Our Programme Criteria

Our Target Areas

Decent Work across
the Value-chain

Projects focused on access to quality education;

equitable access to employment; entrepreneurship and remuneration, access to rights and protections in work; supporting workers in green and just transition

Adequate Living Standards and Wellbeing

Projects focused on affordable housing, access to quality healthcare, food security & sustainable food systems, access to clean water and sanitation, access to affordable and functional economic infrastructure

Inclusive and Sustainable Communities

Projects focused on social inclusion, access to social services & support, access to and preservation of culture

Our Eligibility Criteria

Based on their Expression of Interest documents (phase 1), Applicants will be assessed on and need to comply with the following Eligibility Criteria:

Are you an Emerging Investment Manager?

The applicant is a first- or second-time investment management or investment advisory company, established or in process of establishing (the “Applicant”) and intends to set up an impact investment vehicle (the “Project”).(1)
The Applicant undertakes to uphold best reporting and market practices.(2)

The Applicant will demonstrate a commitment to develop and implement best practices in the management of responsible investments.(3)

The Applicant will or intends to be duly authorized by a competent supervisory authority of an EU Member State; or subject to a regulatory and/or supervisory regime that is equivalent to that of EU Member States.(4)

Planning to set up an Impact Investment Vehicle

The Project will finance activities made with the intention to generate positive, measured, and substantial impact.(5)

The Project will have an integrated process in place to identify, manage, monitor, and measure the environmental, social, and governance impacts, both positive and negative(6), on 100% of its investments.
The Project will apply exclusion criteria in line with Accelerating Impact’s Exclusion Policy and ensure the compliance of its investments with the defined exclusion criteria.(7)

With Social Finance as its Primary Focus

The Project’s impact strategy must focus on relevant impact themes, with an intention to contribute to decent work across the value-chain, adequate living standards and wellbeing, and/or inclusive and sustainable communities.(8)

The Project will have at least 75% of its assets contribute to one or more of these impact themes.

Aiming to Invest in Challenging Geographies

The Project will have a target portfolio consisting of investments in target countries above the programme minimum. Assets under management for every ISFA Project need to reach a minimum of 100% to be invested in countries eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA).(9)

Ready to be Accelerated?

The investment strategy is built from insights gained through the feasibility studies and the expertise of its team members, utilizing local networks and knowledge, but still to be refined.
The team has a solid grasp of the potential impact of their investment vehicle and has begun formulating their theory of change. However, the concepts of impact still require refinement and integration into a comprehensive impact measurement system.
The investment manager team boasts a sufficient array of expertise necessary for the successful launch of the fund. This expertise includes fund / vehicle management, investment management, investment acumen, technical proficiency, structuring, legal competencies, pipeline development, and fundraising capabilities.
The investment manager team possesses ample expertise and local networks, enabling them to effectively delineate a pipeline aligned with the investment strategy and impact aspirations to convince institutional investors to commit to their investment vehicle.
The Fund Project is viable and its investment strategy, impact strategy, pipeline, potential structure, and fundraising strategy are coherent.
The investment manager team’s collective knowledge, time commitment and experience provide a robust foundation for taking advantage of the programme support and reinforcing their ability in navigating the complexities of fund establishment and operation, ensuring a well-rounded and effective approach to achieving the investment vehicle's objectives.

Accelerating Impact reserves the right to update the eligibility criteria, the selection criteria, and the exclusion policy at any time. Accelerating Impact has final authority in case any conflicts arise between the eligibility criteria, the selection criteria, the exclusion policy, and any other classification systems, taxonomies, or policies.

(1) Eligible Applicants are unlisted entities, typically young companies with limited resources, that are initiating their first or second institutional vehicle, with the objective to advise and/or manage this vehicle. Managed accounts, SPVs, and pilot vehicles with limited AUM are not considered institutional vehicles. If the Applicant is part of a group of companies, i.e., multiple companies which are directly or indirectly controlled by a controlling entity, eligibility will consider on a group basis. Consortiums of non-eligible entities can be considered eligible if the parties are in process of establishing an eligible entity, subject to the group-level considerations.

(2) Applicants undertake to prepare, at least, an impact or environmental and social (E&S) report , and, in addition but not limited to, CSR/sustainability guidelines/policy, annual CSR/sustainability report, engagement policy, active ownership policy, etc. published at the level of the Applicant or part of the group. Applicants will be subject to the Accelerating Impact’s General Terms of Business and General Code of Conduct (https://www.acceleratingimpact.org/our-policies).

