Impact Investing Hub

The Impact Investing Hub at the George Washington University’s Institute for Corporate Responsibility is the university’s first impact incubator explicitly designed to move ideas from concept to scalable implementation, bridging the gap between theory and practice.

Our 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.

Guiding Mission: Our mission is to connect impact investing theory with practice in three primary activities:

develop, manage and verify proof-of-concept projects;
convene focused discussions of diverse stakeholders to share lessons learned;
and educate the next generation of leaders in order to realize our vision.

Our Three Strategic Pillars

Impact investing holds tremendous promise, but the field faces persistent barriers—limited proof-of-concept models, fragmented stakeholder engagement, and insufficient workforce preparation. The Hub addresses these challenges through a structured, practice-oriented approach:

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

Research and Engagement

Strong impact investments require collaboration across sectors. The Hub:

Conducts research to identify promising impact investment opportunities
Develops pre-feasibility and feasibility studies
Convenes investors, nonprofits, corporations, policymakers, and community stakeholders
Shares best practices and lessons learned to strengthen the field

Our research-driven engagement ensures projects are financially viable, operationally feasible, and socially meaningful.

Education & Talent Development

The Hub trains 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.

Our Deliberate Path from Idea to Scalable Impact

The Hub advances impact investing ideas through a deliberate, stage-based model that systematically tests and de-risks projects—from business case discovery through pilot—before handing them off to partners for scalable, market-rate impact.

1: Business Case Discovery
Exploring innovative ideas for addressing social and environmental issues. Phase focus is discovering the business case for quantifiable impact and market-rate returns.

2: Pre-Feasibility
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.

3: Feasibility
Extensive detailed report connecting PreFeasibility to specific entities (people, orgs) with more concrete analysis of partners and costs.

4: Active Pilot Project
Partner with organization to collaborate project management and funding

5: Scaling Hand-Off
Generate feasible impact projects that can be brought to scale with outside partners

Special Thanks to Our Partners

ThinkBox Group, LLC

Support the Impact Investing Hub

Select ‘Institute for Corporate Responsibility’ under 'Fund Choice' and add 'Impact Investing Hub' in the notes section.

Make a Gift

The internship program allows students to work directly with the GW Institute for Corporate Responsibility (ICR) and the Impact Investing Hub on research that supports 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.

Next Generation Impact (NGI)

We are pleased to announce the launch of the Next Generation Impact (NGI), in partnership with the GW Impact Investing Hub. As part of the Hub’s mission to expand the scale and effectiveness of impact investing, NGI promotes our belief that the next phase of the industry will be driven by collaboration across sectors and by professionals committed to rethinking how impact investing delivers both impact and financial performance. We believe the NGI represents an important opportunity to expand interest and engagement in impact investing.

Next Generation Impact (NGI) serves as a platform for professionals across diverse industries who are dedicated to making an impact within, or seeking to engage with, the impact investment community. NGI is grounded in the belief that impact investing can bridge financing gaps in the development space by leveraging private sector and impact capital. We acknowledge that the industry has not reached its full potential, falling short of what is possible in terms of both impact and returns. Through the NGI Network, we aim to help reimagine and strengthen the impact investing ecosystem by building a collaborative, cross-sector community; led by the next generation of impact investors. We welcome professionals from all impact-oriented backgrounds, across both public and private sectors, including those beginning or navigating transitions in their careers.

NGI is a fee-based membership initiative that offers members exclusive programming including mentoring webinars; a monthly newsletter; and, in-person convenings, all designed to foster learning, connection, and cross-sector dialogue.

Please follow NGI’s LinkedIn Page to stay updated on events, news, and opportunities.

To contact NGI please email Hannah Ettelstein at contactnextgenimpactgmail [dot] com (contactnextgenimpact[at]gmail[dot]com).