The Capital Institute has produced a dynamic online guide, sharing stories that demonstrate the power of financial capital to bring positive social change.
John Fullerton founded Capital Institute in 2010. He was an experienced impact investor and former managing director of JPMorgan and was determined to transform finance into a mechanism to create a more just, regenerative and sustainable way of living.
The Field Guide to Investing in a Regenerative Economy was published in 2010 and a dedicated website launched in 2013.
It tells stories of regeneration from all over the world, highlighting the role of finance and weaving them into a compelling narrative about ways to bring about change. Importantly, Capital Institute seeks to empower people to participate.
The online guide is intended to immerse visitors in the possibilities of a regenerative economy. It uses a variety of techniques to achieve this, telling stories through written articles, photography, music, video and audio. Visitors can see where initiatives are located and identify "regenerative economy hotspots" on an interactive map.
For example, a professor at the University of Wisconsin tells how the university set up a lending platform that has loaned $9,000 (£9,336) to 180 people in Haiti, provoking entrepreneurial activity and boosting the Haitian economy.
A donation of $60,000 allowed social enterprise Detroit Kitchen Connect to provide food business start-ups with access to kitchens that would otherwise sit empty most of the time.
The response to the field guide exceeded the team's expectations, attracting nearly 10,000 visitors to its family of websites in the first six weeks.
The Capital Institute's work to promote Fullerton's vision of hope through positive investment will continue in 2014 with the release of a white paper and a series of new articles.
Katharine Earley is a journalist and copywriter, specialising in sustainability.
The Guardian Sustainable Business Sustainability Case Studies contain articles on all the initiatives that met the criteria for the GSB Awards.
