Up to $520,000 Blue Catalyst Mangrove Fund
- Organization: Fair Carbon and Finance Earth
- Type: Other
- Location: Global
- Deadline: October 1, 2026
- Funding: Partially Funded
The Blue Catalyst Fund, run by the non-profit Fair Carbon and the social enterprise Finance Earth, helps mangrove conservation and restoration carbon projects get to the point where investors will fund them. Selected projects get 8 to 16 months of technical support, financial advisory and milestone-based cash. The money is an unsecured contingent loan, not a grant: it is repaid with interest only if the project later raises implementation investment. **What you get:** - A total support package of $85,000 to $100,000 for pre-feasibility projects, or $480,000 to $520,000 for post-feasibility projects - About 35 percent as direct cash, released phase by phase as agreed milestones are met, for costs such as community engagement, ecological assessments, staff time, travel and carbon standard fees - About 65 percent as in-kind technical assistance from the BCF team and partners TerraCarbon, Silvestrum and Nika, covering feasibility work, carbon modelling, PDD drafting and transaction advisory - Online training through the Blue Carbon Academy and cohort workshops with other projects - No equity taken and no collateral; repayment only if follow-on investment is secured **What you'll do:** - Pre-feasibility projects: 8 months establishing feasibility, including site assessments, a draft carbon model, stakeholder engagement and a written feasibility assessment - Post-feasibility projects: 16 months of project design, validation and investment preparation, including baselines, a pilot, an MRV plan, PDD submission and investor engagement - Co-develop a workplan with the BCF and a matched technical service provider, with funding for each phase released on completion of the last **Key dates:** - Eligibility Questionnaire closes 1 October 2026 at 19:00 BST (20:00 CEST) - Eligible projects are told within 3 working days and invited to a Full Assessment, which closes 8 October 2026 at 19:00 BST - Shortlisted projects are notified 2 to 3 weeks after the Full Assessment and invited to a 75 minute interview, then KYC checks of up to 3 weeks **More information:** - Repayment, only if follow-on investment is secured, is the full package including the in-kind part, plus 10 percent a year interest and a 2 to 5 percent success fee - A pre-feasibility project that proves feasible but chooses not to continue into the post-feasibility programme must repay the full package plus interest - Direct cash cannot cover general overheads or management fees - Applicants are expected to have some internal resourcing and staff in place; some projects may need complementary funding - Read the Applicant Information Pack and document checklist before applying
