Acumen is the “radical idea of creating hope in a cynical world” and the “World’s School for Social Change” using moral imagination to change the way the world tackles poverty.
They are “a global community changing the way the world tackles poverty by investing in companies, leaders, and ideas who enable the poor to transform their lives."
Their website, https://acumen.org, continues:
"Our vision is a world based on dignity, where every human being has the same opportunity. Rather than giving philanthropy away, we invest it in companies and change makers.”
"It starts by standing with the poor, listening to voices unheard, and recognizing potential where others see despair.
"It demands investing as a means, not an end, daring to go where markets have failed and aid has fallen short. It makes capital work for us, not control us.
"It thrives on moral imagination: the humility to see the world as it is, and the audacity to imagine the world as it could be. It’s having the ambition to learn at the edge, the wisdom to admit failure, and the courage to start again.
"It requires patience and kindness, resilience and grit: a hard-edged hope. It’s leadership that rejects complacency, breaks through bureaucracy, and challenges corruption. Doing what’s right, not what’s easy.
"The markets alone cannot solve the problems of poverty; nor are charity and aid enough to tackle the challenges faced by over two-thirds of the world’s population living in poverty. Patient capital is a third way that seeks to bridge the gap between the efficiency and scale of market-based approaches and the social impact of pure philanthropy."
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