The innovative child-lens fund has invested in seven enterprises since launching, bringing positive change to the lives of thousands of children worldwide.

Following the success of its initial offering, Save the Children’s Impact Investment Fund is proud to announce the launch of Fund II.

In an Australian-first for an aid organisation, Save the Children launched its first Impact Investment Fund in 2020 and raised $7.425 million to support enterprises that emphasise social innovation and address pressing social and humanitarian issues while making a financial return. These included Oho, Zeraki, Ngutu College, Inquisitive, Dataro, ThinkMD and Intellischool and Zeraki.

The success of this first investment fund and its significant investments in the education, child protection and health sectors has paved the way for the launch of Fund II, with a greater financial target: aiming for $25 million, of which at least $10 million will be invested in Australia.

Save the Children Impact Investment Fund Director Paul Ronalds said Fund II offers socially minded investors the opportunity to earn competitive returns while achieving impactful change for children.

“To accelerate progress on the most critical issues affecting children, we can’t rely on traditional charity operating models alone. We must find new ways of intervening that are both more efficient and effective to drive meaningful change. This requires patient capital that supports creativity, innovation and scale.

“Through our work delivering on our initial offering, and seeing the very real impact it is having, we are more confident than ever in our approach and its potential,” he said.

Helping children to keep learning, grow up healthy and stay safe, while also working on solutions to address climate change are the key impact areas for Fund II.

“We thank our existing partners and investors who are motivated to have a positive impact with their investment portfolios.”

To express your interest in investing, or if you have a great social enterprise you want to take further, we would love to hear from you. Email: Julianne Wilkin, Head of Impact Investing at impactinvesting@savethechildren.org.au.

ENDS

MEDIA CONTACT: Holly Robertson 0414 546 656 or media.team@savethechildren.org.au

NOTES TO EDITORS

• Save the Children Australia named in the Australian Financial Review’s Most Innovative Companies list in 2022, listed as a finalist Impact Asset Manager of the Year in the Australian Impact Investment Awards 2022 and Paul Ronalds, Director of Save the Children Impact Fund, was named as Outstanding Individual of the Year as part of the Australian Impact Investment Awards 2022.
• Following the launch of the Save the Children Australia Impact Investment Fund in 2020, and recognising the urgency for greater capacity to unlock private sector capital to scale new models of impact, Paul Ronalds led the establishment of Save the Children Global Ventures in 2022.
• Save the Children Global Ventures is designed to catalyse private sector investment to drive local start-up and social enterprise, focussing on education, e-health and climate impact. The entity aims to increase the scale up of new technologies to impact the lives of millions of children in over 100 countries.