Last chance to shape Australia’s impact benchmark
This month’s newsletter highlights key moments across Australia’s impact investing market – from the final opportunity to contribute to our national benchmarking survey, to the new SEDI First Nations Grant funding and fresh insights on how capital is being mobilised at scale.
Our 2026 Benchmarking Impact Survey, delivered in partnership with the Centre for Social Impact at UNSW, closes on 30 June. This is the last chance to contribute to Australia’s most comprehensive dataset on impact investing activity and performance. We encourage participation from across the ecosystem to help strengthen the evidence base for the sector.
We share an update on the new SEDI First Nations Grants, with approximately $2.5 million in funding to support First Nations social enterprises – with further details to come shortly.
This edition also explores blended finance insights from the RIAA Conference, highlighting the importance of catalytic capital and scalable structures, as well as new analysis from our Impact Deal Tracker showing continued growth in climate investment, private debt and government co-investment.
Finally, we feature ASFI’s Leadership in Practice program and international insights from GSG Impact.
We look forward to connecting soon.
David
David Hetherington, CEO
Impact Investing Australia
Last chance to contribute to Australia’s impact investing benchmark
Time is running out to have your say in one of the most important pieces of research shaping the future of impact investing in Australia.
Our 2026 Benchmarking Impact Survey, delivered in partnership with the UNSW Centre for Social Impact, closes on 30 June. The survey will inform the next Benchmarking Impact: Australian Impact Investor Insights, Activity and Performance Report 2026 – Australia’s most comprehensive snapshot of impact investing activity, performance and market sentiment.
We encourage participation from across the impact investing ecosystem, including investors (acting and emerging), advisers, intermediaries, fund managers and other market participants. Every response helps strengthen the evidence base for the sector and provides valuable insights into how impact capital is being deployed across Australia.
By taking part, you will help:
- Build the most up-to-date national picture of impact investing
- Strengthen market insights on performance, allocations and impact outcomes
- Identify barriers and opportunities for capital flow
- Support the continued growth of a sector now exceeding $157 billion in Australia
The survey takes approximately 20–30 minutes to complete, is confidential and ethics-approved, and is open to participants across all asset classes and impact themes.
Don’t miss the opportunity to contribute — complete the survey before 30 June.
Thanks for supporting this important research and helping shape the future of impact investing.
SEDI First Nations Grants – coming soon
The federal government is investing approximately $2.5 million in a dedicated Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) funding round for First Nations social enterprises, supporting opportunity, inclusion and innovation in First Nations communities.
In partnership with Malu Pty Ltd, IIA has been selected as the SEDI First Nations Grants Administrator.
For more information
SEDI First Nations Grants will open soon. Subscribe via our website to receive further updates.
Blended finance at scale
Australia’s impact investing market has now surpassed $157 billion – but unlocking the next wave of capital will require new ways of bringing together institutional, philanthropic, government and private investors.
In our latest OnImpact story, our Head of Engagement Michelle Di Fabio explores the key insights from the 2026 RIAA Australia Conference session Blended Finance at Scale: Mobilising Institutional, Philanthropic and Private Capital for Impact Investing. The story unpacks why catalytic capital is essential to unlocking larger pools of investment, how blended finance opportunities are growing in both Australia and emerging markets, and why education and awareness remain the biggest barriers to participation.
The article also highlights practical examples and opportunities in Australian and emerging markets, from climate finance aggregators to DFAT’s Indo-Pacific initiatives – and explains why the future of blended finance depends on creating structures that are scalable, repeatable and accessible.
Key takeaways:
- Blended finance works when each type of capital plays a role aligned to its objectives and risk profile.
- Education and collaboration matter as much as deal flow.
- The goal is to make blended finance “big, boring and repeatable” – not bespoke and inaccessible.
