Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance
A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience. But as they raced to submit multiple funding requests under urgent deadlines, a critical challenge became clear: their proposals lacked the climate rationale and financial case required to secure investment. We stepped in to organize, refine, and strengthen each proposal, ensuring that the climate impact was clear, and the financial structure aligned with funder expectations. With 20+ years of experience in climate finance, we quickly pinpointed critical gaps, provided a structured approach, and filled key missing elements – helping the client deliver high-quality proposals despite intense time constraints. This case underscores a key reality in climate finance: even the strongest project concepts face intense competition for funding. Successful proposals don’t just meet technical requirements – they stand out by aligning with funder priorities, presenting a clear financial structure, and demonstrating strong engagement with stakeholders. As the climate finance landscape evolves, ensuring projects are well-prepared ahead of funding windows can make all the difference in securing the resources needed for impact. At AvaTerra Global, we help clients shape the strategic positioning of their climate-relevant investments well before funding calls are launched. This includes developing strong, integrated narratives that reflect both climate and development priorities; structuring projects in a way that aligns with funder expectations; and identifying the right entry points for engagement. Our support helps bridge the gap between promising concepts and finance-ready opportunities – so clients are not caught unprepared with funding windows open. With experience on both sides of the table – as reviewers and project designers – we know what gets traction. If you are looking to secure international climate finance, we can help you build a well-prepared pipeline of investment-worthy projects that speak to both local priorities and global funding criteria. Starting early makes all the difference. Reach out to us. We have anonymized this story to protect the confidentiality of our client and where it took place, but the actions and results are real. Back to Stories Page Our Stories AvaTerra Global has vast global experience leading high-impact engagements across the climate, development, and sustainable investment landscapes. We invite you to read about some of the results we have delivered for our clients. A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands Adaptation | Capacity Building | Clean Energy | Climate Finance | Nature-Based Solutions | Theory of Change Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition,… Read More Aligning Ambition: Building a Climate Investment Vision that Can Attract Finance Climate Finance | Climate Investment Planning | Country Platforms In a country seeking to scale up climate action, the government set out to develop a climate investment plan that… Read More Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance Climate Finance | Investment Mobilization | Nature-Based Solutions A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation Adaptation | Capacity Building | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation… Read More Creating a Fund to Kickstart Climate Ready Technologies Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Rationale | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization In East Asia there are worsening natural disasters resulting from extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and droughts,… Read More Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste Carbon Trading | Climate Finance | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies Climate Finance | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization | Technology Transfer A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its… Read More Nature-Based Solutions to Combat Water Related Disasters Climate Finance | Disaster Preparedness | Disaster Risk Management | Early Warning Systems | Nature-Based Solutions | Water Sector Parts of South-East Asia are at extreme risk from the impacts of typhoons and resultant flooding. One such area was… Read More Raising Profiles, Raising Finance Climate Investment Planning | Climate Rationale | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization | National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler… Read More Tackling Illegal Tropical Deforestation through Climate Policy Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Deforestation | Theory of Change A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Let’s Stay Connected If you’re exploring opportunities to collaborate or want to see how we can support your work, provide your email address and sector here. Knowing a little about your context helps us better understand how we can support you. Get in touch with our experts
Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation
A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation planning and climate finance mobilization training into its curriculum for government and business professionals across its region. Recognizing that this part of the world is undergoing climate stress, the need for adaptation planning and climate finance mobilization knowledge was abundantly clear. The challenge is that many government and private sector actors are not adequately trained to lead efforts in these areas. The institution reached out to ATG’s leadership asking if we could support the development and delivery of a training program on adaptation planning, investment design, and climate finance mobilization. Realizing the breadth and depth of experience ATG has in these areas, we were keen to support this client. Over several weeks of planning and coordination, ATG did not only bring its own knowledge, but we also tapped into our network of subject-matter experts from around the world to develop and deliver the curriculum and training. We understood that training leaders in these areas means moving them beyond proposing technological or engineering solutions but providing them with the knowledge to bring their ideas into the policy, planning, and financing arenas. It meant we also needed to provide knowledge on the global context including global climate governance, climate science, and international funders, among many other topics. We find that these areas are often overlooked in many training curriculums because of the quickly evolving, novel, and dynamic nature of these topics, but this competence is critical for decision-makers operating