Makingthe Mark2026
MAKING THE MARK is an annual publication designed to drive transparency and learning in the sustainable and impact investing markets by sharing data and insights from BlueMark’s verifications and market intelligence. This year’s report, our seventh, includes data from a total of 247 verifications comprising 164 Practice Verifications for 142 distinct investors and 83 Fund ID verifications for 73 different fund managers.
For the first time, this year’s report features data from BlueMark IQ, launched in 2025 to equip allocators with the insights and benchmarks needed for stronger impact diligence and reporting. The BlueMark IQ section draws on data from over 447 funds representing $289 billion in AUM, offering unique perspectives into the current impact product landscape.
“The gap between our market’s scale and investors’ ability to assess and compare impact performance remains one of the industry’s most consequential unsolved problems. Addressing this challenge is the driving force behind integrating BlueMark IQ data into our annual Making the Mark report series.”
Christina Leijonhufvud
CEO, BlueMark
2026 Practice Verification Data
MANAGING
A COMBINED
Practice Benchmark
BlueMark’s proprietary rating system evaluates the degree of investor alignment with eight core pillars of impact management on a four-part scale (Low, Moderate, High, Advanced).
The BlueMark Practice Benchmark organizes the aggregated results from BlueMark’s 164 most recent practice verifications into Leading (75th percentile), Median (50th percentile) and Learning (25th percentile) quartiles.
LOW
moderate
High
Advanced
1 IMPACT OBJECTIVES
2 IMPACT MANAGEMENT
3 INVESTOR CONTRIBUTION
4 IMPACT SCREENING
5 ESG RISK MANAGEMENT
6 IMPACT MONITORING
7 IMPACT AT EXIT
8 IMPACT REVIEW
25%
25%
LEARNING
MED.
50%
MEDIAN
75%
75%
LEADING
LOW
moderate
High
Advanced
2026 Fund ID Data
MANAGING A COMBINED
Fund ID Benchmark
The Fund ID benchmark shows the distribution of overall Fund ID ratings across 83 funds. The average score achieved increased from 61 in 2025 to 67 out of 100 in this year’s data set, with Gold being the most common overall rating awarded.
Introducing
IQ Intelligence
This year’s report includes data from BlueMark IQ, launched in 2025 to equip allocators with the insights and benchmarks needed for stronger impact diligence and reporting.
$54.5 billion
impact aum
n=93 reporting funds
Growth
access
climate
2026 Leaderboards
See which impact investors are leading the way. Visit the BlueMark Leaderboards for the full list of investors and funds that achieved best-in-class verification results.
Explore the full report for data and insights on impact investing best practices, trends, and challenges.