These actions could impact Japanese companies, particularly those working in global markets. Regardless, being mindful of ways to involve communities in understanding their needs and aligning impact and measuring unintended and intended consequences will be important. Collaborations and Community-based Participation in Investment Process There are many cross disciplinary community-based investment processes that SIIF can use as examples for the next steps: n The UK-Based Impact Investing Institute offers a guide to “Fostering Impact: An Investor Guide for Engaging Communities in Place-Based Impact Investing.” 79 This guide was designed for investors, developers, and stakeholders who want to enhance their impact and financial performance by forging partnerships with local communities through meaningful engagement. It explains why community involvement is important and provides steps for engagement in place-based investing. n SOCAP, a leading impact investor platform group, has showcased participatory investment models that give entrepreneurs and community members a voice and a vote in investment decisions. 80 Village Capital, Candide Group, and Food and Farm Communications Fund have tried to shift the typical investor structure so that community members have a greater say in how capital is deployed. n Village Capital’s tools include a Smarter Systems framework that helps investors adjust their due diligence process and mitigate gender bias, so they identify new investment opportunities. 81 Entrepreneurs can use the Capital Explorer tool to identify the type of funding structure that best suits their needs. 82 n Mission Investors Exchange and the American Evaluation Association have individually and together conducted webinars and trainings on the topic of making space for community voice in impact measurement and management. 83 Heron Foundation, one of the leaders in impact investing in the US, has focused on funds that are place based and community centered. 84 Academic and Community Partnership In addition to the faculty and academic institutions mentioned in the case, there are other academic divisions and faculty who have skills in community collaborative design and participatory processes. Examples include: n The University of Tokyo, Department of Urban Engineering through the Collaborative Community Design Lab offers courses in Place-Based Planning and Management, Participatory Design, Participatory Democracy, Communication Design, Public Realm Design, and Smart Community. 85 185
Ten Years in the Making
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