The British Council commissioned two publications on impact investment in Kazakhstan’s creative industries – a research report and a practical guide that builds on its findings.
A New Approach for Assessing Creative Enterprises to Attract Impact Investment in Kazakhstan makes the case for alternative methods of measuring the value of creative industries. Traditional economic indicators fail to capture the long-term social and cultural impact these sectors generate. The report examines global best practices in impact assessment, identifies opportunities for impact investors and offers recommendations to help creative enterprises access impact capital and scale their social effects.
In Search of the Right Investor: Eight Stories about Money, Values and the Cost of Growth takes these findings into the field. Entrepreneurs, producers and fund managers from Kazakhstan and the UK share how they searched for capital – and what it cost them. The guide shows that barriers to investment in the creative sector are systemic in both countries: reputation, cultural influence and social impact rarely feature in standard investment criteria. It explores how this can change through new financing models, alternative approaches to valuation and a shared language between entrepreneurs, investors and institutions. Each case study is accompanied by discussion questions, making this a practical resource for anyone working at the intersection of creativity and capital.
The Impact Report, its Executive Summary and the Handbook are available to download below.