Technical experts
Mine operators are supported by a network of in-house and external experts in project finance, mining and environmental management, accelerating continuous ESG improvements and business literacy.
The organisation behind Kustawi
The Impact Facility
A UK-registered social enterprise and impact investment vehicle that brings economic and environmental empowerment to artisanal and small-scale mining (ASM) communities.
Co-founded by TDi Sustainability and Fairphone, The Impact Facility was established as downstream demand for responsible minerals grew while small-scale mining businesses continued to face persistent environmental and economic challenges. Its answer is practical: capital, equipment and expertise, in exchange for demonstrated improvement.
Its mission is to provide mining communities with access to the technical assistance, markets, capital and equipment that enable diverse local economies to grow through viable, thriving small and medium-sized businesses.
- Co-founders
- TDi Sustainability & Fairphone
- Commodities
- Gold, copper & cobalt
- Footprint
- Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, DR Congo
The vision
Communities endowed with mineral wealth should have the means to grow a sustainable and just economy that is catalysed by, rather than relying on, mining.
How they work
Incubating small-scale mines to unleash their full potential.
Rather than imposing external standards, The Impact Facility takes a business-led approach: continuous environmental, social and governance (ESG) improvements at mine sites, measured against its Impact Escalator framework, unlock access to finance, equipment and markets.
Financing
Impact capital reaches approved mines as equipment finance on a lease-to-purchase basis, with grace periods, market-rate interest and optional payment breaks on the road to full ownership.
Downstream demand
Minerals originating from partner mines are marketed with ESG-assured status and channelled into global supply chains, connecting responsible producers with committed buyers.
Programmes
Where the model is at work.
Two flagship programmes carry the approach across East and Central Africa, and a credits scheme extends it to companies anywhere in the gold value chain.
Gold · Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda
Lake Victoria Gold Programme
Blended-finance partnerships with small-scale gold mines around Lake Victoria, also known as LV2030. Lease-to-purchase equipment investments are tied to ESG performance, with the ambition of facilitating investment into more than 100 small-scale mining businesses.
theimpactfacility.com →Cobalt · DR Congo
Fair Cobalt Alliance
A multi-stakeholder action platform for responsible artisanal cobalt in Lualaba province, co-founded by The Impact Facility, which serves as its permanent secretariat. Members across the supply chain work on safe and dignified working conditions, child labour remediation and higher incomes.
faircobaltalliance.org →Gold credits · Global
Responsible Gold Credits
Each credit a company purchases represents a quantity of more responsibly mined artisanal gold, funding improvement projects that the mines themselves choose: good governance, safe working conditions, environmental protection and inclusive economic development.
oreka.datastake.io →0active gold mine investments through the lease-to-purchase scheme
0+small-scale mining businesses targeted for investment by LV2030
0+Fair Cobalt Alliance members across the cobalt supply chain
0UN Sustainable Development Goals the programmes are aligned with
- A grant of about $790,000 from the London Metal Exchange established a school improvement fund in the DR Congo copper and cobalt belt.
- Fair Cobalt Alliance members include Tesla, Google, Glencore, Save the Children and Fairphone.
- One Responsible Gold Credit costs USD 5 and stands for one gram of more responsibly mined artisanal gold.
- Two of the leadership team are listed in the Top 100 Corporate Social Responsibility Influence Leaders.
Figures published by The Impact Facility on theimpactfacility.com.
TIF unlocks the power of capital markets and paves the way for senior investors to take calculated risks on investing in small-scale mining as a new asset class.
Where they work
Five countries, one framework.
Field teams work alongside mine operators in East and Central Africa, with coordination from the United Kingdom.
United KingdomRegistered office
KenyaGold · LV2030
Lease-to-purchase partnerships in the Migori gold belt and around Lake Victoria.
TanzaniaGold · LV2030
Partner mines around Lake Victoria; the Geita region hosts the first Responsible Gold Credits mines.
UgandaGold · LV2030
Small-scale gold partnerships under LV2030 and Project Access, professionalising artisanal gold mining.
DR CongoCobalt · Fair Cobalt Alliance
The alliance supports artisanal cobalt mines in Lualaba province, in the country's copper and cobalt belt.
United KingdomRegistered office
The Impact Facility is registered in the UK, where it coordinates programmes and investor relations.
Milestones
From research to a replicable framework.
- 2018
Digging for Change
In-depth research into artisanal cobalt mining culminates in the Digging for Change report, the groundwork for collective action in the DR Congo.
- 2020
Fair Cobalt Alliance launches
The alliance launches with founding members including Fairphone, Glencore, Huayou Cobalt and Signify; The Impact Facility becomes its permanent secretariat.
- 2023
LV2030 moves to scale
The Lake Victoria Gold Programme grows from proof of concept towards scale, with twelve active mine investments across Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
- 2025
Responsible Gold Credits
The credits programme launches, extending the model to companies using gold in jewellery, electronics and automotive supply chains.
- 2026
Kustawi
The investment framework gets its digital home: a dedicated platform built with Datastake, from operator registration to continuous ESG evaluation.
In the field
The work, on the ground.
The control tower
The brain of Kustawi.
Gustav Dahlqvist
Monitoring & Evaluation Lead, The Impact Facility
Gustav curated the evaluation framework Kustawi runs on: a holistic monitoring and evaluation system that ties the cobalt work in the DR Congo and the gold work in East Africa to one evidence base, aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
He works with the field teams daily to keep the system anchored in the reality of each mine site: fitting how operators actually work, treating mining communities as the first knowledge holders, and making sure what works at one operation can scale to the next.
MSc International Development & Management, Lund · BA International Relations, Malmö
The platform
Kustawi is how TIF's framework runs day to day.
Operator profiles, ESG evaluation, equipment needs and monthly reporting: Kustawi carries The Impact Facility's investment framework as one digital workflow.