Through large-scale, low-cost, long-term financing we lower the risk and cost of climate investment, helping to get first-of-their-kind projects off the ground and contribute to transformational change. Our country-led, flexible, and inclusive approach has successfully built track records in unproven green markets, incentivized governments to make bold investment decisions, and crowded in additional sources of finance for pioneering climate solutions.
Delivering climate finance, the CIF way
Predictable and sustainable funding for transformational outcomes
CIF provides the scalable, predictable, and flexible funding needed to kickstart a country-wide movement toward a climate-smart future, right from the start.
National platforms established during the planning process crowd in investments and involvement, generating the momentum needed to pursue cutting-edge climate solutions and longer-term, transformative projects.
Financial Innovation
To date, 15 contributor countries have pledged over $12 Bn to CIF, while our committed capital has unlocked more than $64 Bn in additional financing. CIF provides highly concessional funding, including grants, and emphasizes co-financing, private sector outreach and financial innovation to maximize impact. We also embrace risk to pioneer investments in hard-to-finance sectors.
In 2024, CIF became the first multilateral climate fund to list bonds on the capital markets, with the CIF Capital Markets Mechanism (CCMM). This opens new avenues for scaling climate capital and mobilizing private investors.
Country-led investment planning
No one-size-fits-all solution is possible when it comes to tackling climate change. That is why we put our more than 80 partner countries at the heart of everything we do. All CIF partnerships begin with country-led planning, setting out strategically linked investments unified by a single vision and aligned with national goals.
Climate action requires a concerted effort from all levels of society. CIF supports countries to mobilize all stakeholders with a transparent, country-driven process that builds trust and cooperation between different groups. This includes national ministries, the private sector, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and more.
Multilateral development banks implementation
CIF is the only climate fund working exclusively through six AAA-rated multilateral development banks (MDBs) – ADB, AfDB, EBRD, IDB, IFC, and World Bank - to support transformative climate action in developing countries. MDBs bring to the table unparalleled expertise, country relationships, and co-financing. By providing highly sought, low-cost funding through multiple MDBs, CIF encourages healthy competition and innovation in climate finance.
Through our MDB partnerships, we streamline processes. For example, CIF draws on established MDB monitoring and evaluation systems. MDBs also bring proven accountability and transparency frameworks.
Programmatic approach
In contrast to isolated project-by-project efforts, CIF employs systems-level thinking and favors scalable solutions. Countries receive funding and are fully supported to go through an extensive planning, consultation, and/or policy reform process. This approach has been endorsed by multiple evaluations, and, in many ways, helped shape the ‘country platform’ strategy that is widely adopted today.
Rigorous and inclusive results monitoring helps ensure that CIF funding contributes to transformational climate and development goals. Our approach is tailored to specific objectives and designed to lift ambitions.
Just transition
The climate transition calls for unprecedented social and economic transformations, impacting communities and livelihoods, notably marginalized groups such as women and persons with disabilities. Our work focuses on delivering a just transition - ensuring a more socially equitable distribution of benefits and opportunities for a cleaner, greener, and fairer future.
Independent evaluations have shown that CIF is succeeding in accelerating progress toward a climate-smart future that leaves no one behind.
Learning-by-doing
CIF often breaks ground on new approaches for climate finance. Being the tip of the spear since 2008 means we function as a learning laboratory. Through evaluation and learning, we extract strategic lessons from CIF’s portfolio, facilitating timely and relevant dissemination to guide decisions and enhance impact.
We apply learnings to our own actions, but also share with our partner MDBs. CIF countries are central to our learning strategy, notably through South/South knowledge exchange. Multilateral climate funds, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and more are also actively involved in CIF learning activities.
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