Sustainable assets under management (AUM) and investor sentiment show resilience and optimism amid political headwinds. Importantly, sentiment across the industry remains optimistic: nearly 70% of respondents say they remain committed to sustainability’s long-term future.

The Importance of the US SIF Trends Survey

As we navigate the fast-changing landscape of sustainable investing, it is evident that the ability to triangulate findings through SEC ADV and 13F filings with the responses and perceptions from those in the sustainable investing trenches has become critical to ascertaining the real, evolving trends in the market.

The 2025 survey reflects a broad and senior cross-section of the sustainable investing community, with 270 institutions participating. Around 40% of respondents held high-level roles such as C-suite, principals, trustees and managing directors. This year, the US SIF Survey again asked respondents to share their own motivations and outlooks for the sustainable investing sector in addition to how their own firms were evolving in this quickly changing landscape.

The US Political Environment and its Perceived Impact on the Sustainable Investment Community

The shifting US political landscape has exerted a visible — though uneven — influence on investor attitudes and organizational strategies toward sustainability. Since 2023, heightened scrutiny of ESG investing has prompted investors to reassess terminology and practice. While some firms have refined their messaging, emphasizing fiduciary duty and financial materiality, others have continued with little or no change in strategy. The resulting environment is one of recalibration rather than retreat: investors remain committed to integrating sustainability considerations but are adapting language, stewardship protocols, and disclosure framing to align with evolving legal and political realities.

‘We have increased our education advocacy and speaking out’

‘We have aligned our external comms and language with executive orders’

'More scrutiny over public disclosures and speaking roles'

'Rewriting of core external materials and overall organizational mission'

'We take more precautions but our actions have not changed'

Finally, the 2025 Survey asked a number of open-ended questions which we felt were important to get a deeper perspective on how US SIF and the sustainable investment sector may want to respond going forward.

We received over 100 responses to each question; the perspectives shared were personal and reflected the frustrations, challenges and a broad sense of being under attack, due to the increasing polarization and politicization of the work.

"Polarization makes it almost impossible to have thoughtful conversations."

To combat this, many responses included a call for:

"..deeper collaboration, partnerships and a coordinated response to strengthen advocacy, influence policy address and address misinformation."

On a more practical note, many responses highlighted the:

"..need for clear definitions and the standardization of disclosures.."

aligned with global standards. In conjunction with:

"..greater education and communication .."

to address misconceptions, build demand, and support informed decision-making.

The contradictions and lack of consensus within these particular section of survey responses highlight the pressing need for agreement by the industry on clear definitions, more knowledge and education, and increased collaboration.

US SIF continues to be at the center of these conversations and will address some of these challenges, in partnership with our members, through our upcoming quarterly roundtable series.