On this episode of 'This Week in Impact' Brian Walsh and Jessica pother discuss the implications of the Trump administration's freeze on development finance, the evolving landscape of voluntary carbon markets driven by corporate buyers, and the challenges facing private equity in the healthcare sector.

Story links:

"Corporate buyers nudge voluntary carbon markets toward higher-quality projects," by Jessica Pothering

“An allocators guide to reigning in private equity’s worst excesses in healthcare,” by Ibrahim Rashid

In the latest Agents of Impact podcast, Ravit Dotan, an AI governance advisor and researcher in Pittsburgh, joins David Bank to share insights on the new state of play for responsible AI in the early days of the Trump administration and what Deepseek, the Chinese competitor to Open AI, means for intellectual property, open-source code … and national security.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Stories featured in this week's episode:

Mission-driven funders scramble to respond to federal funding freeze⁠, by Amy Cortese and David Bank

Call roundup: https://impactalpha.com/calls/

How machine learning and AI can be harnessed for mission-based lending⁠, by Mar Diteos Rendon, Nicole Jansma and Sachi Shenoy

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Stories covered this:

“Trump’s executive orders will affect investments in climate, equity, AI and global development,” by Dennis Price, Isaac Silk and Amy Cortese

“Investors look for Opportunity Zones to get an extension and a fresh dose of tax-advantaged capital,” by Roodgally Senatus

“Adding a dash of guaranteed liquidity to impact funds to attract more institutional LPs,” by David Bank.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week: How the devastating LA wildfires are putting a spotlight on wildfire prevention tech and what the disaster means for California's fragile insurance market; examples of outcomes-based financing driving systemic change in education; and Colossal Biosciences’ $200 million raise to revive the wooly mammoth among other lost species.

Host Brian Walsh takes up the week’s top stories with ImpactAlpha’s Jessica Pothering. They discuss Jessica's takeaways from her analysis of ImpactAlpha's 2024 set of actively raising impact funds, how catalytic capital is unlocking regenerative agriculture opportunities in Brazil, and why drones are taking off in India for agriculture and economic inclusion.

"Glimmers of hope for impact fund managers shine through the fundraising fog," by Jessica Pothering.

"How catalytic capital helped unlock ecosystem regeneration in Brazil," by Dario Parziale.

In the final podcast episode of the year, host Brian Walsh takes up the trends that ImpactAlpha will be following in 2025 with editor David Bank. On our radar: Impact investors lean into economic populism with the ownership economy; climate gets a new narrative for the Trump era; and emerging markets attract local capital for local needs as better data rebuts misperceptions of risk.

Check out all of this year's lookaheads on ImpactAlpha.

As president of the Heron Foundation, Clara Miller in 2012 set a goal to invest 100% percent of the foundation’s then-$250 million in assets to fight poverty within five years. Heron beat the deadline by a year to be become one of the first foundations to align its full endowment with its mission. 

For the latest episode of the podcast series Finding Alpha, ImpactAlpha contributing editor Rob Brown sat down with Miller for a wide-ranging discussion about the innovations she fostered in impact lending, the value of starting your career at the bottom, and her favorite Beatle, Paul McCartney.  

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week:

How lobbying and advocacy are being used by family offices for “policy enhanced impact investing.”

How a California community lender is focusing on community ownership models to combat the displacement of small businesses and nonprofits.

And, a look at the rapidly evolving off-grid solar industry in Africa.

Host Brian Walsh takes up ImpactAlpha’s top stories with editor David Bank. Up this week:

The tale of two different ownership economy models for increasing employee wealth

Lessons learned from 10 years and $1.9 billion of catalytic investments from British International Investment.

And, the untapped potential for investment and innovation in the US care economy.