Minding the Gaps: One Earth’s Climate Finance Report
At One Earth, we believe that building a better future means more than addressing climate change and biodiversity loss. It means actively improving life for all of us in the process. To get there, we must stop working in silos and start working together.
That’s why we created this solutions-first guide: to make the climate funding landscape clearer and to help us act together in building the future we all deserve.
LABEL
Energy Transition
Nature Conservation
Regenerative Agriculture
Where Climate Finance Is Missing the Mark
Across the landscape of climate solutions, we found major imbalances in funding. More than half of all resources are concentrated in just a few solutions, while just 4% reach critical areas like Nature Conservation.
These gaps also reveal a story of possibility.
Across the world, there are inspiring organizations, companies, and individuals already scaling clean energy, advancing regenerative farming, and stewarding land with both new technology and traditional ecological knowledge. They simply need more support to carry this work forward.
Momentum Is Growing, but Still Falling Short
Over the past decade, climate finance has nearly doubled. Yet it remains only a sliver of global investment and less than 2% of philanthropic giving.
We must channel more funding into overlooked and underfunded climate solutions, working together across sectors.
We don’t believe in silver bullets and single fixes. Real change comes from many hands, working side by side across a mosaic of solutions.
This report is your invitation to join that effort, to see the landscape clearly, and act with purpose.
A Pivotal Moment
We are living in a decisive decade. The twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss are accelerating, and the next ten years will shape the next hundred.
The challenge is no longer whether we can solve the climate crisis, because the solutions already exist. The real question is whether we will fund them in time.
One Earth. Three Pillars.
To address the intertwined crises of climate breakdown and biodiversity loss, we need more than scattered efforts. We need a unifying, science-based roadmap.
The One Earth Solutions Framework offers that roadmap. Rooted in peer-reviewed science and backed by a global climate model, it shows that a just and vibrant future is not only possible, it’s achievable. The framework outlines 75+ climate solutions that already exist, organized across three pillars of action.
PILLAR I
Energy Transition
Shift from fossil fuels to 100% clean, renewable energy while ensuring affordable power for all; creating new opportunities for workers from the coal, oil, and gas industries; and returning global temperatures to below 1.5°C by the end of the century.
PILLAR II
Nature Conservation
Protect, restore, and reconnect half of Earth’s lands and oceans through a Global Safety Net that safeguards biodiversity, keeps essential carbon stores intact, and secures the planet’s life-support systems.
PILLAR III
Regenerative Agriculture
Transform food and fiber systems by adopting regenerative practices on existing farmland to feed a growing population in ways that are both nutritious and sustainable.
What Makes This Framework Different?
Holistic and Integrated
Tackles climate, biodiversity, and food systems together, recognizing they are interdependent
Scientifically Validated
Shows that it’s possible to achieve the 1.5°C target with existing technologies and solutions, based on a global decarbonization model.
Centers Nature and Equity
Prioritizes both people and planet, acknowledging that healthy, intact ecosystems are vital to sustaining life, and frontline communities and Indigenous stewardship are essential for long-term resilience.
Mapping Climate Finance to the Three Pillars
With this holistic set of solutions, we can see how capital is, or is not, supporting the pillars of a just and vibrant future.
In collaboration with Vibrant Data Labs (VDL), we are introducing the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker, a powerful new tool that brings clarity to the climate solutions landscape. For the first time, we can see in detail how private funding flows through the One Earth Solutions Framework: what is well resourced, what is being overlooked, and where the greatest opportunities for impact exist.
VDL, a mission-driven data science company, built an open-source system to synthesize and interpret capital flows. Leveraging advanced data science with modern AI, the tool tracks nearly $400 billion in private investments and philanthropic grants across more than 10,000 US-based companies and nonprofits, presenting the results in a visually searchable format.
Designed to be transparent, updatable, and repeatable, this approach provides decision-makers with actionable insights and a clear path toward accelerating meaningful climate solutions.
A New Lens on Climate Finance: The One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker
Discover how tracked climate finance flows to more than 10,000 companies and nonprofits, implementing more than 75 solution pathways across Energy Transition, Nature Conservation, and Regenerative Agriculture.
