African Conservancies Fund (ACF)

The African Conservancies Fund (ACF), established by Conservation International, provides debt capital to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust in Kenya to fund sustainable revenue-generating activities such as eco-tourism and carbon credit generation.

• The African Conservancies Fund (ACF) was created by Conservation International (CI) to align economic and conservation goals for communities near the Maasai Mara in Kenya. The ACF provides debt capital to the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Trust (MWCT) to support activities including sustainable agriculture, eco-tourism, and the generation of carbon credits, with loans to be repaid from the resulting revenue.
• Conservation International and its affiliates have provided USD 500,000 in loan capital to the Trust, with a goal to increase this to USD 5 million over two years. Following the proof of concept, CI is targeting USD 100 million in initial capital and intends to expand the model to other regions in Africa with potential for sustainable revenue activities.
• The success of the Trust model depends on several factors: the authority of local communities to manage land and earn income (making it less suitable for areas under national government control), a legal framework allowing Trusts to borrow and distribute funds, and initial funding from impact investors and DFIs while commercial viability is being proven.

APA

Climate Policy Initiative (2021). African Conservancies Fund (ACF). https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/african-conservancies-fund-acf-2/

Chicago

Climate Policy Initiative. African Conservancies Fund (ACF). 2021. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/african-conservancies-fund-acf-2/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate Policy Initiative |title=African Conservancies Fund (ACF) |date=16 September 2021 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/african-conservancies-fund-acf-2/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climatepolicyinitiative2021african, author = {{Climate Policy Initiative}}, title = {{African Conservancies Fund (ACF)}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/gca-africa-adaptation-finance/case_studies/african-conservancies-fund-acf-2/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }