CapShift is a guest author and contributor to our Outside Perspectives Series.
We recently reached out to CapShift to share their unique insights on impact investing in a multi-part series. CapShift’s impact investing platform and suite of solutions empower financial and philanthropic institutions, and their clients, to invest in their vision for a better tomorrow.
Your grants already move the needle for the causes you care about — improving lives, protecting our planet, and driving meaningful change. For many families, the pool of capital earmarked for future grantmaking sits quietly in investment portfolios, waiting for its turn to make an impact.
What if that capital could also work for your mission?
Expand Your Realm of Impact
Impact investing refers to investments made with the intention of generating a positive and measurable social and environmental impact along with a financial return.
Rather than separating your philanthropic activity from your investment activity, impact investing connects the two. It invites you to consider how your assets in a donor-advised fund, private foundation, or endowment can advance the causes that matter most to you.
What This Looks Like in Practice
The landscape of impact investments is as diverse as your philanthropic passions. For instance, our Research Engine holds more than 1,500 opportunities across all 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), across the United States and globally. No matter where your philanthropic passions lie, there are likely opportunities to reinforce your philanthropic priorities through your investments as well:
- Education:
You might fund scholarships and literacy programs through grants. With an impact investment you could further support ed-tech that makes high-quality learning tools affordable and accessible, expanding the reach of your impact beyond a single classroom. - Climate and Conservation:
Your grants might support conservation nonprofits protecting vital ecosystems. Meanwhile, your investments could finance renewable energy projects, sustainable forestry, or companies developing climate solutions, tackling the root causes to build a more resilient future. - Affordable Housing:
Philanthropic dollars may fund emergency shelters and transitional housing. Impact investments can then scale affordable housing development through community loan funds — creating pathways to long-term stability and dignity for families.
These examples demonstrate how aligning your giving and investing can transform acts of generosity into a comprehensive, long-term strategy for impact, no matter where your interest lies.
Amplify Your Legacy
Impact investing doesn’t replace philanthropy — it amplifies it. By intentionally aligning your portfolio with your mission, you make every dollar part of your impact story.
Your philanthropy has already made a difference. Impact investing helps that difference grow every day.
About This Series
This article is the first in a new guest series from CapShift, designed to help philanthropists explore the full potential of impact investing — from foundational concepts to practical steps and real-world examples.
If you’re curious to learn more, follow along with our multi-part impact investing series and discover how to put more of your capital to work for good.
You can find additional resources at capshift.com.
Looking for more resources on impact investing?
Check out our white paper and podcast on values-aligned investing.
Want to contribute to our Outside Perspectives Series and share your philanthropic insights?
Write to us at for a chance to be featured in an upcoming blog!
Want to learn more about the ways we support philanthropists and their teams?
Our philanthropic specialists are here to help! To learn more, schedule a call with us or reach us at 800-839-0054. Together, let’s #begiving.
