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Education Programs

How to Evolve to an Expert in Blended & Innovative Finance

Flagship program

«Impact Investment & Blended Finance for Development Agencies & Foundations» (IIBF)

Our next program will take place from September 11 to 13, 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland, as an in-person event. If you are interested in joining us in 2024 and need more information, please contact Christina Moehrle (Education Lead) at cmoehrle@roots-of-impact.org.

Together with our program partners Roots of Impact, Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at University of Zurich and Convergence, we run an actionable, practice-driven executive program that has received excellent feedback.

The program empowers public, philanthropic and private sector funders to collaborate effectively to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals. A special ingredient is solutions that demonstrate how to enable high-impact enterprises with market-based solutions to scale and deliver positive impact in a sustainable way – a bottom-up approach. Our more than 210 IIBF alumni to date come from major organisations across the globe, e.g. UNDP, USAID, SDC/DEZA, GIZ, Global Affairs Canada, IFC, SECO, FAO, IFAD, as well as renowned foundations and NGOs such as UNICEF, Shell Foundation, Aqua for All, Danish Red Cross, SOS Children’s Villages International, Fundacion Chile, and Refugee Investment Network.

IIBF typically runs as an open program (based on application) at its home base in Zurich, Switzerland. It can be offered as a client-specific iteration in selected locations (e.g. 2 previous program iterations specifically for UNDP Egypt and UNDP Jordan). IIBF was designed and implemented based on the experience of close to 50 in-house training iterations offered and held by our program partner Roots of Impact since 2017. In addition, it builds on the extensive academic and practical expertise of our program partners Convergence and the Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth (CSP) at University of Zurich.

Our education programs

Started, ongoing and planned

Determined to join us for the upcoming IIBF?

Interested but not yet certain when to apply?

The IIBF Zurich Programs

IIBF September 2024 Program Flyer

September 2023

Flyer_IIBF_Sept2024 Cover

IIBF Program Videos

IIBF Target Groups

First piloted in 2018, our IIBF programs exclusively target:

Executives and decision-makers from (a) develop­ment agencies, public or multi­lateral organizations, from (b) INGOs with experience in innovative finance as well as from (c) foundations with a focus on international development (i.e. catalytic and concessional capital providers).

The program is generally not shaped towards purely commercial capital providers such as institutional and private investors engaged in sustainable finance and financial-first impact investing.

IIBF Testimonials

IIBF 2024: Confirmed Speakers

> Karen E. Wilson, Associate Fellow at Said Business School at Oxford University / Founder GV Partners

> Aakif Merchant, Associate Director Training & Engagement, Convergence

> Bjoern Struewer, Founder & CEO, Roots of Impact / Initiative Lead, Initiative for Blended Finance at the University of Zurich

> Audrey Desiderato, Head of Africa and Emerging Markets Strategy, Mirova SunFunder

> Dr. Falko Patzold, Initiator and Managing Director, Center for Sustainable Finance and Private Wealth at the University of Zurich / Academic Lead, Initiative for Blended Finance

> Matthieu Pegon, Head of Blended Finance, IDB Invest

Additional live cases with impact entrepreneurs and impact investors will be announced in early 2024.

IIBF Impressions

Eager To Participate?

For a binding registration to one of the upcoming program iterations, please go to this application link

If you would like to stay informed about our IIBF programs and upcoming iterations, feel free to subscribe to our newsletter (max. 4 / year)