor for the C3 Grantmaking initiative.
“We enthusiastically welcome this dynamic and diverse group of new partners as we collaborate to write the next chapter of the C3 initiative,” said Debra Schwartz, Managing Director of Impact Investments at MacArthur. “Together, we can help expand the use of catalytic capital globally, building on the field’s strong engagement and momentum.”
MacArthur launched C3 in 2019 in partnership with Omidyar Network and The Rockefeller Foundation. It was designed as an investment, learning, and market development initiative to help impact investors embrace the full spectrum of capital needed to make progress on the SDGs. It recognized the fact that while impact investments centered on fully risk-adjusted returns are essential, they are not sufficient.
Over the past three years, C3 Grantmaking has funded dozens of projects to analyze capital gaps, develop new tools, showcase innovative market solutions, and demonstrate investment models to inform activity throughout the field. C3 with its grantee partners also has brought together catalytic capital investors across the globe in a vibrant community of practitioners who are sharing their expertise and perspectives with each other.
While grant support for this activity was expected to end in 2024, investors expressed strong interest in seeing the work continue. They pointed to C3’s role in helping elevate catalytic capital leaders, while also establishing a common understanding of catalytic capital and its contributions across markets and regions.
The partners launching the next chapter of C3 look forward to helping the fast-growing catalytic capital community thrive. Together, they aim to lead the way in unlocking meaningful impact and additional investment that would not otherwise be possible:
- Blue Haven Initiative: “At Blue Haven Initiative, we see catalytic capital as a crucial tool for addressing complex global challenges that conventional investments often cannot reach. By partnering with the Catalytic Capital Consortium, we aim to foster collaboration and innovation within the impact investing community. Together, we can drive forward bold solutions that deliver lasting social and environmental change, while building a more resilient and equitable global economy.” – Daniel Wanjira, Director of Strategic Initiatives
- Builders Vision: “Builders Vision is proud to support C3 and honored to collaborate with this incredible community of partners to expand the landscape of impact investing and establish a dedicated climate pillar. Over the past several years, C3 has highlighted the critical role of markets in driving impact and the importance of catalytic capital in unlocking innovative opportunities. We are pleased to support the ongoing evolution of this initiative and look forward to working together to create a robust pipeline that delivers both positive impact and financial returns for our communities, the economy, and our planet.” – Noelle Laing, Chief Investment Officer of the Builders Initiative team
- Ceniarth: “We are proud to support this next phase of the C3 initiative, not only as a funder, but also by leading and facilitating the Catalytic Capital Dealmakers Roundtable, a forum for leading practitioners to actively share pipeline. We are hopeful that the coming years will see significant new commitments from foundations and family offices to this impact-first form of investing.” – Diane Isenberg, Founder
- The Lemelson Foundation: “The Lemelson Foundation is proud to support the next phase of the Catalytic Capital Consortium. C3 has established a strong foundation for fostering community and innovation within the catalytic capital community. As we look to the future, there is immense potential for C3 to advance greater collaboration and coordination among catalytic capital providers and the broader finance and investment world. By strengthening these connections, we can collectively unlock new opportunities for impactful investment and accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals.” – Maggie Flanagan, Senior Program Officer
- Small Foundation: “Catalytic capital is a critical financing tool to develop nascent markets in Africa, and Small Foundation is excited to be supporting the C3 initiative and its community of practice. Learning from such a diverse group of peers has helped us not only support our partners more effectively, but also coordinate our capital to be complementary and additional to what is in the market.” – Karina Wong, Head of Investments
- Walton Foundation: “Catalytic capital is key to scaling nature-based solutions in agriculture, fisheries, and watersheds to benefit people and the environment. We see C3 as an exciting opportunity to work with other leaders in the field to drive progress.” – Morgan Snyder, Senior Program Officer
C3-supported research and tools are available on C3’s website.
Join the initiative’s growing community of practice.
About C3
The Catalytic Capital Consortium (C3) is a collaborative initiative launched in 2019 to increase the knowledge, awareness, and use of catalytic capital—a vital form of impact investing that is patient, risk-tolerant, concessionary, and flexible in ways that differ from conventional investment. Through a combination of grantmaking and investing programs, C3 is demonstrating the power of catalytic capital to unlock impact and investment that would not otherwise be possible. In this way, C3 seeks to help safeguard the environment, support those most in need and, ultimately, help achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. For more, visit www.catalyticcapitalconsortium.org.