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Foresters and InterFinancial join forces to impact socially-focused investments
FORESTERS Community Finance Ltd has established a strategic partnership with innovative Australian mid-market corporate advisory firm, InterFinancial Corporate Finance Ltd. to develop and manage impactful socially-focused Australian investment products.
Foresters chief executive officer, Sandra Nugent said the aim of the partnership was to create and enhance an innovative range of “impact investment products” for the Australian market. 
“As a socially-focused financier and fund manager, we believe that impact investment products are part of a growing global market trend delivering wholesale investors with an opportunity to use their capital to generate social, environmental or cultural outcomes, while generating an investment return,” Ms Nugent said.
“The partnership with InterFinancial was the first phase in a broader capital strategy to expand the scope and scale of Foresters mission and vision of helping people and communities to help themselves.”
The organisations met through Queensland Leaders, the organisation fostering Queensland’s next generation of leading companies. Foresters is an alumni member and InterFinancial is an industry expert partner with Queensland Leaders.
Foresters achievements in the emerging impact investment sector are growing strongly with close to $1 million of micro-credit loans, and $5.3m in enterprise loans to 26 non-profit organisations and social enterprises in Australia.
“It is now time to leverage what we know with a partner that brings skills and knowledge in the corporate finance and investment space,” Ms Nugent said.
InterFinancial managing director, Sharon Doyle said the relationship represented an opportunity to deploy core skills and experience into a sector that aligns with InterFinancial’s core values. Ms Doyle said Foresters was “an inspiring business partner in this sector”. 
Ms Nugent said, “Together, Foresters and InterFinancial are committed to developing a strong impact investment market and will continue to seek further partnerships in order to achieve this goal.”
With a history dating back to 1855, Foresters is one of a few Australian credit unions, banks and philanthropic societies exploring innovative social and community investment strategies in the modern Australian economy. Foresters can trace its origins back to the 19th century Friendly Society Movement body known as the Ancient Order of Foresters, founded in 1855, and the Australian Natives Association of Queensland Friendly Society, established in 1885.
The Foresters ANA Friendly Society was established in 1996 which, in 2008, re-emerged as Foresters Community Finance. Ms Nugent said this was the modern form of the organisation which continues to uphold the principles of self help and mutuality found in its origins.
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