Aeris Insight, Inc.

For over 15 years, Aeris Insight has provided tools that help investors source, underwrite, and monitor social and environmental investments that meet their risk parameters and impact goals. Through their web-based data platform, the Aeris Cloud, they collect and standardize data on the financial and impact performance and portfolio quality of Community Development Financial Institutions, along with a range of private domestic and international funds, to assist investors with their underwriting and monitoring. The investment and monitoring rigor enabled through its service offerings has enabled Aeris Insight to play an important and ongoing role in accelerating the flow of impact capital to underserved communities. This award supports a strategic planning process to expand the organization’s support for the Community Development Financial Institutions industry while also building a resilient and sustainable business model.

For over 15 years, Aeris has provided tools that help investors source, underwrite, and monitor social and environmental investments that meet their risk parameters and impact goals. Through their web-based data platform, the Aeris Cloud, they collect and standardize data on the financial and impact performance and portfolio quality of community development financial institutions, along with a range of private domestic and international funds, to assist investors with their underwriting and monitoring. The investment and monitoring rigor enabled through its service offerings has enabled them to play an important and ongoing role in accelerating the flow of impact capital.

Over the last 15 years, Aeris ratings, due diligence and data services have facilitated investor due diligence that helped guide capital to socially impactful investment opportunities. This award extends the functionality of its existing online platform (Aeris Cloud) to enable impact fund managers to collect, analyze, and report on impact performance. For almost all impact investment fund managers, these processes are inefficient and do not scale well. More robust impact information will enable asset owners to better understand the impact created by their investments, thereby attracting increased flows of capital intended to address important social and environmental challenges.

Aeris provides ratings, due diligence and data services that help investors source, underwrite, and monitor investments that meet their risk parameters and impact goals. Over the last 15 years, Aeris ratings for Community Development Financial Institution loan funds and private impact funds have facilitated investor due diligence and have helped guide capital to socially impactful investment opportunities. The proposed grant supports a pilot to refine a new impact management rating product for impact investors. The product can be used with a variety of publicly-traded mutual funds to help asset owners and their advisors assess how effectively the funds’ investment strategies are achieving the impact they promise investors. The rating will also help rated funds distinguish themselves from less rigorously managed funds, attract impact-oriented investments, and gain new insights into how to effectively manage their funds to achieve and measure targeted social and environmental impacts.