Impact Deal Tracker: What the latest data reveals
IIA’s Impact Deal Tracker includes 14 impact investing commitments from 2026 – ranging from $250,000 to $5 billion. This totals a list of ~200 commitments, providing investors with a clear view of market activity, capital flows and allocation trends – helping provide a stronger foundation for investment decision-making. The 2026 commitments provide some current insights on the market:
Climate dominates – but the sector is diversifying fast: Eight of the 14 commitments for 2026 are climate focused, covering sub-categories including infrastructure, hard-to-abate industries, nature-based solutions and deep tech. Examples include the CEFC’s $70 million into a Queensland Investment Corporation fund, IP Group’s $50 million Climate Catalyst Fund and Graphite Energy’s $40 million raise for green steam thermal energy storage systems.
Nature-based solutions are gaining ground with the $81 million Tiwi Islands Native Forestry Project and Regal Partners’ $65 million commitment to the Kilter Rural Water Fund. Deep-tech climate ventures include PlasmaLeap’s $30 million raise to accelerate zero-emissions production of fertilisers and fuels.
The rising role of private debt in impact investing: Loans dominate the 2026 deals. They include ANZ’s $480 million social loan to Enliven Housing Group, a $235 million social loan to For Purpose Aged Care Australia (backed by several banks), plus smaller catalytic loans to social enterprises.
Government capital anchors the deals: The CEFC is involved in multiple investments, including the $5 billion Net Zero Fund via National Reconstruction Fund Corporation, designed to crowd in private capital.
Three things the data tells investors right now:
- Climate is segmented
- Private debt in social infrastructure is scaling
- Government co-investment is accelerating
Explore the Impact Deal Tracker on IIA’s website or submit a commitment for inclusion at deals@impactinvestingaustralia.com
IIA acknowledges Impact Investing Hub and its philanthropic partners for contributing information on deals included in the Tracker.
Building sustainable finance leadership in practice
The Australian Sustainable Finance Institute (ASFI) has launched Leadership in Practice, a program designed to strengthen the leadership and implementation capabilities needed to advance sustainable finance within organisations.
Building on ASFI’s successful Leadership Working Groups, the program recognises that driving sustainability outcomes requires more than technical expertise. It focuses on the practical skills needed to lead change, navigate complexity, build internal alignment and overcome organisational barriers.
The next program will commence in July, bringing together a senior leader and an emerging colleague from the same organisation, combining cohort-based learning with tailored coaching support. Participants will explore topics including leading organisational change, transition planning, influence and decision-making, cultural and capability constraints, and identifying structural barriers and opportunities.
In addition, participants will receive coaching from ASFI CEO Kristy Graham, helping them apply the learning to a real sustainable finance challenge or opportunity within their organisation.
Read more about the Leadership in Practice program on the ASFI website.
International news
Impact vehicle structuring: a practitioner’s guide
GSG Impact’s new guide for ecosystem builders, fund managers, policymakers and development institutions explains how to get investment to where it is needed most. It demystifies how impact vehicles are designed and structured, offering practical, replicable guidance to help organisations catalyse capital flows into local impact economies.
Impact vehicle structuring: a practitioner’s guide, sets out how to:
- Assess where market gaps and financing needs exist
- Build the partnerships needed for implementation
- Structure investment strategy and financial design
It presents:
- A clear six-step roadmap from identifying market gaps to operationalising a vehicle
- Practical tools and guidance to support each stage of the structuring process
- Real-world case studies
As Australia’s representative on GSG Impact, we’re pleased to share resources like this with the Australian market.
GSG Impact Summit 2027
Co-hosted with the Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing, the GSG Impact Summit 2027 will convene leaders shaping the future of policy, finance and business to explore the theme Building Impact Economies – Financing the Future.
The Summit, to be held in The Hague, the Netherlands on 2–3 March 2027, will examine what it takes to build impact economies and define practical pathways to get there. With inspiring stories of impact at scale, data-driven insights and impact commitments from governments and investors, the GSG Impact Summit 2027 will position impact as the next frontier of economic innovation.
