San Francisco, 26 September 2024—The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance (the Lab) launched today its Pre-Seed Capital Facility, designed to address funding gaps for early-stage climate finance instruments. The facility will provide conditional grants to eligible Lab-endorsed instruments, enabling faster implementation and greater scalability of innovative solutions tackling global climate challenges. 

Since 2014, CPI and The Lab have been at the forefront of developing market-ready mechanisms that mobilize private capital for climate action. Over the past decade, The Lab has created a pipeline of 78 blended finance instruments that have helped foster local capacity and build a climate finance ecosystem in emerging markets. However, one key challenge has been the long runway to market for high-impact solutions, often hindered by limited early-stage funding and complex development processes. 

The facility will fund instruments that require between USD 150-250K to move from design to implementation. Through conditional grants, funding will be disbursed upon achieving pre-defined milestones, ensuring efficiency and accountability. 

“The Lab’s Pre-Seed Capital Facility will allow us to take a more active role in filling critical capital needs for endorsed instruments and accelerating their path to becoming investable,” said Climate Policy Initiative’s Associate Director Ben Broché, who leads the Lab’s efforts. “The funding will help develop prototypes and pilots while addressing the lack of available capital during the critical incubation stage.” 

Applications for the 2025 Call for Ideas are now open online. Selected ideas will be eligible for the Pre-Seed Capital Facility and receive the Lab’s comprehensive support package, including expert guidance, technical assistance, funder mapping, networking opportunities, and pilot implementation support. Apply here. 

Interested applicants can submit their preliminary applications from September 26th to November 7th. The Lab is looking for nine innovative solutions to overcome climate investment barriers in emerging markets, with a special focus on: 

• Themes: Adaptation, mitigation, and sustainable food and agriculture systems. Each sector will select one idea. 

• Regions: Brazil, Southern and East Africa, India, the Philippines, and Latin America and the Caribbean. Each region will select one idea, except for Latin America and the Caribbean, which will select two. 

The Lab will host four informational webinars covering the application process, selection criteria, and the Lab process: 

• Option 1: October 16, 9 AM GMT. Register here 

• Option 2: October 16, 12 PM EST. Register here 

• Brazil Program (in Portuguese): October 17, 3 PM BRT. Register here 

• Latin American and the Caribbean program (in Spanish): October 17, 12 PM EST. Register here 

The Global Innovation Lab for Climate Finance identifies, develops, and launches innovative finance instruments that can drive billions in private investment to action on climate change and sustainable development. Bloomberg Philanthropies, the United Nations Development Programme, and the governments of Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States fund the Lab’s 2025 programs. Climate Policy Initiative serves as the Secretariat and analytical provider.  

Júlio Lubianco
Communications Manager
julio.lubianco@cpiglobal.org  

Sam Goodman
Communications Associate
sam.goodman@cpiglobal.org