(3) Best practices include being a signatory to recognized responsible investment frameworks such as, but not limited to, the United Nations Principles for Responsible Investment (UN PRI) and the Operating Principles for Impact Management (OPIM).

(4) The equivalence of regulatory and/or supervisory frameworks of non-EU countries with the EU framework will be assessed premised on the equivalence decisions of the European Commission and the Luxembourg national supervisory authority.

(5) The notion of measurable impact refers to the ability to 1) identify strategic impact objectives, 2) quantify and assess the outcomes using recognized frameworks and methodologies which may include, but not only: the Impact Reporting & Investment Standards + (IRIS+), the Theory of Change, or the Operating Principles for Impact Management (OPIM), and 3) mobilise the necessary resources to implement the impact measurement process.

(6) Negative impact management includes, but is not limited to the monitoring and assessment of principle adverse impacts, and the implementation of responsible pricing and responsible growth objectives.

(7) A non-exhaustive list includes those established by development finance institutions (DFIs), UN organizations, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) Exclusion List, the Social Investing Framework by Accelerating Impact and LuxFLAG, or any other recognized standards.

(8) Social impact themes are defined according to the classification defined in the Social Investment Framework by Accelerating Impact and LuxFLAG. Please see https://www.isfa.lu/our-eligible-areas.

(9) Please see https://www.oecd.org/dac/financing-sustainable-development/development-finance-standards/daclist.htm.

Our Selection Criteria

Based on their Draft / Final Application documents (phase 2 and 3), Applicants will be assessed on the following Selection Criteria:

Investment Strategy

The investment strategy is innovative in terms of types of projects that are financed.
The investment strategy relies on thorough feasibility studies, grounded in technical expertise, local presence, and reliable information sources.
The investment strategy includes clear investment criteria specifying geographies, sectors, company types, instrument types, etc.
The investment strategy demonstrates viability and the potential to be replicated.
The investment manager has identified deal flow channels and already secured a strong pipeline of investment opportunities.

Impact Strategy

The Project’s investments are intended to have substantial impact addressing unmet needs that can be measured and monitored through best practice KPIs.
The impact strategy translates into clear ESG criteria, which are balanced and sufficiently taken into account, including relevant cross cutting topics (such as diversity, gender).
The Project demonstrates through its impact methodology how the impact is to be assessed, measured and reported on a regular basis throughout the whole lifetime of the investments.
The Project is structurally appropriate for its impact and investment strategy (such as blending public and private sources of capital).
The Project is focused on challenging geographies.
The Project envisages to provide non-financial support to its investees across their lifecycle.

Team

The Applicant’s team is sufficiently staffed and has duly considered key person risk.
The team has, collectively and individually, the necessary skills and experience to manage an investment vehicle and the necessary expertise in the targeted geographies and sectors.
The team has experience in developing, structuring and managing impact finance deals related to the Project’s investment strategy.
The team has experience and capacity to perform ESG due diligence on investees and properly address ESG issues.
The team is aligned in the development of the Project and has a credible plan to commit sufficient time to the Project over the long term.
The team demonstrates adequate personal and financial commitment (i.e. min 1% of capital plus sweat equity by each key person) to strive for the success of the fund and have adequate financial means to endure delays in the Project’s set-up process.
The Applicant has, or intends to have, a local presence, partnership or other means of support in the Project’s investment regions.

Fund Raising

The financial returns (as projected in the financial model) are capable of supporting the Project’s expected capital structure, taking into account the longer-term impact objectives, and the financial returns are attractive for private and institutional investors taking into account the non-financial return.
The Applicant demonstrates fundraising ability (able to present the Project in a convincing manner and access to excellent networking channels).
The Applicant has crafted an exhaustive list of different investors and devised a phased strategy to engage critical investors (whether anchor investors or de-risking capital providers).
The Applicant has initiated fundraising and demonstrates a high level of detail regarding the current phase of investor talks (e.g., “first contact”, “interest received”, “due diligence started”).
The Applicant has entered advanced fundraising discussions with credible investors and is able to demonstrate this with documentation (e.g., a support letter).

Our Selection Committee

Accelerating Impact has appointed an independent Selection Committee, which uses its in-depth expertise in impact investing to propose a balanced selection of innovative and promising managers.