Impact Investing Australia

What Impact Investing Australia does

Impact Investing Australia (IIA) is an independent not-for-profit organization established in 2014 and headquartered in Melbourne that operates as Australia's national peak body for impact investing. IIA serves three primary constituencies: (i) social enterprises and not-for-profits seeking investment readiness and access to capital; (ii) impact investors across institutional, family office, and foundation segments seeking deal flow and market intelligence; and (iii) Australian government agencies seeking to mobilize private capital toward social and environmental outcomes. The organization represents Australia as the national partner on GSG Impact, a network of 33 member countries, and operates with a small core team of approximately five staff.

IIA's product portfolio centers on market infrastructure rather than proprietary technology. Core offerings include the Impact Deal Tracker (an online directory of impact investment opportunities by deal type, asset class, value and impact area), the SEDI Grants program (capacity-building grants up to $120,000 funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services, supporting 56 organizations to investment readiness), Impact Investment Ready Growth Grants (up to $140,000), the Benchmarking Impact Report series (market research co-produced with UNSW Centre for Social Impact), the IIA Investor Network (peer network for institutional investors), and educational resources including a Roadmap for Australian Investors on gender lens investing. The technology stack is described as standard digital tooling — website, email communications, and the deal tracker platform — with no proprietary AI or complex software product. Product launches in 2025 — the Deal Tracker, the relaunched Investor Network, and the Benchmarking Impact Report 2025 (documenting $157 billion+ in Australian impact products, an eightfold increase since 2020) — signal an active expansion of the platform surface.

IIA has no commercial revenue model. Funding is sourced from Australian Government grants (most recently the Department of Social Services for SEDI and previously the $7M Sector Readiness Fund) and philanthropic support from Equity Trustees, Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, Perpetual, and QBE. Pricing is grant-based: IIA does not charge for most services, and grants of $50,000-$140,000 are disbursed to eligible social enterprises with no financial return expected. Go-to-market is event-driven and community-led, relying on the Benchmarking Report, the annual Impact Investment Summit Asia Pacific, blended-finance and gender-lens investing webinars, email newsletters, and earned media coverage in the Australian Financial Review, The Guardian and The West Australian. Funding rounds disclosed are grant-based rather than equity.

Name

Impact Investing Australia

Legal name

Impact Investing Australia

Website

https://impactinvestingaustralia.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Impact Investing Australia is a not-for-profit peak body that builds Australia's impact investing market through grant administration (SEDI, Growth Grants), the Impact Deal Tracker, Benchmarking Impact Reports and an Investor Network, serving social enterprises, impact investors and government agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Impact Investing Market Infrastructure

NAICS

Securities, Commodity Contracts, and Other Financial Investments and Related Activities (523), Other Financial Investment Activities (5239)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742), Investment Advice (6282)

akta.pro primary industry

Impact Investing & Social Finance (Funds, CDFIs, Microfinance) (BPAGALAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Impact Investment & Social Finance Programs (BPADAOAJ), Impact Investing (Intentional, Measurable Social/Environmental Outcomes) (FSAAALAC)

Keywords

• Impact investing
• Social enterprise grants
• Investor networks
• Market development
• Sustainable finance

Headquarters

HQ city

Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Grants and Funding: IIA receives funding from the Australian Government Department of Social Services to administer grant programs including the Social Enterprise Development Initiative (SEDI) Grants and previously the Sector Readiness Fund. They also receive support from various trusts and foundations.
2. Philanthropic Support: Support from philanthropic organizations including Equity Trustees, Lord Mayor's Charitable Foundation, Perpetual, QBE, and other trusts that share commitment to growing the impact investing market.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Impact Investing Australia is a not-for-profit market builder that grows the Australian impact investing ecosystem through grant administration (SEDI Grants, Impact Investment Ready Growth Grants, Sector Readiness Fund), the Impact Deal Tracker digital directory, the Benchmarking Impact Report research series, the Roadmap for Australian Investors (gender lens investing guide), and the IIA Investor Network peer forum. It represents Australia as the national partner on GSG Impact and advocates policy outcomes including the establishment of an impact investment wholesaler.

Product overview

Impact Investing Australia offers a suite of market-building products and programs focused on accelerating the growth of impact investing in Australia. The core offerings include the Impact Deal Tracker (a deal listing resource), SEDI Grants and Impact Investment Ready Growth Grants (capacity-building grant programs for social enterprises), Benchmarking Impact Reports (market research and data), and Gender Lens Investing Roadmaps (guidance for investors). The organization also facilitates an Investor Network for peer collaboration and conducts the annual Benchmarking Impact Survey. These products work together to build market infrastructure, connect investors with opportunities, and provide the evidence base needed to drive capital toward measurable social and environmental outcomes alongside financial returns.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SEDI Grants: Social Enterprise Development Initiative grants program offering capacity-building grants to eligible social enterprises, with grants of up to $120,000.
• Impact Deal Tracker
• Benchmarking Impact Report

Products and services

• Impact Deal Tracker Online resource tracking impact investing deals and opportunities in and from Australia, with listings across deal type, asset class, value and area of impact. Used by impact investors and enterprises seeking to discover or list impact opportunities.
• SEDI Grants (Social Enterprise Development Initiative) Grant program offering up to AUD $120,000 to eligible Australian social enterprises for capacity-building support, helping them access capital and scale their social impact. Funded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services.
• Impact Investment Ready Growth Grants Grants of up to AUD $100,000-$140,000 providing business, financial, legal and other capacity building support to help social enterprises raise capital and achieve investment readiness.
• Benchmarking Impact Reports Comprehensive market research reports providing data and analysis of Australia's impact investing market, investor insights, and performance benchmarks. Used by investors, policymakers and ecosystem participants to guide investment decisions and inform policy.
• A Roadmap for Australian Investors A guide helping investors adopt gender lens investing (GLI) to improve operational and investment performance using a whole-of-organisation approach through the 3i Framework.
• IIA Investor Network A peer-to-peer network fostering collaboration, shared learning and opportunities for impact investing among institutional investors, family offices and foundations in Australia.

Quantifiable outcome

• $157 billion+ invested in Australia's impact market
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• GSG ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIIA represents Australia as the national partner on GSG Impact and works closely with its 33 member countries to grow opportunities for investments that deliver measurable social, environmental and cultural benefits alongside financial returns.
• UNSW Centre for Social ImpactcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration partner for the Benchmarking Impact Report 2025, providing comprehensive analysis of the Australian impact investing market.
• The Australian Centre for Social Innovation (TACSI)minorOthersListed as an Australian impact organisation on IIA's useful links page.
• B Lab Australia & New ZealandminorOthersListed as an Australian impact organisation on IIA's useful links page.
• Centre for Social Impact (CSI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaboration between UNSW, Swinburne, UWA, and Melbourne universities supporting delivery of beneficial social impact through research, teaching, and measurement.
• SIMNAminorOthersKnowledge-sharing network for social impact measurement in Australia listed on useful links page.
• Big Society CapitalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK wholesale impact fund that IIA advocates as a model for Impact Capital Australia. IIA case study profiles BSC's market development achievements.
• Capital HumancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-authored 'A Roadmap for Australian Investors' report with IIA, providing guidance on gender lens investing approaches.
• University of MelbournecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to host blended finance webinar exploring the power of blended finance to unlock capital for social and environmental impact.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Centre for Social Impact (CSI): Academic-led collaboration between UNSW, Swinburne, UWA, and Melbourne that partners with IIA on the Benchmarking Impact Report; comparable as an Australian social-impact research and convening entity.
• Philanthropy Australia: Australia's national peak body for philanthropy and a long-standing IIA partner on the Impact Investment Ready initiative; comparable as a national intermediary building bridges between capital providers and mission-led organisations.
• Global Steering Group for Impact Investment (GSG Impact): Global coordination body of which IIA is the Australian national partner; works across 33 member countries to grow impact investing markets, making it the parent platform peer that convenes IIA-like national bodies.
• Impact Capital Canada: Canada's national impact investment hub, comparable in mandate and structure as a country-level convening, advisory, and market-building organisation for impact investing.
• Big Society Capital: UK wholesale impact investor established in 2012 that mobilises capital for social impact; explicitly referenced by IIA as the model it advocates replicating in Australia via Impact Capital Australia. Most directly comparable as a market-building intermediary for impact investing.

Regional players

• Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN): Asia-Pacific network for social investors and philanthropists; operates in a similar role to IIA but at a regional level across Asia rather than a single national market.
• Social Enterprise UK: UK national body for social enterprises, providing policy advocacy, research, and networks; similar mandate to IIA on the social-enterprise side but operating in a different geography.

Broad incumbents

• US SIF (Forum for Sustainable and Responsible Investment): US-based membership association advancing sustainable and impact investing through research, policy, and convening; parallels IIA's national peak-body and benchmarking function at a larger market scale.
• Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN): Global industry body for impact investing with research, standards (IRIS+), and network offerings; broader in scope than IIA but the most prominent international peer in convening and benchmarking.

Emerging players

• B Lab Australia & New Zealand: Certifies B Corps and supports purpose-driven businesses in Australia/NZ; partially overlapping with IIA in supporting impact-oriented enterprises but focused on certification rather than capital-market intermediation.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/impactinvestingaus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/impact-investing-australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments1 record

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Impact Investing Australia