Chanakya Advisors’ Post

To protect coral ecosystems and further catalyse investments in conservation and sustainable reef-positive businesses, the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) has announced a Request for Applications (RFA) for Flexible Technical Assistance and Capital Acceleration Providers. The RFA invites non-profit organisations to submit applications to support reef-positive businesses through tailored technical assistance (TA) and/or concessional finance (i.e., loans, equity, guarantees), serving to identify qualified non-profit organisations that can provide and/or coordinate one or both of the following for for-profit businesses: 🔵  GFCR Flexible Technical Assistance: Targeted support for businesses and / or its associated value chain and ecosystem actors, either pre- or post-investment, focussed on increasing its social and environmental development impact in support of an integrated ecosystem approach for coral reef protection and climate resilience. 🔵  GFCR Capital Acceleration: The provision of concessional loans, equity or guarantees to to strengthen credit history and de-risk private sector investment into innovative reef-positive businesses. Together, these modalities aim to catalyse greater investment in conservation, foster sustainable reef-positive initiatives, and serve as valuable tools for impact investors looking to promote environmental and social gains in complex and interconnected marine ecosystems. Applications are open to non-profit organizations, including non-governmental (NGOs) and intergovernmental organizations (IGOs). 🛑 Deadline 3 June 2024, 17:00 ET Read more about the capacity and implementation requirements, as well as access the concept submission portal here ⏩ https://lnkd.in/gzjaMWKt United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) UNDP UN Environment Programme Pegasus Capital Advisors Bloomberg Philanthropies Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Minderoo Foundation International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance G20 CORDAP (Coral Research & Development Accelerator Platform)

🏝️ Super Exciting Opportunity for Blue Economy Non-Profits!! The Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) is calling for applications from Technical Assistance and Capital Acceleration Providers in the Blue Economy! This is a unique opportunity to be part of a global effort to catalyze financial resources towards the benefit of coral reef resilience, vital to marine biodiversity and the livelihoods of climate-vulnerable coastal communities. 🪸 What’s the Opportunity? GFCR is looking for organizations with expertise in providing technical assistance and/or capital acceleration services to support reef-positive businesses - businesses that address local drivers of coral reef degradation while providing sustainable benefits for local communities 🪸 Why It Matters? Coral reefs are under unprecedented threat from climate change, pollution, and unsustainable practices. This initiative aims to mobilize significant resources and expertise to safeguard these ecosystems and the communities that depend on them 🪸 Who Should Apply? Non-profit organizations that demonstrate expertise to deliver technical assistance (TA) and/or provide concessional finance, and ready their manage between USD 500k to USD5M of TA/Capital acceleration funds [Application closing on 3 Jun 2024] 🌊 Opportunity to turn the tide to ensure a sustainable future for generations to come 💙 #CoralReefs #ClimateAction #ImpactInvesting #GlobalFundForCoralReefs #BlueEconomy United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF)

excellent series on how this innovative, practical #blendedfinance #impactinvestment vehicle works for investors, ecosystems and communities

🌊 Blue Finance impact loan facility series: Part 1/4 🌊 What is the Blue Finance facility and how does it work? With the recent launch of our groundbreaking Blue Finance impact loan facility for coral reef conservation, we want to take you on a journey to explore how the facility works, supports reef-positive businesses, aligns with and contributes to the SDGs, and provides a unique investment opportunity for long-term environmental and social impact! 🪸 Coral reefs are vital to marine biodiversity and to over 500 million people worldwide who rely on healthy reefs for food, income, and coastal protection from storms and erosion. Yet, these ecosystems are under severe threat. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are among the best tools to safeguard them, but 70% of MPAs lack adequate funding for effective management. Our Blue Finance facility for transforms MPAs and livelihoods through investments in Blue Economy social enterprises. These enterprises are ‘reef-positive businesses’ that reduce specific drivers of coral reef ecosystem degradation, alleviate poverty in vulnerable communities, and contribute financially to MPA management through dividends and/or revenue sharing. Sectors include community-based regenerative aquaculture, ecotourism, and sustainable fisheries. 🌏 🦀 For example, investments from the facility are being used to build and manage an aquaculture company in the Philippines with a business model that regenerates overexploited mangrove crab species while generating income for coastal communities. The social enterprise provides local communities with a sustainable source of crablets from the hatchery and the resources needed to scale their operations sustainably while replanting mangroves. Through this innovative approach, the Blue Finance facility ensures lasting financial sustainability for conservation efforts, safeguarding coral reefs and supporting sustainable livelihoods for coastal communities. 🤝 Partner with us to regenerate coral reef biodiversity and empower the lives of local communities: https://bit.ly/4gXagF1 We thank our trusted partners for their continued support! BNP Paribas, Global Fund for Coral Reefs UBS Optimus Foundation, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, Blue Alliance Philippines #BlendedFinance #ImpactLoan #ImpactInvesting #BlueFinance #BlueAlliance #ForCoral #CoralReefs #COP16 #BlueEconomy

🌊 A little good news for your Sunday feed! 1.8 million hectares of coral reefs across Indonesia, the Philippines, Tanzania, and Cabo Verde are set to receive a major boost, thanks to a newly established $35m impact loan from the investment teams behind BNP Paribas and Blue Alliance Marine Protected Areas. The initiative is kicking off with an initial $2.4m investment aimed at restoring reefs and improving the livelihoods of up to 110,000 coastal community members. As part of a pioneering Blue Finance facility, these funds will support 115 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and promote reef-positive businesses like sustainable fisheries, ecotourism, and blue carbon credits. It’s a timely reminder of how impactful partnerships can protect biodiversity while supporting local economies — helping both ocean ecosystems and the communities that rely on them. https://lnkd.in/ePP-kGk3 #ImpactInvesting #CoralReefs #MarineConservation #BlueEconomy #SustainableFinance #MPAs

Nature For Justice’s Ambassador for Africa, Michael O'Brien-Onyeka (EMBA), (also our EVP Global Partnerships), shares his insights https://bit.ly/4cvGAMV on how a development approach optimizes carbon project development. He bases that on his decades of experience with Amnesty International, Oxfam, Greenpeace and Conservation International. This approach not only yields competitive returns on investment, but also delivers tangible, meaningful, and measurable benefits to communities in line with the SDGs. “For commercial investors to succeed in carbon projects, they must embrace a dual perspective – recognizing both commercial and developmental aspects. This paradigm shift requires adjusting approaches and understanding that success entails more than tweaking financial models. To put it bluntly, running a credible carbon project in the global south requires more than financial investment. it demands laying the groundwork for sustainable development.” #climatejustice  Nicola Mander Michael Weiss Steven Nitah Julia Levin Lisa Cloete Kate Thompson Wouter Drinkwaard Jessica Donovan- Allen Kim Neale Flora Ji Paulina Arroyo Khulile M. Lamula Joanna Marshall Anne Schouw Mary-Kate Craig Tom Dillon Debbie Cohen Jeffrey Brown Ⓥ Katherine Foster Philippa Lockwood Jonathan Duncan-Abelheim Alice Ruhweza Mark Gainsborough John Furlow Anisa Kamadoli Costa Sarah Guy Rick Brown Zoraya Hightower Jasmine Gibson Tess Zakaras Ned Savoie Bruce Taplin Scott Poynton Elizabeth Littlefield Angela Prosek

UP NOW: Global Fund for Coral Reefs blends opportunity and urgency to finance ocean resilience (Q&A) If countries are only starting to wake up to the challenge of protecting coral reefs, the cornerstone of an ocean economy of billions of people and trillions of dollars, private capital has been even slower to mobilize. In a Q&A with ImpactAlpha, Dale Galvin talks about how the Global Fund for Coral Reefs is taking a blended finance approach to building coral reef resilience in the Global South. https://lnkd.in/eubXEFZ9

Today, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its selections for $20 billion in grant awards under two competitions within the historic $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, which was created under the Inflation Reduction Act as part of President Biden’s Investing in America agenda. Appalachian Community Capital (ACC), our board, and our regional and national partners were thrilled to learn that our proposal for a Green Bank for Appalachia, Energy Communities, and Underserved Rural America (Green Bank for Rural America) was selected for a $500 million Clean Communities Investment Accelerator (CCIA) grant! CCIA will provide grants to support 5 hub nonprofit organizations, enabling them to provide funding and technical assistance to public, quasi-public, not-for-profit, and non-profit community lenders working in low-income and disadvantaged communities—and supporting the goal that every community in the country has access to the capital they need to deploy clean technology projects. Congrats to all of the selectees!👏 Read ACC’s press release here:  https://lnkd.in/gxBMib35 Learn more about EPA’s Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund here: https://lnkd.in/eD-yGYut #GreenhouseGasReductionFund #CCIA #CDFI #ACC #GreenBankforRuralAmerica #CleanCommunities #EPA

🪸 Blue Finance impact loan facility series: Part 2/4 🪸 How does the facility support reef-positive businesses? Our Blue Finance impact loan facility supports reef-positive businesses by providing early-stage capital that is often difficult for community enterprises to access. These businesses, ranging from ecotourism to community-based aquaculture, blue carbon projects, and sustainable fisheries, are key to boosting the local Blue Economy, improving livelihoods, and reducing pressure on coral reefs. Beyond financial support, Blue Alliance involves local communities in business management, ensuring that these enterprises remain environmentally and socially responsible. This participatory approach guarantees that local populations benefit directly from economic growth, helping to alleviate poverty while regenerating coral ecosystems. 🐠 🤝 Partner with us to regenerate coral reef biodiversity and empower the lives of local communities: https://bit.ly/4gXagF1 We thank our trusted partners for their continued support: BNP Paribas, Global Fund for Coral Reefs, UBS Optimus Foundation, Ocean Risk and Resilience Action Alliance, United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), and many others. Nomad Archipelago Nomad Plastic Blue Alliance Philippines #ImpactLoanFacility #BlendedFinance #BlueAlliance #BlueFinance #ImpactInvesting #MarineConservation #MPA #SocialEnterprise #BlueEconomy

🌿Government-backed nature funding platform sees first corporate donations💰 Private sector funding for English nature recovery projects took a major step forward today with Lloyds Banking Group becoming the first organisation to provide funding through the government-developed Projects for Nature platform. Projects for Nature (PFN) aims to connect businesses and other donors with 25 English quality nature projects, to help close the nature finance gap and recover the health of our planet. PFN is an online platform, which matches corporate donations to nature recovery projects, screened by Defra, Natural England and Environment Agency to ensure projects align with the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan. Green Finance Minister Lord Benyon, speaking at the Natural Capital Conference, said: “Under the Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework this Government set out the vision for scaling up private investment into nature recovery, and today’s update sets out our aim to make nature markets bigger and better through robust market rules and infrastructure.” 📰Read more about this investment and the projects here: https://lnkd.in/euTxP8SU #Nature #News #conservationews #restoration #naturalCapital #conservation #investments #greenfinance