Examples of Impact Investing Funds: 3 Practical Examples That Actually Move the Needle

Let’s start with three flagship examples of impact investing funds that are widely referenced by advisors and institutional investors. These are not hypotheticals—they manage billions of dollars and have long track records.

Example 1: Calvert Impact Capital – Community Investment Note

If you want a real example of impact investing that channels capital into underserved communities, Calvert Impact Capital is a textbook case.

What it is:
Calvert Impact Capital issues fixed-income securities called Community Investment Notes. Investors buy these notes and receive a fixed interest rate; Calvert then lends that capital to mission-driven intermediaries around the world.

What it invests in:
Calvert’s portfolio targets sectors such as:

• Affordable housing
• Small business finance and microfinance
• Renewable energy and climate solutions
• Health and education access

Impact and reporting:
Calvert publishes detailed annual impact reports with metrics such as:

• Number of affordable housing units financed
• Jobs created or supported
• Megawatts of clean energy financed

You can see these reports and methodology on their site:
https://www.calvertimpactcapital.org

Why it’s a strong example of impact investing:
This is one of the clearest examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples because it checks the boxes that sophisticated investors care about:

• Defined impact thesis (community development and climate)
• Transparent reporting
• Institutional-grade risk management for a fixed-income product

For investors who want bond-like exposure with a clear social lens, this is a highly practical template.

Example 2: Generation Investment Management – Global Equity Fund

Generation Investment Management, co-founded by former U.S. Vice President Al Gore, is frequently cited as one of the best examples of public equity impact and sustainable investing.

What it is:
A global public equity strategy that integrates sustainability into fundamental research. While Generation is often labeled as a sustainability manager rather than pure “impact,” its work is central to how many institutional investors think about impact in public markets.

What it invests in:
The fund focuses on companies that benefit from long-term sustainable trends, such as:

• Clean energy and electrification
• Resource efficiency
• Health and wellness
• Financial inclusion and digital infrastructure

Impact and reporting:
Generation is known for detailed sustainability research and reporting. They align with frameworks like:

• The UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
• Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)

You can read more on their approach here:
https://www.generationim.com

Why it matters as a real example:
This is a powerful example of how impact and sustainability can be embedded in mainstream public equity. It shows that impact investing funds are not limited to microfinance or tiny niche projects; they can sit at the core of an institutional equity allocation.

Example 3: Nuveen Global Impact Fund

Nuveen’s Global Impact strategy is a clear, scalable example of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples in public equities that explicitly targets measurable outcomes.

What it is:
An actively managed global equity strategy designed to invest in companies whose products and services address key social and environmental challenges.

What it invests in:
Nuveen organizes the portfolio around three impact themes:

• Inclusive growth (e.g., financial access, education, health)
• Resource efficiency (e.g., circular economy, sustainable agriculture)
• Climate solutions (e.g., renewables, energy efficiency)

Impact and reporting:
Nuveen’s impact reports typically include:

• Revenue alignment with SDGs
• Tons of CO₂e avoided or reduced
• People reached with essential services (health, education, financial inclusion)

More detail is available from Nuveen’s sustainability resources:
https://www.nuveen.com/en-us/strategies/responsible-investing

Why it’s one of the best examples of impact investing funds
Nuveen’s Global Impact Fund is useful for investors who want:

• Public equity exposure
• Clear impact themes and metrics
• A manager with deep institutional experience in fixed income and real assets as well

It’s also one of the examples of impact investing funds that shows how major asset managers are integrating impact into flagship products, not just side experiments.

Beyond the headline 3: additional real examples of impact investing funds

The phrase “examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples” is a handy hook, but in practice investors look at a broader menu of options. Here are additional real-world funds and vehicles across asset classes that round out the picture.

