Sorenson Impact Center Celebrates Advancement to Institute Status

The Sorenson Impact Center at the University of Utah, is now the Sorenson Impact Institute

SALT LAKE CITY – The Sorenson Impact Center today announced its prestigious advancement as the newest Institute at the University of Utah. This marks a significant milestone in the Institute’s journey and underscores its longstanding commitment to driving positive global change.

“With the incredible vision, leadership, and partnership of then Dean Taylor Randall, the Sorenson Impact Center was born with the goal of expanding the opportunities in impact for students, innovating in the impact investing space, and leading a very nascent industry,” said Jim Sorenson who endowed the Center in 2013. “Now today, it is here that some of the best and brightest minds in multiple professional disciplines work together every day to move capital where it is needed most.”

The Sorenson Impact Institute embodies a multi-disciplinary approach to impact. The Institute helps organizations achieve their impact vision by connecting capital to impact through innovative finance structuring, impact measurement and management, impact strategy, and storytelling. The Institute is proudly housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business where the program helps train future leaders in impact through internships and academic programming.

“We are incredibly grateful to Jim Sorenson, President Randall and Dean Hayes for their continued support and vision for the Institute,” said Institute CEO Geoff Davis. “Our shared vision for a better world is why we are all here — we come to work every day to help move capital toward solving the greatest challenges of our lifetime, and we are immensely proud of what we’ve accomplished thus far. But we are just getting started and our biggest contributions are yet to come.This new advancement is an important step in our work training the next generation of impact investing leaders and designing capital innovations that create value for society as well as investors and shareholders.”

With roots tracing back to the University Venture Fund in 2001, the Institute’s growth has been a process of incorporating education, investment, and social transformation into both the student and client experience. The institute has catalyzed over $70 million dollars in investments for more than 120 impact entrepreneurs worldwide and partnered with more than 300 influential organizations across the globe to guide and measure their social impact. As part of the University of Utah, the institute also boasts a multifaceted experiential student program that has helped train nearly 1,000 students from across the country since its inception.

“Experiential learning opportunities are a hallmark of the education we provide at David Eccles School of Business, and the Sorenson Impact Institute has been at the forefront of this critical part of the student experience,” said Rachel Hayes, Dean of the David Eccles School of Business. “With this advancement, the Sorenson Impact Institute will be able to reach even more students – at the Eccles School and across campus – and help prepare them to be the social innovators and leaders of the future. We look forward eagerly to all the wonderful things that are to come.”

The evolution to an Institute not only recognizes past accomplishments but ushers in transformative initiatives as well. The Institute will expand its student programming, offering new and exciting academic and professional opportunities focused on engaging and training the next generation of changemakers.

Most notably, the Impact & Prosperity Epicenter, slated to open its doors in 2024, demonstrates the Institute’s commitment to nurturing future leaders. As an immersive student-living and office- headquarters environment, the Epicenter will become home to changemakers solving the world’s greatest challenges.

In a world marked by complex social and financial challenges, the Sorenson Impact Institute continues to innovate positive change. Through passionate leadership, influential practice areas, and training future generations of impact investing leaders, the Institute hopes to influence change in even more meaningful and impactful ways through years to come.

About the Sorenson Impact Institute

The Sorenson Impact Institute helps organizations achieve their impact vision by connecting capital to impact through innovative finance structuring, impact measurement and management, impact strategy, and storytelling. The Institute is proudly housed at the University of Utah David Eccles School of Business where the program helps train future leaders in impact through internships and academic programming. Learn more at https://sorensonimpactinstitute.com/