Impact-First Investing: Matching Capital to Purpose
Overview
On September 14, 2026, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York hosted “Impact-First Investing: Matching Capital to Purpose” in partnership with The Social Finance Institute and The Rustandy Center for Social Sector Innovation. The event explored how impact-first investing fits into the full spectrum of capital available and how it can be deployed to address a range of issues.
NY Fed’s Otho Kerr led engaging conversations about impact-first investing in action, followed by remarks by Kirstin Hill and a roundtable that included Stephen Vicinelli, Amon Anderson of Acumen America, Pia Desai of Samvid Ventures, and Lucas Ramirez, CFA of Grameen America, Inc.
Following the roundtable discussion, Karen Anderson, David Socolow, and Daniel Buckman gave a demonstration of the Impact-First Investing Tool to illustrate how funders can think through their assumptions about directing capital with an impact-first lens.
Watch the video:
00:00:09 — Welcome from Otho Kerr
00:04:45 — Introduction: Impact-First Investing Explained with Kirstin Hill
00:15:15 — Panel Discussion on Impact First Investing with Otho Kerr, Amon Anderson, Pia Desai, Lucas Ramirez, Stephen Vicinelli
01:06:05 — Live Interactive Demonstration of the Impact First Investment Tool with Karen Anderson, Daniel Buckman, David Socolow
01:27:00 — Closing Remarks from Otho Kerr
Photos
![Seven people in business attire stand side by side, smiling, in front of a gray wall and white couches.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/1789472475086-500x375.jpg")
![Five panelists sit onstage in front of a large screen titled “Panel Discussion on Impact-First Investing” as an audience observes and takes photos in a modern auditorium.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_0681-500x375.jpg")
![A woman presents a slide titled “Matching Capital to Purpose” to an audience in a lecture hall with four empty chairs on stage.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_0679-scaled-e1790617042536-500x329.jpg")
![A woman with long hair and glasses speaks at a podium with the Reserve Bank of New Zealand emblem, standing indoors near a plant and a wall with wooden panels.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-42-500x354.png")
![Five people sit on a panel in front of a large screen displaying a chart comparing traditional investing, impact investing, and philanthropy in a conference room.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_0709-scaled-e1790617113834-500x391.jpg")
![A man in a suit sits in a white chair, speaking with hands raised. He has a name tag, and a glass of water is on a table beside him. A blue screen is in the background.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-43-500x354.png")
![Three people stand at a podium presenting in front of a screen displaying speaker names and photos for a live demonstration of the Impact-First Investment Tool.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_0715-scaled-e1790617069953-500x345.jpg")
![Two presenters stand in front of a seated audience with a large screen behind them displaying investment data and bar graphs in a conference room.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_0755-scaled-e1790617090275-500x356.jpg")
![Two men in suits stand at the front of a room; one speaks into a microphone while holding papers, the other stands near a podium and smiles.](https://socialfinance.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/Untitled-design-44-500x354.png")