Connecting Australia to the global impact movement
There’s a lot happening across Australia’s impact investing community, with growing connections to developments and conversations shaping the sector internationally.
In this edition, we share insights from the GSG Impact Global Leadership Meeting in Amsterdam, where I joined National Partners from around the world to discuss the next phase of the impact movement. In addition, we look at what the shift from impact investing to impact economies could mean for Australia, share an important update on the SEDI Grants program, an outcome from the Endowments for Impact Challenge, and highlight an opportunity for impact practitioners.
We also bring you the latest international thinking on the evolution of impact investing.
Enjoy!
David
David Hetherington, CEO
Impact Investing Australia
Australia joins global impact leaders in Amsterdam
Impact Investing Australia CEO, David Hetherington, joined National Partners, Taskforces and strategic partners from across the GSG Impact Partnership in Amsterdam last week for the GSG Impact Global Leadership Meeting.
As Australia’s National Partner to GSG Impact, IIA joined leaders from across markets to share experience and discuss the next phase of the impact movement. Several themes stood out from the discussions:
- From innovation to mainstreaming: The tools, data and approaches needed to advance impact investing have matured. The challenge now is putting them into practice at scale.
- Design for the real world: Investment opportunities need to reflect the needs of institutional investors, local capital markets and the organisations and communities receiving capital.
- Make what works repeatable: Successful impact investments too often rely on significant effort to bring them together. The focus is shifting towards models that can be replicated and scaled.
- Create the conditions for capital to move: Policy, regulation, data, market infrastructure and partnerships all have a role to play in enabling more capital to flow towards positive impact.
The meeting also explored the shift from impact investing to impact economies – a broader ambition to embed positive impact across economic systems, rather than treating impact as a niche within financial markets (read our story further below).
For IIA, these discussions provide an important international perspective as we continue to connect Australian practitioners, investors and policymakers with developments across the global impact investing movement.
SEDI Grants coming to an end
There are just two grant rounds left in the SEDI Grants program, with the final round expected in January 2027.
As the grants administrator, we’re encouraging all eligible social enterprises to submit an Expression of Interest as soon as possible. Historically, the final SEDI Grant round has been very competitive with a much higher number of submissions. There will potentially be less grants available in the final round (in early 2027).
If you’re a social enterprise considering applying:
- Check your eligibility on our website, including whether your organisation aligns with the Department of Social Services outcome areas.
- Submit an Expression of Interest (EOI) as soon as possible to allow time for our review and any follow-up.
- Once we’ve reviewed your EOI, you’ll be prompted to book a call with the SEDI Grants team to discuss your eligibility.
- If you’re considered eligible, you’ll receive a link to complete the grant application. The application process can take time, so we recommend starting early.
Note: SEDI First Nations Grants are expected to close in early 2027. Stay tuned for details.
Grant application tips
We’ve updated our tips for submitting a successful SEDI Grant application. We recommend you review these before submitting an application.
From impact investing to impact economies
The impact investing conversation is broadening – from identifying investments that create positive impact to considering what needs to change to enable more capital to flow towards social and environmental outcomes.
Our latest OnImpact story explores this shift, looking at the role of policy, market infrastructure, impact measurement and investment structures in creating the conditions for impact investing to grow. It also considers what these developments mean for Australian investors and how Australia can contribute to, and learn from, the global impact investing movement.
New IMM Practitioner Community in ANZ
Impact practitioners are invited to join the inaugural Impact Measurement and Management (IMM) Practitioner Community Call for Australia and New Zealand on Thursday 1 October.
Convened by Sabina Curatolo, Donna Loveridge and Caitlin Medley, and supported by Impact Investing Australia, the webinar will explore the opportunities and challenges facing the growing IMM community in ANZ, and how a practitioner community could support advanced practice.
Date: Thursday 1 October 2026
Time: 11am–12pm AEST
Location: Online via Zoom (joining link sent upon registration)
Two ways to get involved:
Register for the Community Call
Complete the IMM Practitioner Survey by 2 October. The five-minute survey will help shape the conversation and inform future community activities.
EFIC leads to new mission-aligned investment partnership
A new investment partnership between the Reichstein Foundation, Australian Impact Investments (Aii) and Australian Ethical is an outcome of last year’s Endowments for Impact Challenge (EFIC), which IIA was proud to administer on behalf of the six participating trusts and foundations.
EFIC was Australia’s first collaborative open tender competition to identify investment advisors offering mission-aligned, responsible and impact investment approaches. Following the Challenge, the Reichstein Foundation invited all six finalists to tender for financial services, ultimately selecting Aii and Australian Ethical to manage its endowment through the new Australian Ethical Balanced Income Fund.
The Fund is designed for foundations, not-for-profits and other values-driven wholesale investors, combining a diversified portfolio with a dedicated allocation to impact investments.
International news
The evolution of impact investing
Outgoing GIIN CEO and co-founder, Amit Bouri, recently spoke with ImpactAlpha about the evolution of impact investing since the GIIN’s founding in 2009 and where the field is heading.
The conversation covers the growth of the market, scaling with integrity, the role of impact measurement and management, and the importance of focusing on real-world outcomes rather than capital deployed. Amit also previews the GIIN’s global impact investing market sizing (to be released at the GIIN Impact Forum in Amsterdam, October 27–29).