Our Impact
The Christian Aid Resilient Futures Fund takes impact seriously. Impact is not an adjunct to financial performance, nor a communications exercise. It is the primary reason the Fund exists and the standard against which success is judged.
CARFF’s impact framework is designed specifically for investment and enterprise contexts, drawing on Christian Aid’s long-standing monitoring, evaluation and learning expertise while incorporating recognised impact investment practice.
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Our impact approach focuses on four interrelated outcome areas:
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Climate resilience and adaptation, including increased adaptive capacity, reduced vulnerability to climate shocks, deployment of climate-smart technologies, and strengthened local economic systems able to withstand environmental stress.
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Decent jobs and inclusive livelihoods, tracking jobs created or sustained, income stability and wage growth, workforce quality, and intentional inclusion of women, young people, and marginalised groups.
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Environmental outcomes, including reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improved land and resource stewardship, and biodiversity or ecosystem gains linked to enterprise activity.
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Social Return on Investment (SROI), capturing the overall social, economic and environmental value created for communities and the planet relative to capital deployed.
Impact is assessed not only by scale, but by depth, durability, and contribution. We are explicit about what would or would not have happened without CARFF’s involvement, recognising that catalytic capital matters most where markets fail to reach.
CARFF works closely with Christian Aid’s MEL specialists and investment partners to ensure:
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Clear theories of change for each investment.
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Robust outcome-level indicators appropriate to enterprise models.
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Proportionate but rigorous data collection that does not burden investees.
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Active management of impact risk alongside financial risk.
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Impact performance is reviewed regularly at Investment Committee level, with learning fed back into portfolio construction, investment strategy, and technical assistance support. Where impact underperforms, we engage, adapt, and learn rather than simply report.
Transparency is central to our approach. CARFF publishes regular impact reporting and invites supporters to engage more deeply through case studies, learning briefings, and, where appropriate, field visits. We believe accountability strengthens trust, and learning strengthens impact.
Impact is not something we claim. It is something we steward, measure, and remain answerable for.
Alignment with Global Frameworks and Standards
CARFF aligns its impact measurement with recognised international frameworks to ensure credibility, comparability, and coherence. In particular, portfolio outcomes are mapped against the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a primary contribution to:
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SDG 1 – No Poverty, through strengthened livelihoods and income security.
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SDG 5 – Gender Equality, via intentional inclusion of women as entrepreneurs, employees, and beneficiaries.
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SDG 7 – Affordable and Clean Energy, through investment in renewable and clean energy solutions.
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SDG 8 – Decent Work and Economic Growth, by supporting stable, dignified employment in climate-resilient enterprises.
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SDG 9 – Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, through locally appropriate enterprise and infrastructure solutions.
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SDG 13 – Climate Action, via adaptation, mitigation, and resilience-building activities.
Where appropriate, secondary contributions may also be made to SDGs relating to food security, water and sanitation, and ecosystem protection.
CARFF also aligns its assessment with the Impact Management Project’s five dimensions of impact: what outcomes are achieved, who experiences them, how much change occurs, the Fund’s contribution, and the risk that impact may not materialise. This ensures impact is considered holistically, not reduced to a single metric.