at national, regional, and international levels – and is precisely the knowledge that AvaTerra Global can provide. We have a suite of options for how we can support your institution on developing and delivering training on climate finance, policy, investment readiness, international governance, and other areas. Contact us if you would like to learn more about how we can support you on your training needs. We have anonymized this story to protect the confidentiality of our client and where it took place, but the actions and results are real. Back to Stories Page Our Stories AvaTerra Global has vast global experience leading high-impact engagements across the climate, development, and sustainable investment landscapes. We invite you to read about some of the results we have delivered for our clients. A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands Adaptation | Capacity Building | Clean Energy | Climate Finance | Nature-Based Solutions | Theory of Change Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition,… Read More Aligning Ambition: Building a Climate Investment Vision that Can Attract Finance Climate Finance | Climate Investment Planning | Country Platforms In a country seeking to scale up climate action, the government set out to develop a climate investment plan that… Read More Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance Climate Finance | Investment Mobilization | Nature-Based Solutions A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation Adaptation | Capacity Building | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation… Read More Creating a Fund to Kickstart Climate Ready Technologies Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Rationale | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization In East Asia there are worsening natural disasters resulting from extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and droughts,… Read More Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste Carbon Trading | Climate Finance | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies Climate Finance | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization | Technology Transfer A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its… Read More Nature-Based Solutions to Combat Water Related Disasters Climate Finance | Disaster Preparedness | Disaster Risk Management | Early Warning Systems | Nature-Based Solutions | Water Sector Parts of South-East Asia are at extreme risk from the impacts of typhoons and resultant flooding. One such area was… Read More Raising Profiles, Raising Finance Climate Investment Planning | Climate Rationale | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization | National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler… Read More Tackling Illegal Tropical Deforestation through Climate Policy Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Deforestation | Theory of Change Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Let’s Stay Connected If you’re exploring opportunities to collaborate or want to see how we can support your work, provide your email address and sector here. Knowing a little about your context helps us better understand how we can support you. Get in touch with our experts
Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste
Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount occurring illegally. Not only does this have negative climate impacts but also far-reaching biodiversity and social consequences. In a country where forested landscape makes-up a large part of its geography, illegal deforestation was primarily being caused by mining activities and agricultural expansion, with wealthier landowners often preying on poorer communities to implement their illegal activities. States have principally relied on the federal government for law enforcement, however, this strategy has proven to be inconsistent and dependent on which political party holds power in the capital. For this reason, a consortium of States has agreed to greater cross border cooperation including policy and law enforcement to curb illegal deforestation. Direct action against illegal actors is more effective when policies, laws and enforcement tactics are standardised, coordinated, and shared among states in a federally governed country. With a high-level framework agreed to among states, a client sought to develop a cross-cutting GHG mitigation and adaptation project that would create a consistent policy environment for state governments and standardised training and legal structure for law enforcers. Combined with adaptation measures that aimed to create employment and development in areas of high illegal deforestation, this project promises to be highly effective at reaching net zero deforestation by 2030, the country’s ambitious goal. We worked with the client to develop the project from a funding and effectiveness lens. Using our expertise in policy and adaptation strategies, we helped develop a clear identification of the problem and the theory of change that would lead to achieving state and national objectives. We then supported the client to create sound and practical activities that could be funded by the international community. We then developed a proposal to access funding from an international donor. Identifying the problem, putting in place the right policies, and accessing financing are all frequent challenges faced by countries seeking to achieve their climate ambitions and mobilize funds from the international community. Developing a theory of change and the right activities that can address the underlying causes of a problem while achieving the desired objectives of the investment are common areas where we see countries requiring support. Reach out to us and let us help you design the right activities and theory of change to achieve outcomes and support your climate finance mobilization needs. We have anonymized this story to protect the confidentiality of our client and where it took place, but the actions and results are real. Back to Stories Page Our Stories AvaTerra Global has vast global experience leading high-impact engagements across the climate, development, and sustainable investment landscapes. We invite you to read about some of the results we have delivered for our clients. A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands Adaptation | Capacity Building | Clean Energy | Climate Finance | Nature-Based Solutions | Theory of Change Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition,… Read More Aligning Ambition: Building a Climate Investment Vision that Can Attract Finance Climate Finance | Climate Investment Planning | Country