Amazon Rainforest Investors and Intermediaries

Visit the Amazon Investor Coalition website here.

Research & Surveys
Impact Investors Nominated
Market Enablers
Philanthropies Nominated

Background: Research & Survey for an Amazon Investor Coalition

As a central resource for climate change mitigation and the global water cycle, the Amazon rainforest is vital for planetary sustainability. Toward this end, we support research to develop networks and educational resources for investors and allies.

In April, 2020, we published an article on Investing in Amazon Rainforest Conservation (original Mongabay article here), sought nominations of allied impact investors and philanthropies, and began to map key actors in the space.

Wish to join a group of Amazon investors? Take the survey here.

In September, 2020, we published our first website at www.amazoninvestor.org

As we deepen our study to help bring more knowledge and risk capital to the region, we will pursue the following Four Part Approach:

1) Investment Opportunity: To help advance forest-friendly economic development, we will publish a study of current investing and strategies to accelerate future investment-ready opportunities.

2) Rule of Law: To help ensure security and a healthy legal environment, we will survey charitable investments in rule-of-law activities to identify gaps and guide future philanthropy.

3) Carbon Market & Ecosystem Service Payment Innovation: To help improve forest conservation, we will explore how new policies, technologies and partnerships can scale monitoring and financing.

4) Investor Education: We will bring our findings and publications to the capital markets through partnerships with leading investor networks and the design of new financial products.

This effort serves as a partnership platform for the UN 75 Global Governance Forum process and informs multiple international programs.

Preliminary Findings about Regional Investors: Most of the 30+ investment funds and intermediaries we reviewed online were created in the 2000s and cited concerns about climate change in their materials. Nearly a quarter were subsidized by government resources while 85% were international or global in scope. Ten originated from North America, thirteen from Europe and the rest from South America. They collectively invest in diverse areas ranging from agriculture and ecotourism to reforestation and carbon market ventures. Noticeably absent were investments in responsible mining, biotech, or other technologies that could especially benefit the region like soil remediation or livestock innovation. No investors seemed to have projects in Bolivia, French Guiana or Venezuela but all other countries of the Amazon biome were represented. While information on fund sizes was limited there were noticeable gaps at the low and medium ranges. The smallest fund with public investment numbers reported a $15 million USD raise with the next tier coming in at $100 million USD. This suggests that small investments and mid-range investments are hard to come by. Finally, we noticed that several of the newer funds seemed to exhibit lengthy delays between setting up shop and making their first investments.


Partial list of Amazon rainforest sustainability investors, philanthropies and intermediaries that were nominated for our survey
(Please note that inclusion in this list does not indicate an endorsement of the GGPN.)

Nominated Impact Investors and Intermediaries
&Green Fund
100+ Labs Brasil
12 Tree Finance
Acumen Latin America
Agri3 Fund
Aliados
Alimi Impact Ventures
Alive Ventures
Althelia Biodiversity Fund Brazil
Amazonia Impact Ventures
Arbaro Fund
AXA Impact Fund – Climate and Biodiversity
Bamboo Capital Partners
Banco da Amazonia
CAF Development Bank of Latin America
Calvert Impact Capital
Carana Corporation
Carbon Fund
Capital for Climate
Climate & Forest Capital
COFCO
Common Commodities Fund
Conservation International Ventures
Dasos Capital
eco.business Fund
EcoAgriculture Partners
EcoEnterprises Fund
EFM
Emprestimo Coletivo
Encourage Capital Mangue Strategy
Farmfit Fund
Finance in Motion
Fondo Acción
Fondo de las Américas
Forest Finance
Forestry and Climate Change Fund
Fundo Conexsus
Global Canopy
Global Environment Fund
Greenwood Resources
Grupo Gaia
IDB Invest
IDB Natural Capital Lab Trust Fund
Invest International
JGP
Kaete Investments
L’Oreal Fund for Nature Regeneration
Land Degradation Neutrality Fund
LXG Reforestry Fund
Mandi Ventures
Marfrig Sustainable Beef Bond
Meraki Impact
Mobilizing Finance for Forests Programme
Moringa
MOV Investimentos
NatureVest
Nespresso Sustainability Innovation Fund
New Island Capital
Palladium Group
Pamona Impact
Permian Global
Pollination
responsAbility
Restoration Seed Capital Facility
Responsible Commodities Facility
Restore Fund
Robeco SAM Biodiversity Equities
Root Capital
Share Wood Co.
SITAWI Finance for Good
SKP Investimentos
SLM Partners
Socio-Climate Benefits Fund
Sub-national Climate Fund Global
Terra Global Capital
Trees of Lives
Urapi Sustainable Land Use
Utu Impact Fund
Vert
WWF Impact Ventures


