Innovative Finance

Overview

The State of Affairs

In today’s world, we face complex challenges in climate resilience, health, food security, energy access, and equity. This drives us to pioneer impactful investments to innovate solutions.

Through pivotal investments, strategic partnerships, and leveraging our expertise, the Innovative Finance team catalyzes private capital at scale. This allows us to bridge funding gaps and address the world’s biggest challenges.

Our vision for 2030? To mobilize $10 billion for transformative financial solutions.

Why it Matters

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annual financing gap for achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals
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of global economic loss alone due to climate change by 2050
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needed in public sector climate adaptation and resilience investment for developing countries

How We Respond

Our Strategy

1Deploy Flexible Catalytic Capital: We are committed to shaping the next wave of financial solutions that deliver profitable investment models, alongside deep social impact. We leverage our experience in impact investing, our dedication to impact integrity and analysis, and the flexibility of our capital to scale new structures and approaches.
2Mainstream Underinvested Segments of Climate Finance: The annual climate financing gap is estimated at $3.5 trillion, and timing is of the essence if we are to avoid the worst impacts of climate change. High market dynamism today means a growing pool of climate investment solutions, and the Foundation can be the catalyst to drive adoption. This is critical in underserved segments such as nature-based solutions and nascent decarbonization strategies.
3Develop Climate Finance and Impact Investing Ecosystems: Achieving the world’s development goals will require partnerships across private and public sector and civil society. We will continue to use our knowledge and convening power to deepen the impact investing and climate finance ecosystems.

Report
Zero Gap Fund: State of the Portfolio 2023
The Zero Gap Fund (ZGF), in its fifth year, has committed $30 million across 12 investments, mobilizing $1.04 billion from partners to address global challenges in climate change, regenerative agriculture, financial inclusion, and essential services access.
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Report
Zero Gap Fund: State of the Portfolio 2022
Four years ago, The Rockefeller Foundation set out to invest in bold and innovative financing products and solutions to catalyze new capital to help meet the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Our ambition resulted in the development of the Zero Gap Fund (ZGF or the Fund). We are proud to say that, as of June 2023, the Fund is fully committed across 12 investments.
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Report
Zero Gap Fund: State of the Portfolio 2021
Today’s global environment presents a complex array of challenges. The impacts of Covid-19, war in Ukraine, climate change, and, recently, economic volatility only add to the task of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet, doubling down on the SDGs also presents one of the most powerful drivers for enabling more inclusive global growth and […]
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Report
What Gets Measured Gets Financed: Climate Finance Funding Flows and Opportunities
Climate change poses a singular threat to humanity, and to The Rockefeller Foundation’s 109-year mission of promoting its well-being throughout the world. To meet our mission today, we must directly confront climate change. One of the biggest obstacles to achieving net zero emissions globally by 2050 is the lack of financing from public and private […]
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