The role of the Climate Investment Funds in meeting investment needs

The report finds that the CIF provides a unique, programmatic approach to climate finance that differs from the project-by-project model of the GCF. It has been the largest source of external concessional finance for Multilateral Development Banks (MDBs), particularly in high-risk technologies like geothermal and concentrated solar power. The authors recommend keeping the CIF operational to maintain momentum and bridge investment gaps, suggesting it work complementarily with the GCF.

• The CIF is the most significant provider of external concessional climate finance for the six MDBs that implement it, accounting for approximately 45% of such finance in 2013-2014.
• Over the last decade, the CIF has approved roughly 60% of the total finance committed by eight major multilateral climate funds and has approved funds more rapidly than any other fund.
• The CIF utilizes a unique programmatic national investment planning process that provides predictability for recipients and partners, contrasting with the competitive project-by-project approval process used by the GCF.
• The CIF has allocated 28% of its financing, totaling USD 2.3 billion, to private sector investments, which is more than any other multilateral climate fund in both absolute terms and as a share of total resources.
• MDBs are estimated to require at least USD 3.5 billion per year in external concessional climate finance by 2020 to meet their goals, nearly double the 2013-2014 average of USD 2 billion.
• The Forest Investment Program (FIP) is the only forestry fund that focuses on the 'investment stage' (Phase 2) of REDD+ activities and includes a dedicated grant mechanism for indigenous peoples.
• The CIF's partnership model allows recipient countries to use the varied skillsets of multiple MDBs under a common framework; 80% of endorsed investment plans were prepared with two or more MDB partners.

APA

Trabacchi, C., Brown, J., Boyd, R., Wang, D., & Falzon, J. (2016). The role of the Climate Investment Funds in meeting investment needs. Climate Policy Initiative. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-role-of-the-Climate-Investment-Funds-in-meeting-investment-needs.pdf

Chicago

Trabacchi, Chiara, Jessica Brown, Rodney Boyd, David Wang, and James Falzon. The role of the Climate Investment Funds in meeting investment needs. Climate Policy Initiative, 2016. https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-role-of-the-Climate-Investment-Funds-in-meeting-investment-needs.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Trabacchi |first1=Chiara |last2=Brown |first2=Jessica |last3=Boyd |first3=Rodney |last4=Wang |first4=David |last5=Falzon |first5=James |title=The role of the Climate Investment Funds in meeting investment needs |publisher=Climate Policy Initiative |date=June 2016 |url=https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-role-of-the-Climate-Investment-Funds-in-meeting-investment-needs.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{trabacchi2016role, author = {Trabacchi, Chiara and Brown, Jessica and Boyd, Rodney and Wang, David and Falzon, James}, title = {{The role of the Climate Investment Funds in meeting investment needs}}, institution = {Climate Policy Initiative}, year = {2016}, month = jun, url = {https://www.climatepolicyinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/The-role-of-the-Climate-Investment-Funds-in-meeting-investment-needs.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }