What we do
How we scale innovation
We deploy the right capital at the right stage, providing flexible, patient capital across grants, equity and debt.
We go beyond funding. We provide targeted financial, technical, and advisory support to de-risk innovation unlocking a clear pathway to scale.
Our early support validates impact and commercial viability, helping to mobilise the long term capital required to achieve scale.
Our portfolio
Our portfolio includes bold ideas that are building climate resilience and unlocking inclusive economic opportunities. This includes innovations in agriculture and food security, education and skills, health, gender equality, and financial, economic and social inclusion.
The Thrive Fund invests in high potential climate-health technologies in emerging markets. The fund focuses exclusively on early- and growth-stage innovations that enhance health systems and build climate resilience, helping them bridge their scale gap.
Climate lens investing
GIF's climate strategy is driven by the recognition that climate change disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, who have the least capacity to adapt to shocks like extreme weather, droughts, and heatwaves.
Innovation is crucial for accelerating climate solutions. GIF enables high-potential adaptation and resilience innovations to scale to build resilience of vulnerable people in climate-sensitive regions.
We apply a climate lens to all of our investments, regardless of the sector. This means that every potential investment is assessed for its climate impact.
Gender lens investing
GIF recognises that prevailing issues in the developing world, such as food insecurity and malnutrition, global health crises, and climate change and forced migration, disproportionately affect women and girls.
We invest in innovations that increase the agency of women and girls, build their resilience and increase their access to economic opportunities.
We are a signatory of the 2X Challenge, a multilateral coalition of public and private sector investors which has pledged to invest US$20 billion in women’s economic empowerment over the next three years.
GIF uses gender analysis tools to ensure we consider each of our investments through a 'gender lens'. Our toolkit allows us to analyse gender issues for innovations focussed specifically on gender impact, but also to consider gender issues for innovations primarily focussed on non-gender impact outcomes.
How we measure impact
Evidence and impact measurement are at the core of our investment decision-making process. We use our Practical Impact (PI) methodology for projecting the long-term impact and monitoring scale metrics throughout the investment lifecycle. This allows us to identify the most impactful innovations and maximise the social impact of our portfolio.
Impact report
Our annual Impact Report provides the latest update on our progress towards scaling innovations to improve the lives of the world’s poorest. Over the last decade we have learnt how to blend and deploy capital creatively and identify scaling pathways to both ignite opportunities for innovations as well as influence the wider development ecosystem.
Toolkits
Our comprehensive toolkits provide the essential frameworks to rigorously assess and elevate the impact of every investment.
Climate toolkit
Climate impact evaluation toolkits include dedicated tools measuring and guiding climate considerations across our entire portfolio, from climate-focused solutions to non-climate innovations.
Gender toolkit
Our gender analysis tools ensure every investment is analysed for gender impact, even those primarily focused on non-gender outcomes.
Gender equality framework
Shows how GIF looks at innovations that increase the agency of women and girls
DownloadGIF gender questions
Provides a cohesive conceptual framework for the analysis of gender in innovation
DownloadPractical impact gender outcomes summary
Summarises how we ensure gender outcomes are captured in our impact framework
Download