Impact First
Unsticking Impact Capital
Partnerships
As current events continue to prove, the world is unpredictable and capital with good intentions can easily become stuck due to unforeseen circumstances. With deep expertise in understanding transactional risk, Open Road often works in partnership with other organizations that see capital getting stuck in more unique or specialized situations.
In early 2025, Open Road worked with former USAID staff and private philanthropic partners to set up an emergency Freeze Fund to serve USAID projects that were at serious risk of impact loss due to the short-term notice of the US government’s Stop Work Orders. This $13M fund was set up in three months and was vital in keeping organizations and projects afloat while they worked through the legal and financial hurdles to unlocking their funds.
Leadership
Open Road’s CEO, Caroline Bressan recently wrote about the role of impact-first capital for ImpactAlpha. In her argument for a return to the original tenets of impact investing, she wrote:
“The impact sector’s focus on financial returns has come at a cost. Profit maximization is not always the right lens through which to view solutions to some of the world’s most intractable problems. Indeed, consistently seeking to maximize returns can come at the cost of the very people and communities you are seeking to help.”
In addition to our own loans, Open Road often capitalizes on opportunities to share our perspective and expertise with the broader community in an effort to encourage others to pursue impact-first investing. With a rich history in navigating and deciphering the best approach to legal structures, investment policy mapping, risk tolerance, governance, Open Road is often the right partner to help others think through their offerings, investments, and approach to impact.
If you’re interested in working with Open Road either via our loan fund or partnering around other opportunities, please get in touch with our team and we’d be happy to brainstorm how to unlock additional impact-first capital together.
Join Us
Learn more about our partnership and impact first opportunities.
