Blog

Clean Crop Technologies

Clean Crop Technologies logo

The Decarbon8 fund, managed by Realize Impact has invested in Clean Crop Technologies, a startup that aims to lower food waste by removing contaminants from food surfaces (without leaving any residue behind) and enhancing seed performance. In 1862 Louis Pasteur pioneered an effective method for removing pathogens in milk and wine. This process, which bears his name, revolutionized food safety and...

$22 million

22 million (header)

Realize Impact launched the philanthropic investment grants service in February 2020 and through the end of 2022 has received over 400 donations, totaling over $22 million, resulting in 137 investments into impact funds and mission-driven companies. See our blog for details on many of these investments… and if you are looking for ideas on where you can make an impact investment (either with...

RiseKit

RiseKit (header)

Realize Impact and RiseKit partner to increase access to employment opportunities through technology that connects under-resourced jobseekers, community organizations, employers, governments, and foundations RiseKit and Realize Impact have partnered to increase under-resourced job seekers’ access to employment opportunities, wraparound support, training programs, and events. As RiseKit’s...

Venture Philanthropy

an image of venture philanthropy

Did you know you can use your philanthropic “pocket” to make impact investments? One term used for that is “venture philanthropy“, a mix of venture capital and philanthropy. Often one where the impact is just as important as the return on investment, if not more important. What does this look like in action? It varies. From low interest (or 0% interest) loans to SMEs in...

2021 990

The top of the 990 tax form

Realize Impact is a 501(c)(3) public charity. As such, we file a 990 tax form annually, and that form is publicly available from the IRS and other databases, or click below to download it directly.

Download the 990

RevHubOC

RevHubOC logo and header

RevHubOC is building a like-minded community of social investors and entrepreneurs in Orange County, California (the south end of the Los Angeles Metropolitan Area) in order to accelerate scalable and sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest challenges. Four donors from the Orange County Community Foundation recommended that Realize Impact invest in this important piece of local...

Impact Investing using ANY Donor Advised Fund

How impact investing works

A donor advised fund is a great way to organize your philanthropy. But did you know that it can also be used to make impact investments? Not just the small selection your community foundation or other DAF sponsor suggests, but (just about) ANY impact investment, whether an impact fund or a mission-driven for-profit company? This is vastly different from what most donor advised funds tell their...

The Liist: December 2022

The Liist logo

ImpactAlpha, December 6 – It’s been a difficult year for many run-of-the-mill tech funds seeking fresh powder. Impact funds, from climate tech to gender-lens vehicles, are leaning into more resilient (and urgent) trends. Many in turn are surpassing their fundraising targets.This month’s Liist, in partnership with Realize Impact, features a few funds that are nearing their final close. California...

Impact Investing isn’t ESG

The lovely feeling after making an impact investment

The terms “impact investing” and “ESG” (Environmental, Social, and Governance) are not synonyms. The investments Realize Impact does through its philanthropic investment grants (PHIGs) and the investment touted on The Liist are impact investments, with and without regard to ESG. Stanford University’s SSIR explains the history of the two terms and tries to define...

What is Impact Investing?

UN SDGs (header)

The mainstream media defines and talks about impact investing in terms of “ESG“, i.e. Environmental, Social, and Governance. Those measures help ensure a company is well managed, but those measures alone don’t explain whether a company is impactful or not. Nor a fund. “Impact” measures whether the investee makes a positive contribution to solving real problems. And...