Impact-Linked Finance Learning Journey

In 2016, SDC and Roots of Impact pioneered the very first Social Impact Incentive, the first step in building and demonstrating the practice of Impact-Linked Finance (ILF). Since then, SDC and partners have implemented a significant number of ILF transactions (about 50) and funds, bringing other funders and implementers on board and creating demonstrable impact results and scalable successes. Over the last seven years, SDC staff across regional, thematic, and country-level teams have been involved in designing and implementing ILF projects, programs, and funds. While ILF insights are shared internally, a comprehensive understanding of the key insights and takeaways has not yet been systematically undertaken to best recognize the opportunities and lessons.

To best draw out the lessons on implementing ILF to date, Roots of Impact conceptualized and delivered a Learning Journey to extract, synthesize, and package lessons learned from Project Officers across SDC’s regional, thematic, and country-level teams. The Learning Journey aimed to interrogate the best internal practices in designing and roll-out of ILF programs within SDC, and outline key considerations relevant to SDC’s systems and processes, supporting guidelines and tools, and optimal set up in terms of resourcing and support. See below the Summary of findings & learnings workshop, as well as the slides from the workshop.