Bridges Fund Management

Bridges Fund Management is a specialist sustainable and impact investment firm, established in 2002 by Sir Ronald Cohen, Michele Giddens, and Philip Newborough. The firm is headquartered in London and also maintains offices in New York. For over two decades, Bridges Fund Management has focused on supporting the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy. The company operates with the conviction that addressing global challenges such as climate change and inequality presents a unique opportunity to generate both lasting economic value and positive social impact. Its funds are exclusively directed towards solutions that contribute to the decarbonisation of the economy or empower individuals to achieve their full potential.

The firm is recognised as a global leader in sustainable and impact investing, with an investment philosophy centered on identifying sectors and business models where a sustainability or impact-led strategy can unlock significant commercial growth. Bridges Fund Management's investment strategies are structured around four key impact themes: 'Stronger Communities', 'Sustainable Planet', 'Healthier Lives', and 'Future Skills'. These themes are designed to align with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The company has been a Certified B Corporation since 2015, achieving a score that places it among the top 1.5% of all B Corps globally. This certification reflects the firm's commitment to ethical and responsible investing, considering all potential stakeholders in its decision-making processes.

Bridges Fund Management's property funds invest opportunistically in needs-driven growth sectors that support the decarbonisation of the built environment, alongside promoting better health and wellbeing outcomes. Since 2010, the firm has been involved in the development of over £2 billion of assets across more than 70 transactions, aiming to deliver attractive investment returns coupled with measurable positive impact. The firm's real estate investments are designed to reduce carbon emissions, revitalise both business and residential spaces, regenerate communities, and address unmet needs within various markets. An example of this approach includes the remediation and development of a former colliery site in Cannock, known as Conneqt. While the firm's property investments are broad, student accommodation is not identified as its sole focus within its real estate portfolio.

Beyond its property investments, Bridges Fund Management backs ambitious growth companies whose technology, products, or services facilitate the transition to a more sustainable and inclusive economy. The firm offers a range of investment products to institutional investors, including Sustainable Growth Funds, Evergreen Holdings, Social Outcomes Funds, and the aforementioned Property Funds. The Sustainable Growth Funds, for instance, provide equity and business support to organically growing companies that demonstrate a positive impact on people or the planet. Furthermore, the firm operates Bridges Outcomes Partnerships, a not-for-profit subsidiary that focuses on outcomes partnerships. This model involves providing project finance and management to support the design and delivery of complex human and environmental services, with over 70 such projects having supported nearly 50,000 people globally. Bridges Fund Management has successfully raised over £1.7 billion across its various private markets strategies over its two decades of operation, including the recent close of Bridges Property Alternatives Fund VI with commitments exceeding £440 million.