How TerraFund Works

This article outlines TerraFund's mission, and introduces the operational, founding, and financial partners behind TerraFund.

TerraFund's Mission

TerraFund's Founding Partners

TerraFund's Operational Partners

TerraFund's Financial Partners

TerraFund's Mission

TerraFund is a consortium of partners working together to support and scale the land restoration movement across Africa​ by deploying patient capital to community organizations and for-profit enterprises that restore land by growing trees.   

TerraFund aims to scale Africa’s restoration economy by supporting high-impact champions and building a thriving restoration sector. It does this by bringing together funders to finance a pipeline of local, investable enterprises and nonprofits, co-creating applications, vetting and training champions, and providing funding through a standardized approach. 

By focusing on restoring critical areas for biodiversity, food, and water, TerraFund monitors impact using data, AI-driven remote sensing, and field visits, and helps leading organizations transition to sustainable, outcome-based financing. TerraFund also develop industry standards and benchmarks and shares inspiring stories from funded projects to drive action.

To learn more about the innovative funding mechanisms that TerraFund offers, read this article: TerraFund Grants, Loans, and Equity Investments

TerraFund's Founding Partners

World Resources Institute (WRI)

WRI is a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting people’s essential needs, protecting and restoring nature, and stabilizing the climate. WRI manages the TerraFund program by setting its strategy, coordinating partners, and developing core program structures. It vets restoration champions, raises and deploys funding, and supports champions through capacity building. WRI also owns and continually improves the monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework and operates the TerraMatch platform, which hosts applications and monitoring data. WRI is a founding member of the AFR100 Initiative and leads the Restore Local project, which TerraFund for AFR100 supports.

One Tree Planted

One Tree Planted is a nonprofit organization that funds and supports restoration projects globally. It plays an important role in TerraFund’s development by providing grantmaking and project management expertise. Working with WRI and Realize Impact, One Tree Planted co-developed many core processes for the TerraFund program which led to the funding of many high-impact restoration. In addition, the One Tree Planted team currently manages the Top100 cohort of TerraFund for AFR100.

Realize Impact

Realize Impact, through its subsidiary Africa Trees, makes debt and equity investments in for-profit restoration champions.​They disburse and collect payment on loans, make equity investments by buying shares, and track the financial progress for all for-profit champions. They support the vetting and selection process for entreprises and determine the characteristics of each investment, e.g., interest rate, tenure, company valuation. In addition they help develop core processes for funding and managing enterprises.

TerraFund's Operational Partners

VIA Foundation

Vumbuzi Impact Africa (VIA) Foundation VIA Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to funding nonprofit restoration champions. It disburses grants to projects that deliver measurable results. VIA Foundation’s project managers and field coordinators work closely with funded projects, providing expertise, tools, and training for sustainable practices through site visits and regular check-ins. Project managers also quality-assure the biophysical, socioeconomic, and financial data submitted by the champions.

Africa Trees

Africa Trees is a holding company that provides debt and equity investments to for-profit restoration champions. A wholly owned subsidiary of Realize Impact, Africa Trees vets and selects enterprises, determines investment terms, disburses and collects loans, makes equity investments, and tracks financial performance. They also provide close advisory support to each enterprise in collaboration with WRI enterprise managers.

WRI Africa

WRI Africa serves as the convening party for TerraFund’s operational partners and oversees capacity building for the program. It provides technical expertise and guidance, ensuring that program activities meet high standards. WRI project managers work closely with champions through on-site visits and regular check-ins, supporting implementation, monitoring progress, and helping champions achieve the highest impact through the program’s monitoring, reporting, and verification (MRV) framework. 

TerraFund's Financial Partners

Our financial partners are an essential part of TerraFund for AFR100. Through their support, we can facilitate locally led land restoration across the African continent. TerraFund would not be possible without the following partners:

Anchor Partners

Bezos Earth Fund

The Bezos Earth Fund is a $10 billion grant commitment by Jeff Bezos to fund scientists, activists, NGOs and others to help drive climate and nature solutions. By allocating funds creatively, wisely, and boldly, the Bezos Earth Fund has the potential for transformative influence in this decisive decade. Funds will be fully allocated by 2030 — the date by which the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals must be achieved. For more information, visit bezosearthfund.org.  

The Audacious Project

The Audacious Project is a collaborative funding initiative catalyzing social impact on a grand scale. Every year, they select and nurture a group of big, bold solutions to the world’s most urgent challenges, and with the support of an inspiring group of donors and supporters, come together to get them launched.

Housed at TED, the nonprofit with a long track record of surfacing ideas worth spreading, and with support from leading social impact advisor The Bridgespan Group, the funding collective is comprised of several respected organizations and individuals in philanthropy. For more information, visit audaciousproject.org.

Financial Partners

AKO Foundation

The AKO Foundation makes grants towards charities and charitable projects within its three priority areas – to improve education, to promote the arts, and to combat the climate emergency.  While continuing to help to start up, or to be the catalyst for, new charitable projects which otherwise might not have been realized, the Foundation is also willing, where appropriate, to offer unrestricted support.  Mirroring the long-term thinking and investment strategy of AKO Capital, the Foundation aims to be a significant and reliable partner to its beneficiaries, and generally seeks multi-year relationships with them. For more information, visit akofoundation.org.

Caterpillar Foundation

Since its founding in 1952, the Caterpillar Foundation has contributed to helping improve the lives of people around the world. As a company, Caterpillar works alongside our dealers and our customers to build the societal infrastructure needed to make the world run. As a Foundation, we focus on the complementary human, natural and basic services infrastructure needed for individuals to thrive and communities to be resilient. For more information, visit caterpillar.com.

DOEN Foundation

DOEN Foundation is the fund of the National Postcode Loterij and VriendenLoterij, and believes in a green, social, and creative society. DOEN supports innovative initiatives of pioneers and gives them a quick start. In this way they can inspire others and show that change is possible. For more information, visit doen.nl/en.

Good Energies Foundation

Good Energies Foundation is a Swiss-based philanthropic organization funding initiatives that work to reverse the impact of climate change in two key areas: access to clean energy and protection of tropical forests. Good Energies is part of Porticus, which manages the private philanthropic endeavors of the Brenninkmeijer family business owners with the aim to help create a just and sustainable future where human dignity flourishes. For more information, visit porticus.com/en/our-regions/good-energies-foundation.

Lydia Hill Philanthropies

Lyda Hill Philanthropies encompasses the charitable giving for founder Lyda Hill and includes her foundation and personal philanthropy. The organization is committed to funding transformational advances in science and nature, empowering nonprofit organizations and improving the Texas and Colorado communities. Because Miss Hill has a fervent belief that “science is the answer” to many of life’s most challenging issues, she has chosen to donate the entirety of her estate to philanthropy and scientific research. For more information, visit lydahillphilanthropies.org.

Meta

Meta's mission is to build technologies that help people connect, find communities and grow businesses. For more information, visit about.meta.com.