Platforms In a country seeking to scale up climate action, the government set out to develop a climate investment plan that… Read More Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance Climate Finance | Investment Mobilization | Nature-Based Solutions A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation Adaptation | Capacity Building | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation… Read More Creating a Fund to Kickstart Climate Ready Technologies Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Rationale | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization In East Asia there are worsening natural disasters resulting from extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and droughts,… Read More Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste Carbon Trading | Climate Finance | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies Climate Finance | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization | Technology Transfer A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its… Read More Nature-Based Solutions to Combat Water Related Disasters Climate Finance | Disaster Preparedness | Disaster Risk Management | Early Warning Systems | Nature-Based Solutions | Water Sector Parts of South-East Asia are at extreme risk from the impacts of typhoons and resultant flooding. One such area was… Read More Raising Profiles, Raising Finance Climate Investment Planning | Climate Rationale | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization | National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler… Read More Tackling Illegal Tropical Deforestation through Climate Policy Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Deforestation | Theory of Change Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Let’s Stay Connected If you’re exploring opportunities to collaborate or want to see how we can support your work, provide your email address and sector here. Knowing a little about your context helps us better understand how we can support you. Get in touch with our experts
Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies
A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its expertise in the high-tech and environmental sectors to bring innovative climate mitigation technologies based on plasmas.1 The overall objective of the consultation was to identify opportunities for the company to invest in, targeting applications and markets generating revenues in the range of USD 200+ million per year. This required evaluating opportunities created by the Paris Agreement and international greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation policies, including Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Low Emission Development Strategies (LEDS), Technology Needs Assessments (TNAs), and Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Actions (NAMAs) to identify markets that intersected the company’s plasma-based technologies. The team data-mined the global scientific and intellectual property literature in the energy, transport, construction, waste management, consumer goods, and agriculture sectors to identify the most active and innovative fields making use of plasmas for GHG emissions mitigation. After reviewing technologies having a minimum Technology Readiness Level of seven (TRL 7)2, we selected and prioritized the four most attractive applications for in-depth analysis: plasma-based waste gasification, green hydrogen production, textile treatment, and plasma-based seeds germination. Using a multi-criteria decision process based on technology differentiation, environmental benefits, market sizes, competitive landscape, synergistic business opportunities, and technology, policy, and business risks, we conducted a second-level due diligence to identify investment opportunities for the company, with a view to acquire innovative startups. AvaTerra Global works with Fortune 500 corporations and investors to identify new markets and investment opportunities for the development and transfer of low-carbon technologies. Contact us if you would like to learn more. 1Plasma is the fourth state of matter after solid, liquid, and gas, where atoms and molecules are ionized and highly energized, thereby enabling energy-efficient chemical reactions that can contribute to the formation of new materials with a reduced carbon footprint, or the abatement of effluents in hard-to-decarbonize sectors. 2A Technology Readiness Level (TRL) is a technique for measuring the maturity level of a technology. This is measured on a scale of 1 – 9 with each successive level having its own definition showing further maturation of the technology. A TRL of 7 indicates a prototype demonstration has been completed. We have anonymized this story to protect the confidentiality of our client and where it took place, but the actions and results are real. Back to Stories Page Our Stories AvaTerra Global has vast global experience leading high-impact engagements across the climate, development, and sustainable investment landscapes. We invite you to read about some of the results we have delivered for our clients. A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands Adaptation | Capacity Building | Clean Energy | Climate Finance | Nature-Based Solutions | Theory of Change Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition,… Read More Aligning Ambition: Building a Climate Investment Vision that Can Attract Finance Climate Finance | Climate Investment Planning | Country Platforms In a country seeking to scale up climate action, the government set out to develop a climate investment plan that… Read More Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance Climate Finance | Investment Mobilization | Nature-Based Solutions A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation Adaptation | Capacity Building | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation… Read More Creating a Fund to Kickstart Climate Ready Technologies Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Rationale | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization In East Asia there are worsening natural disasters resulting from extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and droughts,… Read More Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste Carbon Trading | Climate Finance | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies Climate Finance | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization | Technology Transfer A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its… Read More Nature-Based Solutions to Combat Water Related Disasters Climate Finance | Disaster Preparedness | Disaster Risk Management | Early Warning Systems | Nature-Based Solutions | Water Sector Parts of South-East Asia are at extreme risk from the impacts of typhoons and resultant flooding. One such area was… Read More Raising Profiles, Raising Finance Climate Investment Planning | Climate Rationale | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization | National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler… Read More Tackling Illegal Tropical Deforestation through Climate Policy Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Deforestation | Theory of Change Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Let’s Stay Connected If you’re exploring opportunities to collaborate or want to see how we can support your work, provide your email address and sector here. Knowing a little about your context helps us better understand how we can support you. Get in touch with our experts
