We are reaching out to invite you to participate in a voluntary survey focused on Sustainable Investing and Blended Finance. This survey is targeted towards all capital providers, regardless of whether they are currently engaged in blended finance deals or not yet.

Our world is facing many crises -- such as climate change, biodiversity loss, social inequality, and poverty. Addressing these crises requires substantial amounts of funding that go beyond what the public sector is able to provide, particularly in emerging and developing markets. Unfortunately, we lack rigorous evidence and insights on how to best mobilize more private capital to close this financing gap.

To gain actionable insights, we invite you to participate in this survey.  We believe your insights could significantly contribute to advancing the public understanding of the investment expectations, practices, bottlenecks, and drivers of various capital providers (including foundations, family offices, impact investors, VCs, pension and sovereign funds, insurance providers, DFIs, MDBs, etc.) and hereby help unlock private capital. 

This survey is anonymous and an independent academic initiative conducted by Professors Caroline Flammer (Columbia University, NBER, CEPR, and ECGI), Thomas Giroux (CREST, ETH Zurich), and Geoffrey Heal (Columbia University and NBER).  

As a token of appreciation for your participation, the researchers will be delighted to share high-level insights of this survey with participants, the final academic paper, and a tailored presentation to your organization, should you wish to be recontacted. Also, they cordially invite you to join the 2025 SIRI Blended Finance Conference on September 24 at Columbia University.

Survey Details:

• Desktop computer: We recommend completing the survey on a desktop computer, especially for the open-ended questions, as this will give you more space and flexibility to share insights. 
• Confidentiality: Participation is voluntary, and the survey is anonymous. Your responses will be treated in accordance with the highest academic ethical standards. Your identity and your organization's identity will not be disclosed at any point during the research and publication process. We cannot trace individual responses back to anyone, although you have the option to voluntarily provide your identity at the end of the survey. Results will only be reported in aggregated fashion even if you do choose to provide your company’s identity.
• Estimated Time: The survey should take approximately 15 minutes to complete.
• Automatic Saving: Your responses will be saved automatically, allowing you to complete the survey at your convenience. If you need to pause and return later, you can easily resume from the same device.