Investment Strategy

TLIF focuses on micro, small, and medium enterprises as well as local financial institutions to unlock capital where it has the greatest impact. When capital is accessible at grassroots level its impact is felt across communities, landscapes, and countries.

TLIF integrates technical assistance with financial de-risking to create a supportive development pathway for MSMEs with a positive impact on nature.

Gaurav Gupta

The Blended Approach Enables:

Tailored Support

Tailored support for sustainable MSMEs and conservation initiatives addressing day-to-day challenges—from market access and quality improvements to financial accounting and business planning—helping them reach an investment-ready stage.

Lending Access

Lending to eligible enterprises by reducing risk for local financial institutions through risk-sharing mechanisms such as guarantees.

Gaurav Gupta

Investment Process

TLIF follows a country-focused, bottom-up investment process designed to identify, incubate, and finance sustainable MSMEs and conservation initiatives within tiger landscapes.

01. Country Scoping & Readiness

TLIF conducts a design and readiness assessment to identify financing gaps, enterprise needs, and barriers to financing targets MSMEs in each target country.

02. Partner Selection and Agreements

TLIF selects the right financial institution based on strategic fit and MSME outreach potential. It conducts due diligence and risk assessments before formalizing agreements to provide technical assistance and de-risking support. TLIF also engages partners to build a pipeline of investment-ready, nature-positive MSMEs.

03. Project Sourcing

TLIF provides performance-based grant funding to build a pipeline of biodiversity-positive MSMEs through:

Civil society organizationsBusiness incubatorsConservation organizationsPartner financial institutions

04. Incubation & Technical Assistance

Selected enterprises and initiatives receive tailored support to strengthen business models, improve operational performance, and enhance positive impacts on nature.

05. De-Risked Financing

TLIF facilitates access to finance through the partner local financial institution, supported by appropriate de-risking such as pari-passu guarantees that reduce risk and incentivize lending.

06. Monitoring, Impact & Learning

TLIF provides post-investment support and third-party verification to ensure environmental and social safeguards are met, and impacts are measured and sustained.

Impact Framework

TLIF measures impact firstly at an individual investment level, and secondly, at an overall effectiveness level once individual investments have been consolidated.

10K

People benefiting from sustainable livelihoods

1M+

Hectares conserved, restored, or sustainably managed

Tonnes of emissions reduced or sequestered

View M&E Framework

Gaurav Gupta

Technical Assistance Facility

The Technical Assistance (TA) Facility helps ensure that projects financed through TLIF deliver durable, positive outcomes for biodiversity, climate, and communities. Our support includes:

Pipeline development

Supporting biodiversity-positive enterprises and conservation initiatives to reach investment-readiness

Post-investment support

Technical assistance to MSMEs to address day-to-day challenges after they have received the loan from the local financial institution

Monitoring, reporting & verification

Ensuring transparent, third-party verified measurement of impact and compliance with environmental and social safeguards

Strengthening the enabling environment

Supporting policy, capacity building, and cross-country learning to help biodiversity-positive businesses grow

De-Risking Facility

Many financial institutions perceive biodiversity-focused MSMEs as non-bankable for multiple reasons, including lack of collateral, limited credit history and financial records, remoteness, and volatile revenue. The De-Risking Facility addresses this challenge through a blend of instruments administered by the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF). This unlocks capital from local financial institutions’ own balance sheets, making it accessible to eligible biodiversity-focused MSMEs.

The instruments deployed under the TLIF include

Pari Passu Portfolio Guarantees

The Facility guarantees a portfolio of eligible loans, incentivizing financial institutions to serve target MSMEs, while maximizing operational efficiency.

Capitalization Grant

This performance-based grant supports the financial institution to develop/adapt appropriate loan products and address additional cost-related barriers to serve the target MSMEs.

Technical Assistance

The Facility is designed to strengthen the capabilities and processes of local financial institutions to sustainably finance biodiversity-focused MSMEs over time.

Clear environmental and social eligibility criteria

Supported MSMEs must comply with predefined biodiversity, environmental, and social standards. These criteria are legally embedded in the guarantee agreements.

In collaboration with the following members of the Tiger Conservation Coalition