Financing Natural Climate Solutions

The Volgenau Climate Initiative (VCI) was founded on a simple but urgent belief: we cannot solve the climate crisis or stop the loss of ecosystems without working together across sectors. Our land—soil, forests, working landscapes—holds immense power to store carbon, sustain biodiversity, and support livelihoods. Yet despite growing awareness, financing for nature-based solutions remains underfunded and often stalled by federal retrenchment, regulatory complexity, fragmented markets, and gaps in technical and financial capacity.

In the face of these challenges, VCI is convening a select group of leaders from conservation, finance, project development, land stewardship, academia, and philanthropy Financing Natural Climate Solutions Convening on October 7–10, 2025. This convening is designed as a working session, where participants will dive deep into the relationships necessary to address the practical realities of financing nature-based solutions.

Together we will “open the hood” on NCS finance: existing financial instruments, blended capital models, transaction costs, interim financing, and the need to bridge the persistent gap between available capital and on-the-ground projects. Discussions will be candid and collaborative, focusing on breaking down silos and developing shared frameworks that would make investment in high-integrity, land-based climate solutions more viable and scalable.

The stakes are high. Proposed federal budget cuts threaten billions in funding for agencies like the EPA and USDA, leaving critical gaps in concessionary funding, technical assistance, research, and policy support. In this landscape, private and philanthropic capital is not just helpful—it is essential to ensure that natural climate solutions can move from promising case studies to a widespread appealing market.

VCI’s convenings create space for real problem-solving and partnership-building. The goal is to leave not merely with ideas, but with a set of actionable, collaborative projects that advance climate resilience, economic vitality, and ecological health. Participants ready to turn vision into investment, will have the chance to slow down, build relationships, and think strategically and collaboratively to help shape the future of financing natural climate solutions.