Produced every other year, the Mission Investors Exchange conference is one of the most anticipated events for impact investors in philanthropy, offering an action-focused, collaborative, and personal space to renew and build partnerships, experience on-the-ground impact investments, share investment opportunities, meet leading voices in the field, and shape the future of the impact investing movement. The 2018 conference focused on bold innovations in the field and the unique leadership role of philanthropy in the impact investing marketplace. Issues of racial equity, diversity, and inclusion will be critical topics woven throughout the conference. The conference covered the topics below.
Going Big
What does it look like to grow foundation impact investing programs in ambitious, still-unimagined, and courageous ways, no matter what your resources are? Sessions explored how foundations are pushing the boundaries of scale, including investing from the endowment and 100% for mission.
Driving Innovation
How are foundations demonstrating leadership in this space, putting catalytic ideas into practice? Sessions featured new investment products, platforms, and tools, and developing philanthropy’s vision for the future of our global financial markets.
Building Partnerships
How can we rapidly mobilize, collaborate, and partner—both within and beyond philanthropy—based on a common vision and an inclusive, community-led approach? We highlighted unique and effective partnership models, such as place-based collaborative investing, sector-focused impact investment funds, Pay for Success initiatives, and other cross-sector opportunities to coordinate capital to make exponential impact.
Championing Equity & Impact
How do we relentlessly raise the bar for equity and impact, and what stands in our way? And how can philanthropy play an intentional leadership role in ensuring that equity and impact are at the heart of the impact investing movement? Sessions examined the ways in which philanthropy sets high standards for the field and keeps the ‘impact’ in impact investing.