Case Study
Advancing Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment through Climate Action
Unlocking the full potential of inclusive innovation to drive a more resilient and equitable climate future
The Challenge
Climate change disproportionately affects women, youth, migrants, people with disabilities, and other marginalized groups—exacerbating existing inequalities. These groups face barriers to finance, training, and markets, limiting their ability to build resilience and participate in climate solutions. Inclusive support and strong partnerships are key to ensuring no one is left behind in the climate transition.
Our Solution
Mobilizing Inclusive Finance to Advance Women-Led Climate Solutions
Chemonics is advancing gender equity and inclusion in climate finance by supporting women-led and women-benefiting organizations to access capital, strengthen leadership, and scale climate solutions. Our approach focuses on:
- Women’s access to climate finance: We mobilize public and private capital to fund women-led and women-benefiting intermediaries, including emerging funds and investment vehicles focused on climate solutions. Over $15 million has been committed by private sector partners, with more than $5 million awarded to 11 women-led funds and business support organizations. These intermediaries have reinvested over $660,000 into 25 women-led climate businesses.
- Investing in women-led organizations for climate action: We strengthen the capacity of incubators, accelerators, and other intermediaries that support women entrepreneurs in climate action. These organizations have supported over 100 women-led or benefiting climate businesses across Africa, Asia-Pacific, and Latin America, providing tailored technical assistance, working capital, and mentorship.
- Gender lens investing for climate funds: We apply a gender-lens investing approach to catalyze impact at the intersection of gender and climate. This includes building the capacity of fund managers to integrate gender into sourcing, structuring, and portfolio management, and to support climate-gender nexus businesses with tools, networks, and training.
- Women’s leadership in climate ventures: We deliver training in climate finance, entrepreneurship, and leadership, equipping women to lead in their communities and climate enterprises. More than 440 women have been reached through these efforts, with many taking on leadership roles in climate-focused ventures
The Impact
Creating New Pathways for Women to Lead Inclusive Climate Solutions
- Over $660,000 reinvested into women-led climate businesses, expanding financial inclusion and opportunity for underserved groups.
- More than 100 women-led or benefiting climate businesses supported across multiple regions.
- Women-led enterprises are contributing to local economies and promoting sustainable climate practices, supported by a growing network of gender-responsive funds, accelerators, and intermediaries.
