CategoryNews

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

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...

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...

GeekWire Give Back Award Winner (2022)

GeekWire Awards 2022

Pacific Northwest leaders who are wielding tech for good causes are doing great things — and Geekwire annually celebrates those efforts. This year there are three winners: Black Boardroom Initiative, Coding Dojo and CovidWA.com, the last of those being a project of Realize Impact. CovidWA.com When COVID-19 vaccines began widely rolling out in early 2021, it unleashed an anxious scramble to find...

$14 million

14 million dollar header

Since launching in February 2020, in the first 25 months Realize Impact’s philanthropic investment grants service has seen: 139 donor-investors from 12 community foundations, 12 DAF sponsors, 12 family foundations… totaling $14 million… 167 transactions in total… 43 different impact investments.

The Third Repayment, Aquacycle

Aquacycle logo

Back in 2020 four donor/investors used then then-new philanthropic investment service to recommend $177,800 of investment into Aquacycle, San Diego company with a novel technology for cleaning wastewater. Aquacycl® has developed the BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT®). The BETT® systems select and control natural bacteria for the purpose of accelerating wastewater treatment rates...

Over $6 million and 120 Investor/Donors

Realize Impact logo

For years Realize Impact searched for a service that would make a difference in impact investing. The new philanthropic investing service is that calling. Since launching in February 2020 eighteen months ago, over 120 investor/donors have moved over $6 million into mission-driven for-profit organizations. 31 investments so far, many summarized on our blog. Why is this working so well? Simplicity...

Another $1.5 million so far in 2021

$1.5 milion

2021 continues the rapid pace of donations, recommendations, and investments through Realize Impact’s philanthropic investment service. $1.5 million so far, not yet five months into the new year. We announced the 100th investor only 45 days ago, barely a year after launching the service. Where is all this money going? Either directly into impactful companies or indirectly to them via impact...