Impact bond and fixed-income strategies

Fixed income is where a lot of institutional impact capital sits today. Here are some real examples:

Green and social bonds
The global green bond market has grown into the trillions, with issuers including governments, development banks, and corporations. A few fund-level examples include:

• Funds that buy labeled green bonds financing renewable energy, grid upgrades, and building efficiency
• Social bond funds that finance projects such as affordable housing, healthcare access, and education

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) provides context on climate and energy-related initiatives that often underpin green bond projects:
https://www.epa.gov/climate-change

Community development finance funds (CDFIs)
In the U.S., Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are a core example of impact-focused lending. While many CDFIs are not mutual funds in the traditional sense, they issue notes and pooled vehicles that investors can buy.

The U.S. Department of the Treasury maintains a list and data on CDFIs:
https://www.cdfifund.gov

These vehicles typically finance:

• Affordable housing
• Minority-owned and women-owned small businesses
• Community health centers and schools

They’re a practical way for investors to tie fixed-income capital directly to underserved communities.

Private equity and venture capital impact funds

If you’re comfortable with illiquidity and higher risk, private markets give some of the clearest examples of impact investing funds with direct, measurable outcomes.

Climate tech and energy transition funds
Specialized funds invest in:

• Battery technology and energy storage
• Grid modernization and smart infrastructure
• Low-carbon industrial processes

Many of these funds report metrics such as:

• Tons of CO₂e avoided
• Megawatt-hours of clean energy generated
• Energy cost savings for end users

These kinds of funds align closely with the science-based climate targets and pathways discussed by organizations such as the U.S. Department of Energy:
https://www.energy.gov

Health and life sciences impact funds
Impact-oriented health funds may back:

• Affordable diagnostics and telehealth platforms
• Digital health tools improving chronic disease management
• Low-cost medical devices for emerging markets

While the National Institutes of Health (NIH) does not run investment funds, their research priorities often shape the innovation pipeline that health-focused impact funds invest in:
https://www.nih.gov

These strategies use health outcome metrics—patients reached, adherence improvements, or reductions in hospitalizations—to demonstrate impact alongside financial performance.

Real assets: renewable infrastructure and sustainable real estate

Real assets provide tangible, often contracted cash flows plus visible environmental or social outcomes.

Renewable energy infrastructure funds
These funds own and operate:

• Solar and wind farms
• Small-scale hydro
• Battery storage projects

Impact metrics typically include:

• Installed renewable capacity (MW)
• Annual MWh of clean energy generated
• Greenhouse gas emissions avoided

This category is one of the best examples of impact investing funds for investors who want a direct link between their capital and climate outcomes.

Affordable and workforce housing funds
Housing-focused impact funds invest in:

• Affordable rental properties with income restrictions
• Workforce housing for moderate-income tenants
• Preservation of existing affordable stock

They often track:

• Units preserved or created
• Average tenant income levels
• Rent as a percentage of tenant income

For U.S. investors, these strategies often intersect with federal and local housing policies, tax credits, and zoning reforms.

How these examples of impact investing funds fit into a portfolio

Seeing examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples is helpful, but the real question is how they work inside an actual portfolio.

Public equity impact funds
Funds like Generation and Nuveen can slot into the core global equity allocation. Advisors often:

• Replace a portion of standard global or international equity funds with impact-oriented strategies
• Maintain similar regional and sector exposure while shifting toward companies with stronger sustainability and impact profiles

Fixed-income and cash alternatives
Calvert’s Community Investment Note and CDFI-focused vehicles can sit in:

• The impact sleeve of a core bond allocation
• A “cash-plus” or short-duration sleeve for investors willing to trade a bit of liquidity for impact

Private markets
Private equity, venture, and real asset funds usually live in the alternatives bucket. Investors typically:

• Commit a small percentage (e.g., 5–15% of the total portfolio, depending on risk tolerance and sophistication)
• Ladder commitments over several years to manage capital calls and distributions

The point is that these examples of impact investing funds are not separate from normal portfolio construction—they’re simply aligned with specific outcomes while still targeting competitive risk-adjusted returns.

