Today, the private equity firm Carlyle will announce a $4.1 billion credit facility for its portfolio companies that ties the price of debt to the diversity of a company’s board. The facility, which the firm says is the largest of its kind in the U.S., is part of an “integrated approach to building better businesses,” according to the firm’s C.E.O., Kewsong Lee. Setting a target.

The credit facility is an extension of Carlyle’s goal for its portfolio company boards to have at least 30 percent diverse members by 2023. The firm defines diverse members in the U.S. as women and ethnic minorities, such as Black, Asian, Hispanic, Pacific Islander or Native American; it defines them globally as women.

In a study of its portfolio companies, Carlyle found that firms with two or more diverse board members recorded annual earnings growth 12 percent higher than those with fewer diverse directors.

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