Finding Sources of Funding

Green technology innovation requires access to finance, which can be a major challenge for inventors. International organizations, regional and national banks, governments and private organizations have increased their levels of financing available.

Browse our list of funding opportunities below to kick-start your search for funding.

(Photo: iStockphoto.com/PaulPaladin)

Funding opportunities from WIPO GREEN partners

WIPO GREEN’s partners offer a series of programs and services in financing the development, deployment and dissemination of green technologies. Browse the different funding sources listed below to access information about available financing and see whether your project is eligible.

Name Description What you'll find Who it's for
Asian Development Bank (ADB)

ADB's climate change initiatives are creating access and incentives for financing and investment to help make mitigation and adaptation actions more competitive and affordable to developing countries. ADB works with a number of partners on three fronts:

  • Mobilizing concessional resources through a number of mitigation and adaptation funds.
  • Catalyzing private sector investments.
  • Maximizing the use of market-based mechanisms, such as through the Carbon Market Program.

Clean Energy Funds and Partnerships, namely:

  • Clean Energy Financing Partnership Facility (CEFPF)
  • Climate Change Fund (CCF)
  • Renewable Energy, Energy Efficiency, and Climate Change (REACH)

Funding through Climate Change Initiatives, namely:

  • ADB Climate Change Fund (CCF)
  • Urban Climate Change Resilience Trust Fund (UCCRTF)
  • Integrated Disaster Risk Management Fund (IDRM Fund)
  • Future Carbon Fund (FCF)

Funding through Energy for All Partnership

  • Policy makers
  • Project planners
  • NGOs
  • SMEs
South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange (SS-Gate) SS-Gate analyses its client's specific situation including project status, industry attributes and national policy and then selects the appropriate source of funding, using various financial instruments (relying on banks, investment institutions, government funding and other financing methods) in order to provide clients with a comprehensive financing services solution.

A website where Southern governments, institutions and companies can list specific needs for goods, services, information and resources – and where private sector companies in other Southern countries can offer services, products and/or financing to meet those needs.

Local facilitation and transactional support provided by SS-GATE country centers, regional hubs and the SS-GATE secretariat in Shanghai, China.

  • Policy makers
  • Project planners
EcoMachines Ventures Incubator EcoMachines Incubator is a London-based incubator, which accelerates the growth of start-ups in the high-value manufacturing and advanced engineering spaces. It helps technology entrepreneurs to build their start-up from a proof-of-concept technology into a high-growth, investable company. The preferred focus areas are energy, renewables, transportation, smart cities, and industrial high-tech. A link to connect to experts at EcoMachines Incubator for advice on funding in the energy, transport, circular economy, smart city and industrial high-tech sectors.
  • Policy makers
  • Project planners
Korea Technology Finance Corporation (KOTEC)

KOTEC was founded in 1989 by the Korean Government as a non-profit credit guarantee institution under the special enactment, "Financial Assistance to New Technology Businesses Act". The Act went through a full-scale revision and was renamed the "Korea Technology Finance Corporation Act" in 2002. KOTEC is now a specialized institution providing full scale support to SMEs and venture businesses with competitive technology, innovation, and other knowledge-based business content at all growth stages. The mission of KOTEC is to take a lead in converting the Korean economy to be more creative and innovative.

  • Guarantees for start-up funds
  • Venture investment guarantee
  • Angel investment and guarantees for P-CBOs
  • Technology-preferential guarantees
  • Special guarantees for SMEs undergoing restructuring
  • Tech and managerial advisory service
  • Support programs in collaboration with business incubation centers
  • Start-up seminars, venture incubator contests
  • Assistance for technological cooperation and globalization strategies
  • M&A, A&D and technology transfer brokerage
  • SMEs (Korean partner required)

Other funding opportunities

The following websites can help in your search for funding for green technology projects.

Name Description What you'll find Who it's for
Climate Funds Update Climate Funds Update is an independent website that provides information on the growing number of international climate finance initiatives
  • Where and by whom climate change funds are being developed.
  • The scale of proposed and actual financing.
  • What the funds support, in terms of focus, regions and particular projects.
  • Policy makers
  • Project Planners
Adaption Funding Interface This is the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’s (UNFCCC) adaptation funding interface. Users can access and screen information on funding options available for adaptation projects. It provides a summary of adaptation funding options available from various sources, each with an information factsheet.
  • Searchable database in which entries can be filtered by one or more of the following:
    • Region
    • Country
    • Nature of disbursement
    • Sectoral focus
    • Source of adaptation funding
    • Co-financing
  • Policy makers
  • Project Planners
Private Sector Initiative This United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) database of actions has been developed under the Private Sector Initiative (PSI) of the Nairobi work programme, and features good practices and profitable climate change adaptation activities being undertaken by private companies from a wide range of regions and sectors. A database of case studies of initiatives by private companies involving adaptation activities. These may relate either to ensuring the resilience of business operations or the provision of technologies or services that assist with adaptation in vulnerable communities.
  • Corporations
  • SMEs
  • NGOs
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) An independently operating financial organization, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) provides grants for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. Searchable database listing projects and funding opportunities provided by the GEF Trust Fund, the Special Climate Change Fund (SCCF) and the Least Developed Countries Fund (LDCF).
  • Governments
  • NGOs
  • CBOs
ImpactAssets50 ImpactAssets50 (IA 50) is the first publicly available database of experienced private debt and equity impact investment fund managers. The IA 50 is not an index or an investable platform; rather, it is an information resource to begin research on the impact investing sector.
  • A database listing 50 of the most relevant impact investment funds.
  • The database is searchable by: impact investment focus; geographical focus; total assets; third party validations; and industry impact metrics.
  • Investors
  • Policy makers
  • Project planners
  • NGOs
  • SMEs