Nature+ Accelerator Fund

Summary: 

Organizational profile: 
The Nature+ Accelerator Fund (Nature+) is a first-of-its-kind private sector-focused nature conservation fund providing measurable conservation and social benefits while delivering financial returns for investors. As an innovative and scalable market strategy for Nature-based Solutions, the Nature+ Accelerator Fund combines the unique set expertise of leading public and private institutions and platforms to address the conservation gap by attracting private finance to conservation. The originator of the fund is IUCN with GEF and CPIC. The fund manager is Mirova. 

The Nature+ will grow a conservation investment pipeline with an adequate risk/return ratio by leveraging the US$ 12M risk-tolerant concessional finance from GEF and CAFI, while attracting private investors to the Fund (US$ 50M in total). From there, it will develop a US$ 200M in transformational, scalable, and financially viable project portfolio with significant positive outcomes for nature and society. The Accelerator is offering investment money to early-stage pilots and project ideas, impact enterprises with high potential for scalability, complemented by technical assistance and capacity building in three complementary investment windows: Seed, Early Venture (together defined as Incubation period) and Venture windows.

Nature+ will catalyze environmental markets. It will not only aim to scale up existing forest carbon projects but will also look to piloting emerging new methodologies such as blue carbon or biochar and other types of PES like biodiversity conservation, water, or plastic credits, to name a few. By 2030, the Nature+ Accelerator Fund is expected to achieve the outcomes of 1). a portfolio of up to 70 successful investment deals, attracting co-investment up to US$160M beyond the Nature+ Accelerator funding; 2). significant biodiversity and ecosystem conservation impacts, measurably reducing extinction risk of IUCN Red List threatened species and contributing towards national and global targets; 3). measurable contribution towards the UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality objectives and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration; and 4). climate change mitigation and adaptation impacts aligned to the 1.5°C global target set by the UNFCCC Paris Agreement.
 
Financing Instruments: Loans, Equity, Grants
 
Project scale: 
Starting in 2022, the Accelerator Fund will offer financing (e.g., loans and equity) through the three financing windows:

  • Seed: $5 million in repayable grants or convertible notes (approx. $100,000 per 50 projects)
  • Early Venture: $15 million in debt and equity (approx. $1 million per 15 projects)
  • Venture: $20 million in debt and equity (approx. $5 million in 4 projects).

 
The fund expects to screen a minimum of 500 opportunities and source the pipeline through an open application process. By 2030, the fund aims to support 70 investment deals through all fund windows, creating measurable social, climate and land use impacts. Additionally starting in 2022, the Technical Assistance Facility for Nature+ run by IUCN will be supporting the projects in Central Africa, eligible under the Central African Forest Initiative (CAFI) collaboration with direct technical assistance and capacity building to increase their readiness to access Nature+ funding. The selection for technical assistance will be run in synergies with the investment process. 
 
Recipient countries regions/country groups: Global
 
Recipient categories: NGOs, Public-Private Partnerships

 

Eligibility Criteria: N/A
 
Application guidelines: 
Nature+ will source the project pipeline through an open application process and direct sourcing from project developers with support from the CPIC network. The selection process will start in 2022 after the fund's first close in Q1. Nature+ expects to support 70 investment deals through all windows.
The fund expects to screen a minimum of 500 opportunities and source the pipeline through an open
application process. By 2030, the fund aims to support 70 investment deals through all fund windows,
creating measurable social, climate and land use impacts.
In addition to demonstrating financial viability, the projects will be screened and selected competitively based on the criteria including:

  • Contribution to globally significant biodiversity and improving sustainable land management in production systems;
  • Equitable socio-economic impacts for local communities;
  • Innovation (uniqueness, strategy, and robustness);
  • Additionality, scalability, and replicability;
  • Contribution to achieving gender equality; and
  • Adequate management of environmental and social risks.

Contact Elmedina Krilasevic (elmedina.krilasevic@iucn.org) or Edit Kiss (edit.kiss@mirova.com) for more information.
 

Publication Date
Friday, 11 November 2022
Applicable location
Africa
Americas
Asia
Europe
Oceania
Topic/Theme
Private sector and industry
Biodiversity conservation
Forest landscape restoration
Forest conservation and management
Database
Financing opportunities