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News focused on funding & financing
nature-based solutions
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We all know that “free money” – or grants – is preferable to having to borrow funds or, where relevant, cede ownership or share financial return in exchange for an equity investment. Our community is certainly proving adept at securing what scarce public and philanthropic grants are currently available. But it’s proving more difficult than ever. Increasingly, successful conservation requires creative blending of all kinds of funds. An under-current in many of the News items below speaks to this challenge - and opportunity - to tap capital beyond grants, including the work of Food System 6, Quantified Ventures and insights gathered by Gordian Knot of innovative finance efforts on the national forest system.
CFN is committed to highlighting successful efforts to advance “blended finance” particularly for projects focused on Nature-based Solutions, and we applaud the many groups in both the nonprofit and private sectors that are making a difference in this field. We also highly recommend the growing library of case studies that our partner, the Nicholas Institute for Energy and Sustainability at Duke University has assembled on the topic. CFN is contributing to the dialogue with recent webinars of our six-part Nature’s Returns series on the state of federal funding and the American Forest Foundation’s Family Forest Carbon Program, which seeks to capture private capital for conservation through the carbon markets (recording here). We’ll focus next on community forests in June (stay tuned for the announcement) and are eager for your suggestions on topics for the remaining three webinars this year. And in the meantime, we are preparing, in collaboration with the Center for Business and the Environment at Yale University, for our 21st Conservation Finance Boot Camp at Yale’s School in early June in New Haven where we will be emphasizing the importance of “blended finance" for nature conservation.
Sincerely,
Peter Howell
Executive Director
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Soil Wealth Film Screening - Durham
We're pleased to announce a special event hosted by the Croatan Institute, and co-sponsored by CFN, taking place just ahead of our April Conservation Finance Roundtable!
Celebrate Earth Day with us at Croatan Institute’s next nation-wide film tour stop in Durham, North Carolina on April 22! With their debut production, Soil Wealth: Investing in Regenerative Agriculture, the film screening and reception is a chance to connect with changemakers mobilizing capital for resilient food, fiber, and forest systems.
Come for a dynamic night of local food, drinks, and candid discussion with mission-aligned individuals and organizations enacting groundbreaking shifts in our communities. RSVP now – tickets are only $33! Farmers and land stewards are provided free access.
The event is a DOUBLE film feature, including an excerpt from Family Tree, a locally produced documentary featuring Black North Carolina families fighting to maintain their legacy and create sustainable forests for generations to come.
Contact comms@croataninstitute.org to explore sponsorship options or a screening in your city.
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Nature's Dividends
This new report from The Nature Conservancy analyzes the economic, health, and safety benefits of investing in nature. For instance, the report finds that investments in nature yield a 4:1 economic return, and includes recent polling data that nine in 10 Americans agree that “even with federal budget problems, funding to safeguard land, air and water should not be cut.” In addition to the report, TNC has developed fact sheets on the economic returns of conservation in each state in the US. (The Nature Conservancy)
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EQIP Bridge Loan Pilot Program
Food System 6 recently released a report on the impact of their pilot EQIP bridge loan pilot program. The program fills a critical gap: while EQIP deploys significant funding to support conservation projects, many approved projects stall because producers lack upfront working capital to implement projects in advance of federal reimbursement. This pilot, launched in selected states, identified far more demand for bridge financing than Food System 6 was able to meet. Read the report to understand how the program works and Food System 6’s intentions to scale the program. (Food System 6)
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Podcast: From Awareness to Action in Agriculture Finance with Maggie Monast
In season four of Untangling Climate Finance, Gordian Knot Strategies dives into how agriculture finance is moving from awareness into action on climate risk with Environmental Defense Fund’s Senior Director of Climate-Smart Agriculture, Maggie Monast. Maggie describes why climate risk is now a business risk for agriculture lenders, and how better financial tools and incentives can encourage farmers to adopt conservation practices. (Gordian Knot Strategies)
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Grants Build Conservation. They Won't Scale it.
Abby Singer shares how Quantified Ventures is working with organizations across the country to change how conservation projects are funded, and why the current funding system is slowing down momentum and opportunities. (Quantified Ventures)
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Lessons From Innovative Finance on National Forests
The first in a five-part series of briefs distilling lessons from the US Forest’s Innovative Finance for National Forests initiative, which distributed $9.3 million to 38 groups to mobilize private capital for conservation. The first focuses on “the readiness gap,” in particular the difference between “investment worthy” and “investment ready” projects. (Gordian Knot Strategies)
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Carbon Markets Failed Your Forest - Here's What Still Works
Natural Capital Exchange (NCX) breaks down what happened with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol and the implications of excluding forests from its standards and guidance. NCX explains what this means for forest owners and provides tools to help them make informed decisions. (Natural Capital Exchange)
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Consolidation Coming to the Impact Investment Ecosystem?
If you ever tried to raise impact investment capital and became bewildered by the array of groups convening investors and providing and training and technical assistance, help may be on the way. The Sorenson Impact Institute recently announced a $1 million fund to encourage collaboration among impact investing field-building groups. As Impact Alpha reports, announcement of the fund, which is designed to create fewer larger groups, has set off swirling speculation about mergers in the field (Impact Alpha)
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Water Program Associate
Iowa
Fund Development Manager
Missouri
Education and Events Coordinator
Ohio
Executive Director
Wisconsin
Land Protection Manager
Wisconsin
Northeast
Various open positions
New Hampshire
Conservation and Operations Manager
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Stewardship and Volunteer Manager
Maine
Manager of Annual Giving
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Conservation Project Manager
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Director of Development
Connecticut
East
Ecological Information Specialist
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Associate Director of Kittatinny Ridge Conservation Landscape
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Land Project Manager/Senior Land Project Manager
New York
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Washington, D.C.
Manager
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Executive Director
New Jersey
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Stewardship Associate
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Eastern North Carolina Sentinel Landscape Resilience Specialist
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Capital Project Manager
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Associate Vice President - Florida State Director
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Land Steward - Chattahoochee Fall Line
Georgia
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Environment New Mexico Conservation Advocate
New Mexico
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New Mexico
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Arizona
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District Manager - Forestry
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Executive Director
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Capitol Land Trust
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Montana
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Fellowships and Internships
Natural Areas Internship
Illinois
Communications and Events Intern
Connecticut
Summer 2026 Environmental Education Intern
Maine
Communications Intern
Colorado
Urban Conservation Fellow: Micah 6 Community
Michigan
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