Impact and Measurement
All of our investments are aligned with key Sustainable Development Goals
ABSF is committed to improving our measurement and reporting of social and environmental impact. We are now complementing our longstanding emphasis on relationships and qualitative data with a simple impact measurement framework aligned with the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. Beyond our broad philosophical alignment with all 17 of these goals, we will track a few simple priority metrics related to the 6 SDGs below.
Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all
ABSF has long supported equal access to educational, vocational, and leadership training for women, people of color, and persons with disabilities, and favors grantees and investees providing such opportunities.
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
Gender equality is core to our mission and cuts across all of our grants and investments. We seek to level the playing field for women in access to employment, leadership, and investment capital. Our investments prioritize support for social enterprises working on all of the above issues.
Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all
We support the global transition away from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources. Our investment focus is supporting access to clean energy resources for disadvantaged populations without electrical grid access (aka off-grid or last mile distribution), as well as clean energy retrofits replacing fossil-fuel powered sources. Investments must demonstrate both economic and quality of life benefits for customer beneficiaries.
Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
ABSF supports grassroots entrepreneurship and small businesses through a combination of grants, loans, and endowment investments. We prioritize investing in ventures combining inclusive, quality employment & leadership opportunities for women and other disadvantaged populations with environmentally sustainable business models.
Reduce inequality within and among countries
ABSF contributes to bridging the wide gap in access to investment capital for women & entrepreneurs of color. We support ventures creating improved leadership opportunities for the same, as well as enhanced wages, benefits, and shared ownership options.
Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns
Environmental sustainability is a core ABSF value and we support this primarily by investing in environmentally responsible small businesses. Businesses we support demonstrate commitment to improving environmental practices in their core business models, such as reducing pollution and waste, recycling or converting by-products into sustainable and beneficial products, and sourcing more sustainable raw materials.
