Impact Investing Hub
The Impact Investing Hub at the George Washington University’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility is the first university impact incubator to explicitly bridge the gap between theory and practice. To do so, the Hub will address three key challenges in the impact investing space: Project Incubation and Validation, Research and Engagement, and Education.
Vision
We seek to significantly expand the assets devoted to impact investing projects by helping to address the barriers to increased funding and by strengthening the effectiveness of field operations.
Mission
We aim to connect impact investing theory with practice in three primary activities: develop, manage and verify proof-of-concept projects; convene focussed discussions of diverse stakeholders to share lessons learned; and educate the next generation of leaders in order to realize our vision.
Partners
[pull logos for each company and have them come in similar to the Forum page, linked to each organization]
▪ Taft Infrastructure Advisors
▪ Thinkbox
Project Incubation and Validation
The Hub will:
- Incubate early-stage impact investing pilot projects
- Conduct pilot projects to demonstrate proof-of-concept
- Issue Impact Investing Hub validation of successful projects and pass them on to scaling partners
Business Case Discovery | PreFeasibility | Feasibility | Active Pilot Project | Scaling Hand-off |
| Exploring innovative ideas for addressing social and environmental issues. Phase focus is discovering the business case for quantifiable impact and market-rate returns | Documentation of Impact Investing Solution, including: impact assessment, financial feasibility assessment, and business model for an impact investment solution. Design principles that outline expanded impact, higher financial return, and lower risk | Extensive detailed report connecting PreFeasibility to specific entities (people, orgs) with more concrete analysis of partners and costs. | Partner with organization to collaborate project management and funding | Generate feasible impact projects that can be brought to scale with outside partners |
Research and Engagement
The Hub will research potential impact investing projects and bring together diverse stakeholders to share best practices and lessons learned.
- Undergraduate Internship Program:
- The internship involves working with the GWU Institute for Corporate Responsibility (ICR) and the GWU Impact Investment Hub (IIH) on research projects which will be used to construct Pre-Feasibility studies targeting impact investors. The internship is ideal for students with a strong interest in sustainability and social impact business models. Successful candidates will have one or more skills and experiences involving: financial analysis, research and data collection, subject knowledge, communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment.
Education
The Hub will train the next generation of impact investing professionals, providing formal education in broad competencies in impact investing to match the multidisciplinary, multistakeholder, and multiple funding sources requirements of successful impact investments while increasing the number of well-trained professionals in the space.
Support the Impact Investing Hub
Select ‘Institute for Corporate Responsibility’ Under Fund Choice.