Key trends shaping impact investing funds in 2024–2025

The landscape behind these real examples is changing quickly. A few trends matter for anyone evaluating funds today:

1. Standardization of impact reporting
Frameworks like the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN) IRIS+ system and the Impact Management Project have pushed managers to define and measure impact more consistently. Investors can now compare examples of impact investing funds using more standardized metrics instead of feel-good narratives.

2. Regulation and disclosure
In the U.S. and Europe, regulators are increasing scrutiny on ESG and impact claims. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has brought enforcement actions around misleading ESG disclosures. This is pushing funds to:

• Tighten their impact definitions
• Avoid exaggerated claims
• Provide clearer documentation of their methodologies

3. Blended finance and catalytic capital
Some of the most interesting examples of impact investing funds use blended structures, where philanthropic or public capital takes on first-loss risk to attract commercial investors. This is especially common in:

• Emerging market climate funds
• Agriculture and smallholder finance
• Refugee and migrant livelihood funds

4. Growing demand from retirement plans and institutions
Endowments, foundations, and even some 401(k) platforms are exploring impact options. As demand scales, the number and variety of funds are expanding, which means investors can now choose among multiple examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples in each asset class, not just one or two niche products.

How to evaluate new examples of impact investing funds

Looking at these best examples is helpful, but you still need a filter for new products.

Questions to ask:

• Impact thesis: Is the intended social or environmental outcome clearly defined, or is it just generic ESG language?
• Additionality: Is the fund doing something that likely would not happen (or would be slower) without this capital?
• Measurement: Are there specific, quantifiable indicators, and are they reported regularly?
• Financial discipline: Does the fund have a credible strategy for risk management, diversification, and returns?
• Alignment of incentives: Are the manager’s fees and carried interest aligned with both financial and impact performance, or only one of the two?

When you apply this lens to the examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples above, you’ll see why they’re often cited: they combine clear impact logic with institutional-grade investment processes.

FAQs about examples of impact investing funds

Q1: What are some real examples of impact investing funds that individual investors can access?
Individual investors can often access public equity impact funds (such as global impact or sustainability-themed mutual funds and ETFs), green bond funds, and community investment notes like those offered by Calvert Impact Capital. In some cases, investors can also invest in CDFI notes or crowdfunding-style impact platforms, though minimums and regulations vary by jurisdiction.

Q2: How do I know if a fund is a genuine example of impact investing and not just marketing?
Look for a clear impact thesis, specific metrics, and regular reporting. Genuine examples of impact investing funds explain how their investments create measurable change, not just how they avoid controversial sectors. They also tend to align with recognized frameworks, such as the UN SDGs or IRIS+ metrics, and provide third-party verification or audits where possible.

Q3: Are there examples of impact investing funds that focus only on climate?
Yes. Climate-focused strategies include renewable infrastructure funds, green bond funds, and climate tech venture capital funds. These funds typically track metrics such as CO₂e emissions avoided, renewable megawatts installed, or energy saved. Many of the strongest examples of impact investing funds today are climate-oriented because the data and policy frameworks are relatively mature.

Q4: What is an example of impact investing in public markets versus private markets?
In public markets, a global impact equity fund that invests in listed companies providing clean energy, affordable health services, or financial inclusion is a classic example of impact investing. In private markets, a fund that finances off-grid solar in emerging markets or builds affordable housing in U.S. cities would be a concrete example of impact investing funds in the private space.

Q5: Do impact investing funds sacrifice financial returns?
Evidence is mixed and highly strategy-dependent, but large studies suggest that many impact and ESG funds have delivered returns comparable to conventional peers over time. What matters is manager quality, fees, and strategy, not just the impact label. The examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples discussed above are all designed with competitive financial performance in mind, not as charity substitutes.

Impact investing is no longer a fringe activity. The examples of impact investing funds: 3 practical examples covered here—plus the additional cases across fixed income, private equity, and real assets—show how investors can target measurable outcomes while still building disciplined portfolios. The next step is deciding which slice of your own allocation you want to align with those outcomes, and then choosing the funds whose impact logic and financial strategy you actually trust.