A Comprehensive List of the Top Climate Funders in the Field
Amidst the climate crisis, our planet is besieged by the global repercussions of rising temperatures, sea level rise, heatwaves, droughts, floods, cyclones, and wildfires. The surface of the Earth is presently 1.1°C warmer than it was in the late 1800s and the last decade was the warmest on record.
It is obvious that climate change directly exacerbates humanitarian crises.
It is critical to recognize that the effects of climate change are not uniform; rather, they disproportionately affect the most vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, whom we strive to help on a daily basis. To address the crisis’s vast and varied global implications, coordinated measures are required. There exist funding organizations that provide financial support to address the impacts of climate change. Below is a list of 8 of the top organisations that are actively involved in funding initiatives related to climate change.
Before diving into the list, it is worth noting that the largest climate action funders are not governments, but businesses. Well before COP28 this month, investors and corporate leaders tie their investment outcomes to social outcomes, which in turn require climate sensitive business practices and investments. MzN International helps industry and non-profit organisations come together, providing support and assistance to channel more funding and networks towards fighting the climate crisis.
With that said, here are some of the direct donors:
1. Climate Gender Equity Fund (CGEF)
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in collaboration with Amazon, has initiated the Climate Gender Equity Fund (CGEF). This public-private partnership aims to amplify funding and expand climate finance supporting gender-equitable climate action. The CGEF targets enhanced access to climate finance for organizations led by women, focusing on gender-responsive initiatives addressing climate change. The fund’s objective is to secure $60 million in capital from corporations, foundations, bi/multilaterals, and other funders to drive impactful contributions to the cause.
In the initial funding round, eligibility criteria include organizations falling into one of two categories:
- Gender-smart and/or women-led emerging fund managers, including investment vehicles, that focus on investing in climate-smart solutions within countries where USAID operates.
- Network organizations or intermediaries that provide support to women entrepreneurs actively engaged in climate action within countries where USAID operates.
They release requests for project proposals.
For more information please visit their website.
2. USAID Climate Strategy 2022-2030
USAID’s new Climate Strategy, spanning until 2030, takes a holistic “whole-of-agency” approach. It involves all USAID sectors and missions in a unified response to the climate crisis, working with partner governments for a resilient, equitable world with net-zero emissions. The strategy outlines six ambitious targets, including mitigation, ecosystem support, adaptation, finance mobilization, country alignment, and empowering critical populations. The overarching goal is to advance equitable and ambitious actions to address the climate crisis.
For more information please visit the link.
To apply for a grant please visit the website.
3. Global EbA Fund
The Global EbA Fund backs inventive strategies for Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA) to combat climate change. It focuses on catalyzing initiatives to overcome obstacles hindering the expansion of EbA. Emphasizing innovation and urgency, the Fund targets filling gaps in planning, knowledge, and resources, fostering creative solutions and partnerships. Through supporting catalytic interventions, it addresses research deficiencies, tests innovative EbA methods, advocates for strategic EbA policy integration, and encourages inventive finance mechanisms and private sector EbA investment. The Fund’s three key objectives include raising awareness of the vital role of natural assets in building resilience to climate change, addressing governance gaps to enhance the feasibility of ecosystem-based approaches, and broadening access to sustainable finance for EbA application and expansion. Ultimately, the Fund aids in adapting to climate change’s adverse effects through catalytic projects.
To know more about the grant please visit the link.
4. International Climate Initiatives (IKI)
The IKI plays a crucial role in Germany’s climate financing and funding commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Administered by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, and Nuclear Safety (BMU), the IKI has been supporting climate and biodiversity projects in developing, newly industrializing, and transitioning countries since 2008. The IKI Thematic Calls annually tackle current challenges in climate action, adaptation, and biodiversity conservation. The relevant IKI ministries establish new thematic priorities to guide the submission of project outlines addressing these challenges.
For more information and to follow the call for proposals please visit the link.
