B Lab Honors World's Leading Impact Investors Using New GIIRS System

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA--(Marketwired - Dec. 6, 2016) - B Lab, in partnership with B the Change Media, announced today the honorees of the 2016 Best for the World Funds, celebrating 50 impact investment funds that have created exceptional social and environmental impact, including in areas of microfinance and technology.

All Best for the World Funds have been given a GIIRS (Global Impact Investing Rating System) Rating, the gold standard in impact measurement within the impact investing community. Developed by B Lab, the GIIRS certification allows investment managers to measure, manage and benchmark the total impact of their portfolio's companies using the B Impact Assessment.

"We developed the GIIRS system in response to the desire for a standardized way to measure the social and environmental impact of investments," says Andrew Kassoy, a co-founder of B Lab. "We believe that you can't manage what you don't measure and are proud to honor members of the impact investing community that have committed to doing so."

Best for the World Funds receive ratings in two categories: 1) Impact Business Model, which recognizes how much the company's mission is designed to create positive social and environmental impact, and 2) Operations, which is based on the company's practices in governance structure, worker policies, community involvement and environmental footprint.

The top-performing funds in the Impact Business Model Category were:

• Catalyst Microfinance Investors, which invests in emerging microfinance institutions

• Impact America Fund LLP, which invests in technology

The top-performing funds in the Operations category were:

• India Inclusion Financial Fund, which invests in microfinance institutions

• Renewal2 by Renewal Funds, which invests in a wide range of initiatives that benefit society and the environment

Since its launch in 2011, GIIRS has rated over 90 investment funds and 2000 companies. Any firm may undergo the GIIRS assessment and become eligible for B Corporation status. The B Impact Assessment, which is the basis of GIIRS, is used by more than 40,000 companies worldwide.

The full list of honorees will be featured in the Winter issue of B Magazine and on B the Change Media's website, bthechange.com.

About B Lab

B Lab is a nonprofit organization that serves a global movement of people using business as a force for good. Its vision is that one day all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world and society will enjoy prosperity for all for the long term.

B Lab drives this systemic change by: 1) building a community of Certified B Corporations to make it easier for all of us to tell the difference between "good companies" and good marketing; 2) passing benefit corporation legislation to give business leaders the freedom to create value for society as well as shareholders; 3) helping businesses measure, compare and improve their social and environmental performance with the free B Impact Assessment; 4) driving capital to impact investments through use of its B Analytics and GIIRS Ratings platform.

For more information, visit www.bcorporation.net.

About B the Change Media

B the Change Media, a partnership between B Lab and CEO Bryan Welch, former head of Ogden Publications, began publishing in 2016 in order to inspire and empower others to use business as a force for good. Building on the belief that storytelling is an essential element in this effort to transform society, the organization's flagship publication, B Magazine, reports on the creative corporate visionaries, pioneering companies, groundbreaking products, and cutting-edge ideas that are reinventing the world through positive business-led social and environmental change. B the Change Media cultivates these and other vital conversations via print, digital, video and live event platforms. The company is headquartered in Lawrence, Kansas, with offices in New York City.