Back by Popular Demand: Conservation Finance Learning Lab

After a highly successful and engaging series of webinars last year, Highstead and the Conservation Finance Network have announced the second annual five-part Conservation Finance Learning Lab. The free webinars are available to registrants and take place on the second Tuesday of each month, from December 2022 through April 2023.

The webinar series will feature panel discussions, case studies, and networking opportunities for participants to take a deep dive into tangible, innovative approaches to conservation funding and financing. The concepts and lessons learned from the case studies presented will be broadly applicable to practitioners everywhere. Each session will build on the previous sessions, culminating in the “Dolphin Tank” exercise where participants will have the opportunity to analyze and discuss solutions to real-world conservation problems.

Attendance to all / most sessions will ensure the full benefit of the series. Register for individual sessions below.

Participants who have not previously participated in Conservation Finance 101 are encouraged to watch this pre-recorded session.

For those unable to attend a live session, a recording will be available on this page after each webinar.

This session will focus on various carbon revenue strategies, including regulatory and voluntary markets, corporate carbon insetting, pipeline development, trendlines for the coming years, as well as perspective from a land trust experimenting with carbon offsets.

This session will focus on underutilized sources of federal funding and financing, what to track, and how best to anticipate opportunities.

This session will focus on the benefits and sources of short-term and long-term debt. First we’ll delve into the mechanics of a financed transaction and learn about the ins and outs of short-term bridge financing, including the perspective of a land trust borrower. Then we’ll explore Clean Water State Revolving Fund loans (SRFs), a source of long-term public financing including immediate opportunities and how to move forward projects where funds are available.

This 90-minute session will highlight trends in corporate philanthropy, discuss how to find alignment and fit, and share an exercise on how to create a compelling partner introduction.

This last session will put the previous webinar lessons into practice where participants will have the opportunity to analyze and deliberate solutions to real-world conservation problems.