Place-based Impact Finance

How to use Impact Finance for place based investments. Place Based Impact Investing (PBII) is considered an interesting new and promising trend within the Impact Finance space. In the UK, it has been defined as: Investments made with the intention to yield appropriate risk-adjusted financial returns as well as positive local impact, with a focus on addressing the needs of specific places to enhance local economic resilience, prosperity and sustainable development (source: The Good economy).

Purpose

Advance impact finance by addressing local social and environmental challenges, starting with:

• Affordable housing & collective renovation
• Just transition of cities and neighbourhoods

IFB acts as a catalyst: identifying initiatives, connecting partners, supporting financial innovation, and scaling impact.

Why It Was Created

Local communities face high-impact challenges—energy poverty, housing quality, social inequality—but lack the financing tools to address them. This group aims to fill that gap with tailored place-based strategies.

Next Steps & Priorities

Action Plan 2025

Focus Areas

• Collective Renovation
  Support real projects (Link, Pandschap, Collectief Goed) using impact-integrated financial models
• Just Transition of Cities
  Engage cities (e.g. Leuven, Ghent, Brussels) to co-develop scalable financing models

Key Activities

• Publication: Place-Based Impact Investing in Belgium (Oct 2025)
• Workshops: Innovative financing for cities, in collaboration with EU Climate City Capital Hub
• Deep dives: Inspired by Social Impact Fund Rotterdam

Outcomes

• Clear frameworks & tools for IFB members
• Scalable models for funding local transition
• Stronger inclusion of francophone and underserved regions