Increasing philanthropic giving among emerging market investment firms

The Margins Project is an effort designed to reach out to international, emerging market investment firms in the European Union and the USA and to engage them in solutions to problems affecting the communities in which they invest.

The Margins Project aims to use the unique NESsT model of "philanthropic investment" as a means of relating philanthropy to the core business strategy of  emerging market investment firms -- principally in the private equity, venture capital and investment banking industries.

Phase I: Increasing awareness among the emerging market investment industry about critical community problems and the benefits of applying a philanthropic investment strategy to address them.

NESsT will accomplish this by reaching out to emerging market investment professionals by:

•  producing a primer on philanthropic investment strategies specifically tailored to the investment industry;

•  publishing the NESsT Performance Management Report analyzing lessons learned from the NESsT Venture Fund in Central Europe and Latin America, illustrating the benefits/impact of social enterprise, and the concept of "social return on investment"; and

•  expanding the NESsT International Venture Philanthropy Award to recognize excellence in philanthropic investment among emerging market investment firms; and

•  completing and promoting the CSR in CEE survey, the first-ever comprehensive survey and ranking of corporate social responsibility (CSR) among corporations in the eight new European Union member states.

Phase II: Increasing involvement of and support from the international investment industry to support social enterprises in emerging market countries.

NESsT will accomplish this by:

•  increasing membership in the NESsT International Business Advisory Network (IBAN);

•  expanding strategic partnerships with emerging market investment associations Europe and the USA to promote venture philanthropy among their members;

•  hosting "Investing in the Margins" events for emerging market investors in key cities across Europe, Latin America, and the USA. The events will include the launch of the venture philanthropy primer and performance reports, and include presentations by NESsT Venture Fund portfolio members from Central Europe and Latin America; and

•  launching the NESsT Global Emerging Markets (GEMs) Fund for Social Enterprise, a new fund of the NESsT Venture Fund to support social enterprises in emerging market countries worldwide in key thematic areas, principally in the areas of disabilities, environment, HIV/AIDs, and human rights (particularly indigenous people and ethnic minorities).