5. Nordic Climate Facility (NFC)
The Nordic Climate Facility (NCF), funded by the Nordic Development Fund (NDF), supports projects with the potential to address both climate change and poverty reduction in low-income countries. NCF promotes technological innovation in climate-vulnerable areas, including energy, transport, water and sanitation, health, agriculture, forestry, and natural resource management. Adaptation proposals may focus on issues such as rising sea levels and threats to water, agriculture, and overall human welfare. Mitigation proposals aim to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through energy efficiency, transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable sources, and carbon sequestration. Climate change themes vary annually, and proposals may integrate both adaptation and mitigation components.
For more information about the grant please visit the link.
6. Trafigura Foundation
The Trafigura Foundation is committed to investing in transformative solutions that strengthen both communities and ecosystems. Their vision is a world where individuals flourish, and communities thrive in harmony with the planet. Recently launching their 2023-2027 strategy, the Foundation focuses on three thematic areas: sustainable livelihoods, encompassing support for green energy communities and entrepreneurship; thriving nature, including the scale-up of ecosystem-based adaptation and climate-resilient agriculture; and prepared communities, involving disaster risk reduction and response.
For more information about the grant please visit the link.
7. Egis Foundation
Egis Foundation is committed to combating climate change and promoting a fair transition, the foundation supports various educational and charitable initiatives. Its projects focus on raising awareness of climate change, encompassing preventive measures, mitigation strategies, and adaptation efforts. The foundation backs NGO and charity partners addressing the social aspects of climate change and enhancing the health and well-being of communities. Prioritizing systemic change and social co-benefits, it supports innovative approaches. The foundation also engages employees in its programs.
They invite applications from organizations globally, showing a preference for international organizations based in France or structures located in regions where they have offices. Their funding extends internationally, primarily focusing on initiatives in the Global South. They invite calls for proposals.
For more information please visit the link.
8. Aurora Trust
The Aurora Trust, formerly The Ashden Trust, is a grant-making charity focused on combating climate change, adhering to a 1.5-degree target. Led by Chair Sarah Butler-Sloss, their mission involves grants and investments to protect nature, promote clean energy, and address climate change through mitigation, adaptation, deforestation prevention, and nature connection. The Trust prioritizes a fair transition to a low-carbon society.
Typically, The Aurora Trust does not entertain unsolicited grant proposals. However, they occasionally release a ‘Call for Proposals’ for specific program areas. This call invites organizations to submit proposals, outlining how they can collaborate with the Trust to make an impact within those designated program areas.
For more information about the grant please visit their website
9. Cop28
During COP28, nations stepped up their climate pledges by signing a voluntary agreement to “[transition] away from fossil fuels in energy systems, in a just, orderly and equitable manner.”(UN). Over the course of COP28, more than $85 billion in both public and private climate finance were committed in total, including three funds at the center of climate change. The following is the information on these three funds.
Formally established is a loss and damage fund to support vulnerable countries coping with loss and damages caused by climate change. The world bank is to host on a trial basis. France, Italy, Germany, and the UAE were the largest contributors, each pledging at least $100 million, and the the US pledged $17.5 million.
The fund was established to address a fundamental inequity among nations. Despite being some of the world’s lowest greenhouse gas emitters and having a lesser role in causing the issue, economically disadvantaged countries bear a disproportionate burden of climate-related consequences, including rising sea levels, heatwaves, droughts, wildfires, and other severe weather events.
The world’s largest dedicated climate fund for developing countries. A total of 31 countries have committed $12.8 billion for the fund’s second replenishment. It fosters a shift towards low emissions, climate-resilient development pathways in developing countries. Green Climate Fund will use the funds to implement climate adaptation and mitigation projects ranging from flood-risk management and the expansion of renewable energy access.
The biggest single deal of COP28. UAE pledges $30 billion, with $5 billion for the Global South, self described as the world’s largest private investment vehicle for climate action.
ALTERRA aims to mobilize $250 billion of institutional investment by 2030 to finance climate solutions globally at scale.
Multilateral development banks pledged $31.6 billion for climate funds. Among those, the World Bank raised its target for financing climate projects to a 45% share of overall financing by 2025, up from 35% previously (European Investment Bank)
For more information on these 3 funds visit cop28.com.
