(Social Ventures Australia: Newpin Social Benefit Bond)
The NSW social benefit bond (social impact bond) for UnitingCare Burnside’s Newpin programme is attracting interest from a range of investors, including NGS Super – the first time we’ve seen a pension/superannuation fund sign up to a social impact bond. The Newpin programme is for families with children aged 0-5 and results are measured on the proportion of children in out-of-home care (which includes foster care, institutional care and placement with extended family) that are returned to their families by the courts. This is called the restoration rate.
Eureka Report’s A high-yield bond with social benefits recently revealed the social and financial returns over the seven year social benefit bond as follows:
| Restoration rate (r) | Return to investor (IRR) |
| ≥ 70% | 15% |
| 65% ≤ r < 70% | 12% |
| 60% ≤ r < 65% | 7.5% |
| 55% ≤ r < 60% | 3% |
| <55% |
•minimum 5% yield over first three years
•no minimum yield after three years
•75% of capital returned if bond redeemed at four years
•50% capital returned if redeemed after four years
|
The Newpin restoration rates were 74.5% last year. Their approach to this social benefit bond, to measure their results for a similar cohort for the year prior to the bond, gives social investors information with which to judge the social and financial risk of the investors. Providing this information attracts investors beyond the die-hard philanthropists who have backed the programme from the start.
Funds were raised from 59 investors by Social Ventures Australia (SVA) with a minimum investment of AU$50,000. The SIB was oversubscribed. Below is a breakdown of investment by investor categories as presented by Ian Learmonth, Executive Director, Social Ventures Australia at the 2013 Social Finance Forum in Sydney/Australia.
Emma Tomkinson 