Energy Transition
Nature Conservation
Regenerative Agriculture
Let's explore how climate dollars are flowing in each pillar and how critical solutions are overlooked.
PILLAR I
Energy Transition
Where all the funding is.
Energy solutions receive the vast majority of climate funding: 89% of all tracked dollars, far outpacing nature and agriculture. This isn’t surprising: dirty energy is the largest contributor to greenhouse gas emissions (about 75%) and transitioning to clean, renewable energy is the most market-ready solution pillar. With clear revenue models, scalable technologies, and familiar infrastructure, it attracts venture capital. But market momentum does not guarantee the best outcomes. Without balanced investment, we risk a transition that is fast but not fair, and ultimately not enough.
Agriculture,
Forestry,
& Land Use: 18.4%
Waste: 3.2%
Industry: 5.2%
Energy: 73.2%
Powering the Future with More Than Solar
High-visibility solutions like Solar Photovoltaic attract about half of all tracked funding for clean, renewable energy. Yet recent projections show Solar Photovoltaic will make up only 21% of the future global energy mix.
Achieving 100% clean, renewable energy requires a wider range of power, heat, storage, and efficiency solutions. This includes Geothermal, District Heat, and Wave Energy, which, combined, receive less than 3% of current investment.
Solar Photovoltaic
21%
50%
Onshore Wind
Offshore Wind
Briomass Heat
Solar Heat
Solar Thermal Power Plants
Hydro Power
Geothermal Heat
District Heat
Biofuels
Geothermal Power
Biomass Power
Hydrogen Heat
Synfuels
Advanced Nuclear
Hydrogen Power
Ocean Energy
Green Hydrogen Fuel
25%
0%
25%
50%
Renewable Power, Heat, and Transport Mix Needed by 2055
US Energy Transition Finance
Closing the Energy Access Gap
Despite the significant amount of money flowing into the energy sector, a major gap remains: access for all.
Investing in local, distributed energy strengthens energy security, boosts grid resilience, and reduces reliance on vulnerable centralized systems. A just transition to 100% clean, renewable energy requires that we ensure no community gets left behind.
Yet, of all funds flowing to the energy pillar, only 3% of the funding goes to for-profit companies that are attempting to close the access gap by building energy infrastructure for underserved communities. Most nonprofit organizations acknowledge this access gap, but the overall share of funds they receive remains tiny compared to total energy investment.
Transitioning to renewables is essential and relatively well funded, but in order to succeed, the transition must be inclusive, diversified, and resilient.
Bringing Clean Power to All Communities
Directing capital to clean power, energy storage, and modern grids cuts emissions quickly, lowers costs, and accelerates worldwide decarbonization. These investments deliver reliable electricity and cleaner air while strengthening resilience across communities during heatwaves and storms.
Using the One Earth Solutions Tracker, it's easy to identify organizations that center clean power and energy security for all.
Nonprofit
Grid Alternatives
Grid Alternatives is a nonprofit that brings solar power and clean energy Brings solar power and clean energy job training to under-resourced communities and communities of color, advancing environmental justice and energy equity through hands-on installations, workforce development, and community partnerships.
Appalachian Voices
Mobilizes communities in Central and Southern Appalachia to end harmful fossil fuel projects and build local wealth through solar, energy efficiency, and other sustainable economic drivers.
For-profit
BoxPower
Designs and deploys solar microgrids combining solar, batteries, and backup generators to deliver reliable power to off-grid and underserved communities.
Navajo Power
Develops large-scale renewable energy projects in partnership with Tribal communities, generating economic opportunity and supporting sovereignty.
Takeaway
Energy Transition
Dive Deeper into Energy Data →
PILLAR II
Nature Conservation
The most underfunded solution pillar.
100%
75%
50%
25%
0%
4 %
Energy Transition
Nature Conservation
Regenerative Agriculture
Safeguarding intact ecosystems, restoring degraded lands and waters, and reconnecting habitats so both wildlife and people can thrive is vital for stabilizing the climate and sustaining life on Earth.
Every place on the planet belongs to a unique bioregion, each with ecosystems and species that keep Earth in balance. From wetlands and forests to grasslands and oceans, these natural systems store carbon, regulate water, shield communities from disasters, and sustain biodiversity.
