Field Cases

TWIST invited each member of the TWIST Community of Practice to share their experience through field cases presentations and by completing the template that we developed in partnership with the MIT Sloan Sustainability Initiative. Our intention in convening is to create a safe, supportive space for practitioners to share and learn, while also providing a platform for research and publication to document practice and inspire others.

As of April 2024, the TWIST Community of Practice counts 93 members, of which 47% are asset owners (i.e., family offices, high-net-worth individuals, foundations and financial institutions), and the other 53% are enablers of systems change (i.e., academics, coalition leaders, asset managers, enabling platforms, consultants and network leaders). While these systems change actors typically bring into the perspectives of many stakeholders in their work (including, importantly, the implementers and individuals affected by the respective system), these actors weren’t part of the field case presentations and as such their perspectives are not included directly in this data. 

TWIST Community of Practice Members by Type of Actor

These 93 Community of Practice members have contributed 51 field cases to date, representing a wide range of geographies spanning six of the seven continents (Antarctica being the only exception). This highlights that this approach is truly emerging on a global scale and that it can be applied in any country or continent. In addition, some field cases are global in nature, e.g. seeking to transform the financial system or the aquaculture system globally. 

Geographies Targeted in the TWIST Case Studies

Stories that emerged include those seeking to transform the food system in Hawai’i, the education system in Mexico, the economic system of Melbourne, and the financial system globally. Together, the Community of Practice has spent many hours in active dialogue, exploring how these field cases exhibited differences between the more familiar areas of sustainable and impact investing, and this emerging field of investing for systems change.

Systems Targeted in the TWIST Case Studies

We have highlighted 12 of the 51 field cases in our inaugural TWIST white paper.

Qualifying criteria

For new case study contributions, we are looking for initiatives that: 

  • have the intention to create positive systems change; 

  • have supporting practices to enable systems change; 

  • have a link to investment capital, i.e. includes the direct deployment of investment capital, and/or are seeking to enable the flow of investment capital from others; 

  • are practical, i.e. not at the idea stage; 

  • are being implemented or have been implemented; 

If your case study qualifies, we would love to hear from you.