Loans 

Verde Ventures loans are designed to assist small- and medium-sized businesses that contribute to healthy ecosystems and human well-being.

Our loan recipients range from farming cooperatives and agricultural estates to ecotourism enterprises. Together, these business partners employ more than 53,000 local people and are helping safeguard ecological health, biodiversity and vitality in some of Earth’s most important places for both people and nature.

We offer a variety of debt instruments of $30,000-$500,000, including:

• Loans for infrastructure investments and improvements
• Revolving lines of credit to finance the purchase of raw materials and havest working capital
• Flexible terms from six months to five years
• Enterprise development services to eligible applicants

Applications are welcome if they meet our Eligibility Criteria. See also How to Apply.

Call for Applications  

The Verde Ventures Fund (VVF) at Conservation International is founded on the belief that social entrepreneurship, a key component of any green economy, holds incredible potential to eradicate poverty by creating wealth. We believe that the only sustainable business platform is a “triple bottom line” platform: entrepreneurs can be competitive and profitable, while having a positive impact on poverty and conservation by contributing to the maintenance of the healthy ecosystems that support us all.

Building on our 10 year track record, and our extensive experience in priority geographies, VVF builds green economies by supporting the development of sustainable supply chains and by leveraging responsible capital to secure ecosystem health and integrity.

VVF is inviting applications from Small and Medium sized Enterprises (SME’s) in the following four key sectors for consideration for investment:

Coffee and Cocoa
	Given the significant role of agricultural value chains in rural, high biodiversity regions and emerging markets, VVF is inviting applications from this sector that are designed to enhance habitat conservation, provide water and food security benefits as well as strengthen agricultural value chains. VVF is particularly focused on sustainable and responsibly grown products in Central and South America and is also seeking opportunities in East and West Africa. How to Apply
Fisheries
	VVF has identified this sector as a priority investment sector due to the dramatic decline in healthy oceans and fish populations, and the role healthy oceans play on human health, economic development and livelihoods. The decimation of fish will have a catastrophic effect on the billions of people who rely on fish for livelihood and sustenance, as well as the fragile marine ecosystems on which they depend. VVF is inviting applications from SME’s seeking to improve the long term sustainability of this critical sector. This is a new thematic area for VV, and investments are being designed to address species and habitat conservation, as well as valuable food and cultural security benefits. How to Apply
Clean Energy
	VVF has identified clean energy, particularly as it relates to human health and poverty, as well as its impact on climate change and deforestation, as critical components of a developing and sustainable green economy in almost all parts of the world. VVF is inviting applications from SME’s engaged in this sector in a sustainable and scalable manner in Africa and in Central and South America. How to Apply
Africa
	Many community enterprises struggle for long-term sustainability due to an inability to access affordable credit with favorable payment conditions or reasonable credit obligations. Building upon a shift in CI’s mission, Verde Ventures has expanded our scope to incorporate critical issues that are focused on human well-being in the context of biodiversity conservation. A key component of this is an increasing focus on facilitating the development of sustainable and low carbon economies in Africa. How to Apply