Market Enablers
Amazon.com Brazil Bioeconomy Program
AmazoniAtiva
Amazonia Em Casa Floresta Em Pe
Amazonia Hub
Canopy Bridge
GoParity
Governors Climate & Forest Impact Platform (Video)
eWorldTrade
Initiative 20×20
Origens Brasil
Producers Market
RangeMe
Terra Match
Terra Viva
TIPITI
Treevive
Tucum
Xilva


Nominated Grantmakers and Intermediaries
Abundant Earth Foundation
Age of Union
AIEP
Amazon Aid Foundation
Amazon Emergency Fund
Amazon Fund (Dutch NGO)
Amazon Fund (Government)
Andes Amazon Fund
Aqua Verde
Arbor Day Foundation
Arcadia Fund
Avatar Alliance Foundation
Bezos Earth Fund
Blue Oak foundation
Bobolink Foundation
Brazil Foundation Amazon Fund
CAFOD
Caritas
Casa Fund
Cassiopeia Foundation / Blue Moon Fund
Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
Christensen Fund
Climate and Land Use Alliance
Climate Leadership Initiative
ClimateWorks Foundation
Conservaton, Food & Health Foundation
Conservation International
Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund
Dieter Morszeck Stiftung
Dutch Postcode Lottery
Earth Alliance
Edwards Mother Earth Foundation
Enduring Earth
Energy Foundation
Environmental Defense Fund
Erol Foundation
Fonds Français pour l’Environnement Mondial
Forest Conservation Fund
Fundação Amazonas Sustentável
Fundação Cargill
Fundação Grupo Boticário
Fundación Avina
Fundação Brasileira para o Desenvolvimento Sustentável
Fundação Roberto Marinho
Fundo Dema
Fundo Emergencial SOS Amazonia
Fundo Vale
German Corporation for International Cooperation (GIZ)
Global Conservation Fund
Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme
Global Greengrants Fund
Global Philanthropist Circle
Global Wildlife Conservation
Goldman Sachs Center for Environmental Markets
Good Energies Foundation / Porticus
Green Climate Fund’s Amazon Bioeconomy Fund
Grupo de Institutos Fundações e Empresas
Hempel Foundation
Hewlett Foundation
Horizont 3000/Climate Alliance
Ikea Foundation
Innovation and Acceleration in the Amazon Region
Instituto Alana
Instituto Arapyaú
Instituto Bacuri
Instituto Clima e Sociedade
Instituto Coca-Cola Brasil
Instituto Galo da Manhã
Instituto Humanize
Instituto Igua
Instituto Moreira Salles
Instituto Sociedade, População e Natureza
Inter-American Foundation
International Sustainability Unit
JBS Fund for the Amazon
Jonas Philanthropies
Klabin Foundation
Konrad Adenauer Stiftung
LATA Foundation
Lawrence Foundation
Leonardo diCaprio Foundation
Linden Trust for Conservation
MacArthur Foundation
Margaret A. Cargill Philanthropies
Martin Family Foundation
Moore Foundation
Mott Foundation
Mulago Foundation
Nia Tero
Norwegian Government International Climate and Forest Initiative
Oak Foundation
Overbrook Foundation
Open Society Foundations
Packard Foundation
Partnership for Forests
Pawanka Fund
Peterffy Foundation
Podaali
Postcode Planet Trust
Rainforest Fund
Rainforest Journalism Fund
Rainforest Trust
Recanati-Kaplan Foundation
Regeneration
Right Now Climate Fund
Robert W. Wilson Charitable Trust
Skoll Foundation
SOS Amazonia / Fundo Brasil
Sustainable Lush Fund
Swedish Postcode Lottery
Swift Foundation
Tamalpais Trust
The Nature Conservancy
Tilia Fund
Tinker Foundation
USAID Partnership for the Conservation of Amazon Biodiversity
Waterloo Foundation
Wild Woods Foundation
World Wildlife Fund
Wyss Campaign for Nature
World Bank Amazon Sustainable Landscapes Program