IDH

Organizational profile:

IDH  convenes, co-creates, and co-finances inclusive and sustainable market-driven solutions that create value for people and planet. To catalyze change at scale, IDH empowers people within businesses, the global financial sector, and governments.

Headquartered in the Netherlands, IDH operates in 20 landscapes and 12 commodities and sourcing regions with over 1000 public and private partners. In 14 years of operation, IDH has catalyzed over 390 M in private sector investment and support for new business models that create better jobs, better incomes, a better environment, and gender equity for all. 

IDH brings together businesses, governments, farmers, communities and civil society to build sustainable governance models in tropical sourcing areas, or landscapes. Through the Production, Protection & Inclusion (PPI) approach, IDH creates areas where agricultural products are grown sustainably (Production), forests and natural resources are safeguarded (Protection), and communities thrive (Inclusion).

The IDH Tropical Timber program promotes the use of sustainable tropical timber. IDH focuses on 3 main targets: to increase the uptake of Sustainable Forest Management timber products by 150,000 m3, to support the development of economically viable and sustainably managed forests via effective public private platforms, and to develop a direct sourcing connection between end-buyers and producing regions.

Financing Instrument: Loans, technical assistance 

Project scale: In 2022, IDH contributed €5,143,000 within the agri-commodities program and €7,707,000 within the landscapes program. Information on individual project scale is not currently available. 

Recipient countries/regions/country groups: Global

Recipient categories: Businesses

Eligibility Criteria:

A strict rule is that companies need to cover at least 50% of the costs. IDH only co-funds innovative approaches that have a strong social and environmental added value: they don’t fund business as usual and their investments must stretch the public good agenda of companies. Co-funding programs and projects trigger other investors to step in.

Within the tropical forest and agriculture focused fund, projects will typically be required to protect 4 ha of forest for every 1 ha of production land, equating to over 5 million hectares of tropical forest under protection.  The Fund expects to provide mainly long-term (5-15 years) debt.

Application guidelines: IDH occasionally announces calls for proposals in the news section of their website.

Last updated: 10 October 2023