The Soros Economic Development Fund is proud to be a sponsor of the The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) Impact Forum 2024. As an impact investor focused on urgent global challenges, SEDF depends on collaboration and partnership. The GIIN Impact Forum is an exceptional place to create and deepen alliances across the nonprofit, public and private sectors. At this year’s Impact Forum in Amsterdam, SEDF's CEO, Georgia Levenson Keohane, will speak on the important role responsible investment can play in strengthening democracy — in supporting inclusive, sustainable and open societies across the world. This year, more than ever, SEDF looks forward to reconnecting with old friends and forging new and mission-critical partnerships. impactinvestorforum.org
Soros Economic Development Fund
Investment Management
New York, NY 1,087 followers
The Soros Economic Development Fund is the impact investment arm of the Open Society Foundations.
About us
The Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) is the impact investment arm of the Open Society Foundations. We make private-sector investments to advance the Foundations’ enduring commitments of equity, expression, and justice. Launched in 1997, the Fund promotes Open Society’s goals of building vibrant, inclusive, and equitable societies.
- Website
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https://www.soroseconomicdevelopmentfund.org/
External link for Soros Economic Development Fund
- Industry
- Investment Management
- Company size
- 11-50 employees
- Headquarters
- New York, NY
- Type
- Nonprofit
- Founded
- 1997
Locations
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Primary
224 W 57th St
New York, NY 10019, US
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8 Back Hill
London, England EC1R 5EN, GB
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Merchant Square, 2nd Floor, Riverside Drive
P.O. Box 2193
Nairobi, KE
Employees at Soros Economic Development Fund
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Catherine Cax
Managing Director - Soros Economic Development Fund | Impact Investment | Private Markets | Emerging Markets | Blended Finance | Climate Finance
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Alexandra Lutoshkina
Team Manager at Soros Economic Development Fund
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James Beaver
Treasurer and Director of Finance and Operations at Soros Economic Development Fund
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Laura Renaud-Studer, CFA
Impact Investor | Catalytic Capital | Climate Justice | Social Impact
Updates
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To advance innovative financing mechanisms capable of unlocking significant new capital for development needs, SEDF partnered with The Rockefeller Foundation, the Jacobs Foundation, and many others to support International Finance Facility for Education (IFFEd)’s 1.5 billion commitment to global #education and #skills.
BREAKING NEWS: #IFFEd is making the biggest one-off boost to education and skills financing in decades for children and youth most in need! United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and UN Special Envoy for Global Education Gordon Brown announced IFFEd's historic $1.5 billion commitment to global #education and #skills to unlock opportunity for the next generation at the UN Summit of the Future. Our game-changing finance mechanism does more with less: $1 in donor cash through IFFEd will deliver $7 in education and skills financing at country level, creating 7X more impact than traditional grants. We're incredibly grateful to the diverse coalition of founding partners that helped bring this innovative finance instrument to life: Government of Canada Minister Ahmed Hussen, Sida DG Jakob Granit, UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Minister Anneliese Dodds, Asian Development Bank (ADB) VP Fatima Yasmin, Atlassian Foundation Head Mark Reading, Jacobs Foundation Co-CEO Fabio Segura, Porticus, Soros Economic Development Fund (impact investment arm of Open Society Foundations), and The Rockefeller Foundation President Rajiv J. Shah. With huge thanks to berney associés, FMA, Reed Smith LLP, Lenz & Staehelin for advisory support and our Board Chair Sir Julian Smith. IFFEd’s Founding CEO Karthik Krishnan and Theirworld Global Youth Ambassadors Angela Zhong and Adrija Sarkar joined the UN Secretary-General and UN Special Envoy Gordon Brown to celebrate this huge boost for the world's children and youth – and creating a generation of possibilities. Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/esKVW_56
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Join the Soros Economic Development Fund at FT’s Moral Money Summit Americas (Oct 15 - 16, 2024), where our CEO, Georgia Levenson Keohane, will be speaking alongside leading investors, philanthropies, corporates and policy makers across various industries on impact investing and philanthropy. Join us to explore the future of sustainable business and finance. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eAf_cZSt FT Live #FTMoralMoney
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SEDF contributed to the development and launch of the Reproductive & Maternal Health Compass: https://rmhcompass.org/. The Index is the first-of-its-kind evaluation of the reproductive and maternal health benefits provided by the largest 100 employers in the U.S. #RMHCompass #HealthyEquity #WorkerEquity #HRBenefits
This morning at #CGI2024, Reproductive & Maternal Health Compass (RMH Compass) launched the #RMH@Work Corporate Index. This index is the first-of-its-kind evaluation of the reproductive and maternal health (RMH) benefits provided by the largest 100 employers in the U.S. Key takeaways include: * A majority of the largest U.S. employers provide family formation benefits and paid parental leave, and many are using innovative approaches to ensure health coverage is accessible and affordable. Providing comprehensive family formation benefits and paid parental leave to all employees should be an achievable goal. *Lack of Transparency: Results show a huge range in benefits transparency with companies picking and choosing what information they share. Lack of transparency creates a business risk, creating barriers for workers to utilize the benefits invested in by employers and opacity around what constitutes a competitive benefits package. * Several opportunities that present “easy wins” for the largest U.S. companies to strengthen their reproductive and maternal health offerings. These include covering pre- and post-natal doula care, offering inclusive family formation benefits and having a bereavement leave policy that covers pregnancy loss. Read the full report at https://lnkd.in/edBsf3-j
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To drive a just transition to a sustainable future for our planet, we need to mobilize every available dollar to impact — and private capital’s role cannot be overstated. Yesterday, the Soros Economic Development Fund and our partners at ImpactAssets and the U.S. Impact Investing Alliance hosted an afternoon of programming dedicated to exploring the critical role of private capital in accelerating global climate solutions to discuss our work on accelerating decarbonization solutions, addressing critical funding gaps in biodiversity and nature-based solutions, and exploring the synergies between public and private investments in a just energy transition. As #ClimateWeekNYC continues, we are excited to continue this dialogue with fellow co-investors, business owners and operators, and fund managers and ensure we convert words into actions.
