The emergence of impact investment and social entrepreneurship has introduced new ways of using business to tackle social problems. Additionally, since the global adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, CEOs and business leaders have been urged to provide a new type of leadership, pivoting the focus from shareholder profit to stakeholder value. New forms of impact investment and social enterprise are being developed and scaled globally.
Across the Thomson Reuters Foundation, we create public awareness of the importance of this emerging global sector through our journalism and our convening initiatives, and provide valuable free legal support to non-profits and social enterprises around the world through our TrustLaw program.
TrustLaw is the world’s largest global pro bono legal network, with over 6000 member organizations and having connected over 7,000 pro bono legal projects across 180 countries. Our impact practice primarily consists of facilitating direct legal support for social enterprises and impact investors on a range of legal issues including, for example, corporate formation, fund structuring, investment agreements, intellectual property, among many others, as well as ecosystem-building through the production of a suite of guides and interactive tools that are designed to advance social entrepreneurship. Examples of these resources include best practice guides on impact investing, comparative research on innovative financial mechanism and solutions, and interactive online tools to help social entrepreneurs find the right legal structure. We also hold yearly trainings on legal issues and trends in impact investing and social enterprise for lawyers and other stakeholders to provide participants with the skills and knowledge they need to navigate this evolving field.
Through our news coverage of social innovation and inclusive economies at Thomson Reuters Foundation, with a focus on vulnerable and marginalized groups, we raise public awareness of the vital contribution mission led business and community initiatives can have on the health and wealth of society. In a world of information overload, we work with journalists, news organizations and partners to make sure environmental and sustainability issues remain at the top of the news agenda.
We also engage businesses, the legal community, civil society, social enterprises, and other actors to foster new approaches and decision-making models that take into account economic and social justice, together with environmental sustainability. Other initiatives include thematic working groups convened around the world to share expertise, drive new partnerships, facilitate media coverage and produce legal research in the fields of social enterprise and social finance.
- Headquarter address: 5 Canada Square, London, E14 5AQ, UK
- Countries served: 180
- Company contact name and email: Josh Koenig at Josh.Koenig [at] thomsonreuters.com
- Links to external social enterprise and impact investing articles published on the web (for articles published on ITP our team will create the links):
Guides and publications:
http://www.trust.org/trustlaw/social-innovation/
http://www.trust.org/publications/?show=LegalAndProBono
Interactive Tools:
http://socialinnovation.trust.org/
http://socialinnovation-us.trust.org/
Best countries for social entrepreneurs poll: