Beneficiary Voice and Experience in Impact Investing – Members Access for Session Recording and Resources

GAIL regional event, hosted by GAIL UK

This event introduced the newly launched Equalising Deal Terms (EDT) project to GAIL members, and considered the evolving role of beneficiary voice in impact investing deal terms and legal documentation.

GAIL members can click here to access a recording of the event along with a session summary and key takeaways.

The EDT initiative, facilitated by EIIP and Bates Wells – supported by the Connect Fund – aims to build on and extend key developments to advance the field of equality impact investing (EII).

The social investment community is beginning to gather momentum to address some of the key challenges in EII, through measures such as increased participatory decision-making, the development of ‘plain language’ investment documents and by seeking to address some of the barriers faced by organisations and communities led by and for Black and Minoritised communities.

Impact lawyers are engaged in and have a crucial role to play in driving progress in this field by bringing beneficiary voices into legal documentation.

This event considered the latest developments and implications for lawyers, including:

  • The extent to which impact investment terms replicate forms of power, privilege and control that are poorly aligned with mutual trust, respect, and collaborative partnership 
  • Specific examples of investment documentation and clauses that could be reworked to better embed equality impact investing principles
  • The legal processes and practices that have been identified by beneficiaries as increasing or exacerbating barriers to accessing investment, particularly for minoritised communities 
  • How investment terms, legal documentation and processes within impact investing can better embed the principles and values of equality

Speakers include:

EIIP (Equality Impact Investing) is a strategic and collaborative initiative that brings together a range of social finance and equality actors to develop the field, and levels, of, equality impact investing. 

This breakfast event was preceded and closed with networking with GAIL members. GAIL members can click here to access a recording of the event along with a session summary and key takeaways.