When we invest in nature, we invest in resilience for the planet and for ourselves.
We need far more than the 4% of current climate funding to protect, restore, and reconnect 50% of the Earth’s lands and oceans.
Scaling Conservation: A $600 Billion Proposition
The Global Safety Net is an open-source science initiative that identifies the most important natural areas to protect and restore in order to stabilize the climate and safeguard biodiversity.
Science shows that to achieve this vision, we must protect approximately 50% of Earth’s lands and oceans, ensuring the survival of ecosystems that regulate our climate and sustain life. Meeting this goal will require an estimated $600 billion annually in conservation funding.
Currently, carbon markets, philanthropy, and government spending contribute roughly $140 billion, which is far below what’s needed. This funding shortfall is not just a challenge but also a powerful opportunity to invest in the living systems that provide clean air, fresh water, fertile soils, and thriving biodiversity. By scaling conservation funding and deploying it to the highest-priority places, we can secure a stable climate and a future where both people and nature can thrive.
Why Philanthropy Is Critical to Protecting Nature
Nature Conservation is the only pillar where philanthropic funding consistently surpasses venture capital.
Traditional markets struggle to value what nature provides, including clean air, fresh water, and resilient ecosystems. These life-support systems are difficult to monetize despite their essential role.
Encouragingly, this is beginning to change. A decade ago, venture-backed reforestation was almost unheard of. Today, US companies have raised tens of millions in private capital to restore degraded lands.
However, given the magnitude of the funding gap, we cannot rely on markets alone. Philanthropy can lead the way by investing strategically: supporting community-led conservation, protecting the most ecologically critical places, and pioneering scalable models that can unlock greater flows of capital.
50%
25%
0%
Land Conservation
Ocean Conservation
Ecosystem Restoration
Wildlife Connectivity
Indigenous Land Tenure: A Powerful Climate Solution
Indigenous peoples steward 39% of Earth’s remaining intact ecosystems, yet less than 6% of philanthropic funding for Nature Conservation supports Indigenous Land Tenure.
This underinvestment limits progress on climate goals, biodiversity protection, and community resilience.
Research shows that Indigenous-led conservation consistently outperforms conventional models in protecting biodiversity, storing carbon, and sustaining healthy ecosystems.
Strengthening Indigenous land rights is essential to strengthening the planet’s life-support systems.
Investing in Indigenous Stewardship
Directing capital toward Indigenous land rights, governance, and autonomy is not only equitable but also strategic. In one of the most underfunded areas of climate action, supporting Indigenous-led stewardship is among the most effective ways to achieve large-scale, lasting impact for both people and the planet.
Using the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker, it’s easy to identify organizations prioritizing Indigenous Land Tenure and community-led stewardship.
Nonprofit
Partners with Indigenous communities in the Amazon to defend their land, rights, and cultural survival through grassroots organizing, advocacy, legal defense, technology, and the protection of ancestral territories from extractive industries.
Native Conservancy
Protects and restores Alaska Native lands and waters through Indigenous-led conservation, securing habitats that sustain cultural resilience, food sovereignty, and regenerative economies, including Landback and Oceanback initiatives.
For-profit
Terraformation
Terraformation supports local and Indigenous communities in restoring native forests by providing access to seed banks, training, and funding—empowering them to lead biodiverse, climate-resilient reforestation efforts rooted in ecological and cultural knowledge.
WOZU
Fosters community connection to ancestral lands on the Standing Rock Reservation through cultural education, language revitalization, sustainable farming, and stewardship practices that protect water, wildlife, and crops while educating future generations about land regeneration.
Takeaway
Nature Conservation
Dive Deeper into Nature Data →
PILLAR III
Regenerative Agriculture
The funding gap beneath our feet.
Simply put, Regenerative Agriculture is comprised of the food and fiber systems that give more than they take. It is a set of farming and land management practices that rebuild living soils, increase on-farm biodiversity, and move carbon from the air into the earth.
The way we farm today is depleting the land faster than it can recover. Monocultures, frequent tillage, and heavy use of synthetic fertilizers and pesticides can lead to soil carbon loss, erosion, decreased water quality, declining biodiversity, and higher greenhouse gas emissions. Regenerative practices address these problems by restoring soil structure, boosting soil life, and improving water retention.
