our story
EIIP was created to better harness the growing social impact investing movement to tackle inequality and advance human rights, in the UK and beyond. Since then we have been defining and building the field and the market for equality impact investing through bringing together social finance and equality and human rights actors who are committed to tackling inequality.
Why and how we started
EIIP was created in 2018 as response to both a challenge and an opportunity.
The challenge was that a growing social impact investing movement, despite having a focus on tackling key social challenges, was not connecting or engaging significantly with the equality and human rights movements, and vice versa. Although social impact investors were increasingly focusing, and acting on diversity – in terms of who was making and receiving investments – this is only one aspect of advancing equality.
Research, in particular from the emerging gender lens investing movement, such as the Young Foundation’s The Sky’s The Limit and Criterion Institute’s The State of the Field, found that there was not only a limited focus on gender but a wider lack of action on other dimensions of inequality, such as racism and poverty, and little recognition of the interconnection between them. In addition, just as interest in equality impact grew, so too did concerns about 'equality impact washing'.
However, there was also an opportunity. This same research showed a real openness from investors to do more, coupled with a growing awareness of systemic and rising inequality, including its role in undermining wider sustainable development. This indicated that the main block to more investor action on inequality was not a lack of will but a lack of clarity on the way to do it.
In this context EIIP was created, initially as a collaborative research and development effort to explore and define what EII and its strategies comprise and to assess the extent these strategies were in use. We were particularly interested in strategies that were directly supporting social sector organisations whose focus was on tackling inequality, discrimination and advancing human rights and good relations.
This process identified that EII can include multiple dimensions and multiple strategies. It also affirmed previous research that only a few investors were currently working to tackle broader issues or dimensions of inequality, either in their own practices or through their investment strategies. Additionally it indicated a lack of alignment between how equality was understood and measured within social impact investment and in the wider equality movement.
EIIP’s research comprised a call for evidence, a literature review and drew on a process of dialogue and consultation with over 30 UK social investors, including both finance wholesalers and social investment finance intermediaries (SIFIs); and over 80 equality and human rights organisations. The report published as a result of that research, Equality Impact Investing: From Principles to Practice, defined clear principles and strategies for EII, assessed the extent these were being used. It outlined the conditions that would support an increase and made recommendations for action.
These recommendations include:
Delivering greater investor action for EII through setting collective and individual equality impact goals and targets in key investor policies and plans.
Increasing investor capacity to both apply EII principles and strategies and contribute to the further development of the field.
Progressing the wider enabling conditions for increased levels of EII e.g. changes in impact management practice, clearer professional standards and development tracks and a more incentivising and enabling policy/ regulatory framework.
Strengthening the infrastructure needed to nurture and embed EII in the market in the longer term. This includes a sustainable EIIP as an ongoing centre for EII expertise.
Access the Executive Summary here.
Our activities and impact to date
Since our founding in 2018, the EIIP has:
Defined clear principles and strategies for EII; assessed the extent these are being used; outlined what conditions would support an increase in EII and made recommendations for action. For more information see our first major publication, Equality Impact Investing: From Principles to Practice. The findings of the report and subsequent discussions have increasingly shifted the dial and widened debate on what social impact investing can and should be trying to do to tackle inequality.
Established an EII UK Task Force made up of key strategic actors in both social finance and equality and human rights, from public, VCSE and private sectors to co-ordinate and collaborate on both delivering and further developing these recommendations. A number of these have taken significant and concrete actions - including a dedicated new Enterprise Development Programme for Equality and Human Rights VCSE’s, funding streams to target diverse founders, policy development and research. Read more in our Task Force profile section
Commenced development of a range of discreet development processes and projects to advance the wider conditions for EII.
Convened a social impact investor’s summit to give focused space to consider sector responses to the inequality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This highlighted the imperative to increase both the pace and the depth of action by the UK social impact investment sector to tackle inequality.
Delivered or coordinated strategic, policy and practice advice and input to a range of individual investors and their networks.
Please see Current Work and Latest for our ongoing and recent initiatives and activities.