Raising Profiles, Raising Finance
A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler of mobilizing finance from the international community. The ministry was responsible for managing the country’s climate finance portfolio but recognized it needed to build institutional capacity to access finance from international climate funds. With severe drought in some parts of the country and flash floods in other parts; challenges in energy access; limited early warning systems; poor roadways; and outdated infrastructure, the ministry was aware that the impacts from climate change were worsening the conditions of many people and their livelihoods. Being able to access financial resources from the international community to address many of these challenges was critical to the country’s sustainability. The ministry knew sources of funding were available at the international level but was unsure how to go about accessing these resources. They also needed to better understand their role in climate finance mobilization processes to raise their profile across government. This started with needing to capacitate relevant ministry staff as well as staff in other relevant agencies. This included the country’s meteorological service because key to climate finance decision-making is the need to have a well-capacitated and empowered national meteorological agency. Our team worked closely with the ministry, the country’s meteorological service, and other actors across government to guide them on elevating their profile, capacitating them to deliver on their roles in mobilizing climate finance for their country. We enhanced their knowledge on climate finance processes, strengthened their institutions, identified gaps where additional funding and support from the international community would be needed, and developed a plan of action that they could take forward. That plan is now being implemented, and the ministry, the meteorological service, and other actors are bridging the gaps that earlier impeded their access to finance. AvaTerra Global works with countries in all levels of development to guide them in navigating the complexities of accessing climate finance. Contact us if you would like to learn more. We have anonymized this story to protect the confidentiality of our client and where it took place, but the actions and results are real. Back to Stories Page Our Stories AvaTerra Global has vast global experience leading high-impact engagements across the climate, development, and sustainable investment landscapes. We invite you to read about some of the results we have delivered for our clients. A Holistic Climate Project for Small Islands Adaptation | Capacity Building | Clean Energy | Climate Finance | Nature-Based Solutions | Theory of Change Island ecosystems are often isolated and fragile and hence are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change. In addition,… Read More Aligning Ambition: Building a Climate Investment Vision that Can Attract Finance Climate Finance | Climate Investment Planning | Country Platforms In a country seeking to scale up climate action, the government set out to develop a climate investment plan that… Read More Bridging the Gap: From Climate Proposals to Bankable Finance Climate Finance | Investment Mobilization | Nature-Based Solutions A leading organization in nature-based solutions had a bold vision – channeling finance to ecosystem services, agroforestry, and smallholder resilience.… Read More Building Knowledge, Building Adaptation Adaptation | Capacity Building | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization A well-established training institution in a geographically diverse and highly populated part of the world was looking to integrate adaptation… Read More Creating a Fund to Kickstart Climate Ready Technologies Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Rationale | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization In East Asia there are worsening natural disasters resulting from extreme weather events such as typhoons, heavy rainfall, and droughts,… Read More Developing Carbon Trading Methodologies for Increased Recycling of Solid Waste Carbon Trading | Climate Finance | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Investing in Advanced Low-Carbon Climate Technologies Climate Finance | Climate Technologies | Decarbonization | Investment Mobilization | Technology Transfer A Fortune 500 company was interested in identifying emerging low-carbon technologies (LCTs) and applications where the company could apply its… Read More Nature-Based Solutions to Combat Water Related Disasters Climate Finance | Disaster Preparedness | Disaster Risk Management | Early Warning Systems | Nature-Based Solutions | Water Sector Parts of South-East Asia are at extreme risk from the impacts of typhoons and resultant flooding. One such area was… Read More Raising Profiles, Raising Finance Climate Investment Planning | Climate Rationale | Institutional Development | Investment Mobilization | National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) A leading ministry in a Least Developed Country was keen to raise its profile across government as a key enabler… Read More Tackling Illegal Tropical Deforestation through Climate Policy Adaptation | Climate Finance | Climate Policy | Deforestation | Theory of Change Deforestation is the primary source of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in much of the humid tropics, with a significant amount… Read More Let’s Stay Connected If you’re exploring opportunities to collaborate or want to see how we can support your work, provide your email address and sector here. Knowing a little about your context helps us better understand how we can support you. Get in touch with our experts