Despite the critical need to rebuild soils and reshape our food systems, Regenerative Agriculture receives only 7% of total climate finance. Within that small slice, the funding is spread thinly across its four subpillars: Regenerative Croplands, Sustainable Rangelands, Food Waste Reduction, and Circular Fibersheds. Within which are contained dozens of solutions such as Agroforestry, Seed Diversity, Silvopasture, Composting, and Sustainable Fiber Sourcing.
The Global Alliance for the Future of Food’s Cultivating Change report estimates that a global transition to agroecological and regenerative food systems would require $270 to $430 billion per year. Current funding is about $44 billion per year, roughly 10% of what is needed.
Fossil-Fuel-Grown Vegan Burgers Aren’t a Climate Solution
The majority of capital in the agricultural sector is flowing toward Meat-Free proteins and plant-based food products. While shifting to a plant-based diet can reduce emissions and land use by up to 75% and reduce water use by half, there’s a critical blind spot: the way these crops are grown.
Without investing in soil-building practices, the crops behind these products risk perpetuating the same monocultures that deplete soils and erode biodiversity.
The imbalance is stark. Meat-Free proteins (a single-solution pathway under the Sustainable Rangelands subpillar) captures over 19% of total Regenerative Agriculture funding. In contrast, less than 2.5% supports eight critical Regenerative Croplands solution pathways, including Sustainable Biochar, Agroforestry, Cropland Restoration, Sustainable Rice Farming, Polyculture, Dryland Irrigation, Perennial Superfoods, and Farm Afforestation.
From Flat Fields to Forested Farms
Of the Regenerative Cropland solutions that receive less than half a percent of all agricultural funding, one particularly promising approach involves planting trees on farms.
Farm Afforestation is a climate solution that plants trees in and around farmland in ways that support both crops and the surrounding ecosystem. This can include windbreaks to protect fields from erosion, rows of trees between crops (known as alley cropping), small pocket forests, or the addition of fruit and nut orchards. By weaving trees back into farms, we can enrich the soil, capture carbon, provide additional food and farmer income, create habitats for pollinators and wildlife, and make farming more resilient to drought and heat.
Despite these wide-ranging benefits, less than 0.2% of private investments in regenerative farming is directed toward Farm Afforestation.
Who Is Making Trees Work for Farmers?
Directing capital to regenerative practices, like Farm Afforestation, allows farmers to plant trees in and around their fields, creating shade, windbreaks, and healthier soils. These tree-based systems deliver steadier yields, lower costs, and stronger resilience to climate stress.
Using the One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker, it's easy to find organizations that expand seedling nurseries and make tree planting viable at scale.
Nonprofit
Trees For The Future (TREES)
Trains farmers in Africa to restore land with Forest Gardens: diverse, sustainable farms that improve food security, income, and the environment.
Wild Farm Alliance
Advances the Farmland Wildways initiative that connects habitat on and between farms to support biodiversity, pollination, and ecological resilience across working landscapes.
For-profit
Propagate
Plans, manages, and finances agroforestry systems that increase farm profitability, build soil health, and improve resilience to climate stress.
Terviva
Cultivates climate-resilient pongamia trees to produce sustainable food and oil while restoring degraded land, storing carbon, and supporting farmer livelihoods, with a focus on women-led and climate-impacted communities.
Takeaway
Regenerative Agriculture
Dive Deeper into Agriculture Data →
Conclusion
Closing the Gaps for a Better Future
The richness of this data cannot be captured in a single report. Consider this an opening chapter, a surface preview, and an invitation to go deeper.
The One Earth Solutions Finance Tracker is a living tool, updatable and interactive, co-created with partners ready to mind the gaps and fund the future. That means listening, iterating, and adding layers of insight and accessibility over time. Stay tuned for future reports that explore other gaps and opportunities across the solutions landscape.
This introductory report offers a shared view of the funding landscape, a way to step out of silos and see the broader picture of who is doing what. It does not answer every question, but it illuminates the terrain. Coordination begins here, not with immediate consensus, but with visibility and shared facts.
For the first time, we can look at the same map and move with purpose. Visibility enables coordination. Coordination is how we meet the scale and urgency of this moment, together.