E Co. bites | Series 4
Welcome to our 4th series of E Co. bites! We share short and easily digestible climate finance explainers, technical lessons, and more about us, our work, and how you can support our mission.
In this second episode, our Senior consultant, Clare Wingfield addresses questions we’re frequently asked by the public and private sector alike, including governments, UN agencies and investment funds – “Do I have a climate or development problem? Is climate finance right for my project? If so, which fund?”
Watch Clare share how we answer these questions below 👇
TRANSCRIPT
This is a question we’re often asked.
I think the first step is to understand what the country’s climate change vulnerabilities and needs are, and whether the proposed project is really overcoming a climate change problem or a development problem. While the two are correlated, climate change and development need to be disentangled to ensure you are accessing the right kind of finance for your project. If you can identify the impacts of climate change and demonstrate that the project activities are addressing these, then you know you have a climate project.
The next thing to do would then be to work out what kind of climate fund to apply for. This can depend on the type and size of the project. Smaller mitigation projects of less than 25 million US dollars can apply to the Mitigation Action Facility, while adaptation projects can apply to the Adaptation Fund, who have an innovation grant for smaller projects up to 250,000 US dollars. Otherwise, you could consider some of the larger funds like the Green Climate Fund, who fund both mitigation and adaptation projects, as well as cross-cutting projects, ranging in size from less to 10 million US dollars to over 250 million. The Green Climate Fund also have various programmes that can help you access finance more readily, such as their Readiness Programme, or their new Project Specific Assessment Approach that allows you to implement a one-off project to streamline and broaden access to climate finance.
If you’re considering whether climate finance is right for your project, you can reach out to us to discuss the best route for you.
About E Co.
We are E Co. We are a diverse and global team driven to build a sustainable future. For over 25 years, we’ve been supporting and guiding our clients to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient development. We specialise in helping our clients lay foundations for transformative change, ensuring climate finance achieves its greatest impact.
We’ve mobilised over USD 5.9 billion from major climate funds with a 100% project approval rate. We work with global funds, UN agencies, national governments, development agencies, development finance, not for profits, businesses and investors. Clients include UNDP, IUCN, EBRD, FCDO, The World Bank, GCF, NEFCO, IIED, The Lightsmith Group.
We’ve worked on over 540 assignments in over 180 countries. Our clients span the public and private sectors, from international agencies and NGOs to governments, financial institutions, and global funds. We partner with them to turn ambitious climate goals into concrete action and lasting impact.
Across 17 sectors and seven services, we offer end-to-end support, from assessing market opportunities and formulating impactful strategies to designing and evaluating transformative programmes and projects. We empower clients to access and manage climate funds, develop effective policies, and build capacity for long-term individual and institutional success.
With deep expertise in climate finance and systemic transformation, we bring a nuanced understanding of sectors, cultures, and contexts. We lower risk, increase predictability, and design for impact, ensuring your investments create lasting, positive change.
E Co. is your trusted partner in navigating the complexities of climate finance and sustainable development, and together, we will make an impact.