Finance 4Nature

Finance 4Nature 2026

A one of a kind four day in-person course with Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA).

Unlock the power of finance for nature!

Join our newest cohort of conservation leaders this May 5-8 in the Washington D.C. Area

Hosted in partnership with Conservation Finance Alliance (CFA) and at Conservation International's headquarters, this in-person training will explore the full spectrum of nature finance solutions, from grants and economic instruments to return-based investments and public financial management. Participants will learn to assess tradeoffs, build tailored finance portfolios, and apply these tools to real-world landscapes and conservation goals.

The Course Experience

World-class teaching

The course will include live lectures, case study presentations and discussions with guest speakers, interactive exercises, and other activities to practice applying conservation finance to real-world contexts.
An inclusive & diverse environment

You will meet conservation and sustainable development practitioners from all around the world with a range of different backgrounds and experience with finance. No previous economics or finance experience is necessary to register.
Training worth your time

This course is only four days, in-person, from 9am-5pm each day. By its conclusion, you'll walk away with a toolkit of strategic finance solutions and an understanding of how to apply them to your work.

What will I learn?

You will walk away from this course with an understanding of

Core nature finance theory and taxonomy, including how to frame conservation finance beyond filling finance gaps
The current state of finance for nature, including key actors and common funding sources
The four guidance principles of finance for nature: Optimize resource efficiencies, discourage harmful actions, incentivize positive actions, increase financial capital for conservation
Seven different classes and categories of nature finance mechanisms
Practical tools for identifying and prioritizing a portfolio of finance solutions for different landscapes, organizations, and sites
The tradeoffs among different finance solutions and how to identify the best solutions, given the specific conservation context

Meet Your Course Instructor

David Meyers

David is an environmental finance expert and entrepreneur with more than 35 years of experience in the field. He is currently the Executive Director of the Conservation Finance Alliance. From 2012-2018, David was a Senior Technical Advisor for the BIOFIN/UNDP project. David spent well over a decade in Madagascar and helped the country plan and execute a doubling of the area under conservation. He holds a PhD in Biological Anthropology and Anatomy from Duke University, and an MBA from the Yale School of Management.

Enroll now

Registration closes on April 20. Don't delay - only 35 spots available!

$1,200.00

Regular price

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3 x $400.00

Three Payments of $400 USD

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What does my tuition include?

Tuition includes your in-person course instruction and materials, meals (lunch and coffee breaks), and 6-months of access to our virtual course platform. Travel and lodging arrangements should be booked independently.

Payment Policies

Course Content

This course will cover the fundamentals of conservation finance solutions from key theoretical elements to practical exercises that will allow you to identify, understand, and guide the implementation of diverse conservation finance solutions.

Part 1: Theory and the Current State of Finance for Nature

We will understand global perspectives and the theoretical underpinning of conservation finance, including detail on the four good practice guidelines and a tour of all the major types of finance mechanisms.

Part 2: Exploring the Conservation Finance Taxonomy of Solutions

We will take a deep dive into each of the seven classes of finance instruments, including case study presentations and application to real-world scenarios.

Part 3: Finance Prioritization Exercise

We will explore a methodology for identifying and prioritizing finance solutions to build a finance portfolio suited for your conservation context.

Hear from our 2025 Course Graduates

Kathy Yu

Consultant

“This course was sold to be for beginners and the course content was super interesting. I also enjoyed how many case studies there were.”

Winifred Frick

Bat Conservation International

“In addition to a much better understanding of how different finance mechanisms work, I really appreciated the financial prioritization exercise at the end that helped put the gained knowledge into practice.”