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Join the Soros Economic Development Fund at FT’s Moral Money Summit Americas (Oct 15 - 16, 2024), where our CEO, Georgia Levenson Keohane, will be speaking alongside leading investors, philanthropies, corporates and policy makers across various industries on impact investing and philanthropy. Join us to explore the future of sustainable business and finance. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/eAf_cZSt FT Live #FTMoralMoney
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Today we’re proud to announce that the Soros Economic Development Fund is included in the Financial Times’ list of 100+ impact investors, produced in collaboration with The Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). This searchable list highlights our impact assets under management and our strategic focus across key sectors and global regions. This initiative marks a significant milestone for impact investing, providing a useful resource for investors to align their portfolios with impactful and sustainable solutions and showcasing where capital is making a difference and inspiring future investments. By contributing our data, we're advancing transparency and driving momentum in impact investing. Explore the full package on the FT Wealth Management website: https://on.ft.com/4d3YVAC #ImpactInvesting #SustainableFinance #FinancialTimes #InvestingForImpact #GlobalGoals #ImpactInvestorList2024
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The Soros Economic Development Fund is proud to serve as a sponsor of the Mission Investors Exchange 2024 National Conference! We’re looking forward to coming together to explore and celebrate the unique role of philanthropy in impact investing and to drive positive social and environmental change. #MissionInvest2024 https://lnkd.in/eAi4-tYX
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Last year was the hottest in recorded history with fires, floods, and droughts exacting a devastating economic and human toll. That’s why this #EarthDay we want to recognize our partners’ critical work at the intersection of climate change and inclusive democracy via our recent investment commitments to: Support a just energy transition: - Allied Climate Partners is boosting the number of bankable, early-stage climate projects in Africa, the Caribbean, Southeast Asia, and South Asia - Acumen’s Hardest to Reach Fund is closing the clean energy gap by financing affordable green energy access in 16 of the least developed countries in sub-Saharan Africa Strengthen climate resilience: - Blue Orchard Finance’s InsuResilience Fund provides affordable climate risk insurance to vulnerable communities in the Global South - Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF) is the first adaptation-focused agribusiness investment fund in Africa Protect, restore and manage natural ecosystems: - Impact Earth’s Amazon Biodiversity Fund finances sustainable businesses in the Brazilian Amazon that create jobs and preserve standing forests We will continue advancing our colleagues’ work on equitable climate action and we look forward to forging new partnerships this year. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ggxPPGjr Photo: With support from Blue Orchard, Pula operations manager Daniel Mbuvi assists a farmer in harvesting maize, in Kitui county, Kenya, March 17, 2021. REUTERS/Monicah Mwangi #ClimateJustice #GreenInvestment #ClimateResilience #ImpactInvestment
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Despite global economic insecurity, Africa’s thriving start-up scene has huge potential. That’s why we are proud to sponsor the annual AVCA - The African Private Capital Association Conference, the world’s largest Africa-focused investment summit, in Johannesburg from April 22-26: https://lnkd.in/dTwwMhn We are pleased to highlight some of our investees’ vital work in Africa on climate action, gender equality, and healthcare: Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF) helps smallholder farmers access credit, expand their markets, and weather climate shocks. Alitheia IDF is the first dedicated fund for investing in a wide portfolio of women-owned, women-led, or women-serving SMEs across the continent. Hewatele is Africa’s leading locally-owned provider of life-saving medical oxygen and is constructing a new manufacturing plant to boost distribution and improve affordability. For the last two decades the Soros Economic Development Fund (SEDF) has invested in dynamic local ventures in Africa that deliver for underserved communities, create meaningful impact, and encourage systemic change. We look forward to meeting our investees and exploring new partnerships. See you in Joburg! Photo: A cassava farmer, who expanded her business with the help of financing, sells her cassava to a local buyer. © Jason Florio/Redux #AVCA