The Netherlands Advisory Board partners with Co-Financing our Future to accelerate the Dutch impact investment ecosystem

On Monday, The Netherlands Advisory Board on Impact Investing (“NAB”) and Co-Financing our Future (“CoFoF”), announced a partnership to accelerate the growth of impact investing and to support the development of the Dutch impact investment eco-system.

The NAB and CoFoF are organisations for and of impact investors. Their mission is to support the growth of impact investing and help create a sustainable and inclusive society.

The NAB aims to increase awareness of impact investing, remove barriers, and build confidence among investors. It brings together public and private stakeholders to collaborate, share knowledge, and strengthen the investment ecosystem.

CoFoF aims to stimulate co-financing in the impact investing sector by connecting impact investors. It provides a safe space for sharing insights and discussing potential deals, and it organises events and gatherings for its members to facilitate this exchange.

The partnership will bring together almost 50 Dutch impact investors.

CoFoF mainly includes specialised impact investors, covering both small and large funds.

On the other hand, the NAB has a more diverse group, which consists of large asset owners, asset managers, NGOs, and specialised impact funds.

The joint activities will be consolidated under the NAB structure and governance. CoFoF community members are invited to become NAB community members.

The NAB Board will also welcome Merijn ten Thije, Impact Investment Principal from DOEN Participaties.

He brings a wealth of experience, especially in the early stage and growth capital segment and in market building.

Next year, a second CoFoF member will join the board to complete the merger and represent the broader community.

Brief about the Netherlands Advisory Board

The Netherlands Advisory Board on impact investing (“NAB”) is an independent, non-profit organisation with 30 members that aims to accelerate the growth and improve the effectiveness of the impact investing market in the Netherlands.

The NAB was created in 2020 as the Dutch chapter of GSG Impact, a partnership that works in over 50 countries.

It aims to improve global financial systems so that every investment, business decision, and government spending considers both impact and the usual factors of risk and return.

Yvonne Bakkum, Chair of the NAB, says, “Global challenges urge us more than ever to act. Our combined power represents the full width of the Dutch impact investing community. Together, we can move more forcefully towards our target of directing at least 10 per cent of assets under management to impact investments by 2025, with a specific 4 per cent allocation to emerging markets by 2030. This is crucial for catalysing the large-scale changes needed to achieve the SDGs.”

Co-Financing our Future: Impact Investor Community

Co-Financing our Future (CoFoF) is the peer-to-peer impact investor community in the Netherlands.

CoFoF was started in 2019 with a group of leading impact financier DOEN Participaties, ABN AMRO Social Impact Fund, Invest-NL, Shaping Impact Group, Pymwymic, Fair Capital Partners, Rubio, Shift Invest, SET Ventures, PDENH, 4Impact, ING, Rabobank, Triodos and ecosystem facilitators like Amsterdam Impact, Circle Economy and Techleap.

CoFoF connects and offers impact investors the opportunity to discuss collaborations in consortia and co-financing structures in a private ecosystem.

Merijn ten Thije, Founder of CoFoF, says, “After 6 years of many events with inspirational speakers and moderators and co-sharing 100+ deals it is time for the next step. With joining forces with the NAB we can professionalise and have access to a worldwide network of impact-minded investors. With CoFoF, we try to make it easier for impact entrepreneurs to raise capital. A way these processes can move much faster if investors find each other more rapidly and collaborate more efficiently.”