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CCF | SLIDE DECK 2026

Climate Commons Fund

Equal Right & Il Ngwesi Conservancy, Kenya

The world's first community-led climate finance mechanism to sustainably fund Cash for Conservation

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The Problem: A Poverty–Environment Trap

Our pilot is in Il Ngwesi Conservancy in Laikipia, Kenya: a world-class community conservancy with 30+ years track record - yet it faces these problems every day

Over 60% of Laikipia land is degraded; more frequent droughts are pushing pastoralists into protected zones, contributing to community tensions.

Over 40% of the population lives below the poverty line, forcing reliance on extractive livelihoods like charcoal production.

Existing ecotourism and carbon credit revenues reach only a handful of people - conservation benefits are not shared equitably, yet everyone bears the cost.

Intersecting problems: 1. Poverty drives reliance on environmental degradation 2. Conservation finance is not equitably shared with those most affected

"We are restricted from grazing in some areas to allow the grass to regenerate - but I don't see any direct benefit to me as an individual."

— Young herder, Ngare Sirikon zone

60%+

of Laikipia land degraded

40%+

below the poverty line

65%

household income from pastoralism

2–4yr

drought cycle frequency (increasing)

What happens when the cash stops?

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Our Solution: The Climate Commons Fund

Two interlinked components deliver immediate support and long-term sustainability:

1

UNCONDITIONAL CASH TRANSFERS

  • Every adult on Il Ngwesi’s birthright register (~3,000 people) receives a one-off, unconditional lump sum of $750, delivered via M-PESA.
  • Payments are clearly communicated as cash for conservation, and paired with training workshops to maximise conservation, climate adaptation and livelihood outcomes.
  • Designed to enable household investment in productive assets to kickstart alternative livelihoods and meet essential needs.

2

THE CLIMATE COMMONS FUND

  • A community-owned endowment fund established with donor capital and managed by the community & Equal Right.
  • Returns fund an annual ‘Conservation Dividend’ to every adult in Il Ngwesi
  • Exploring an additional ‘Conservation Bonus’ top-up payment tied to ecological indicator improvements (grassland cover, wildlife sightings, soil health).
  • Fund diversifies & grows by pooling carbon credits, Nature Stocks, ecotourism revenues and more - equitably distributed to all.
  • Inspired by wealth fund models in Alaska, Brazil, and the Marshall Islands - all of which use revenues from natural assets to invest and make direct payments to citizens.

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PILOT - IL NGWESI CONSERVANCY - LAIKIPIA COUNTY, KENYA

The Climate Commons Fund: how it works

1 CAPITAL IN

2 THE FUND

3 CASH TO EVERY ADULT

4 WHAT IT ACHIEVES

Philanthropy

Grants and patient capital

70%

One off capitalisation

Impact investors

Nature Stocks and outcomes-based finance

20%

Recurring revenue

Community revenues

Carbon, ecotourism and PES

10%

Recurring revenue

Community-owned endowment

Capital is invested, never spent

CAPITALISED BY

70%

20%

10%

Philanthropy

Investors

Community

INVESTMENT OPTIONS

Ethical ETFs

Global · lower risk

National bond markets

Kenya · moderate risk

Local businesses

Ecotourism & microfinance · higher risk

MINIMUM 6% REAL RETURN

ONE-OFF · UNCONDITIONAL

Large lump sum

$750 cash transfer to every adult on the community register

PAID FROM PHILANTHROPY

ANNUAL · UNCONDITIONAL

Conservation Dividend

Paid to every adult, in perpetuity, from investment returns

PAID FROM FUND RETURNS

ANNUAL · CONDITIONAL

Conservation Bonus

Paid when community-wide ecological indicators improve

PAID FROM OUTCOMES-BASED FINANCE

Livelihood diversification

Capital to invest beyond livestock

Poverty alleviation

Direct income into every household

Conservation incentive

Protecting the rangeland now pays

Community wealth

A permanent, community-owned asset

$2,000

PER ADULT, ONE-OFF

$750

One-off lump sum to every adult

$1,000

Permanent capital into the fund

$250

Training, verification & delivery

BUILT IN

THROUGHOUT

Training & verification workshops before every disbursement

Climate Commons Committee with majority local governance

Ecological Integrity Index & BIOCAP biodiversity mapping

Baseline & endline surveys with every cash recipient

Traceable, direct impact

See exactly where your money goes, down to the individual

No more three-year grant cycles

One-off capitalisation funds cash for conservation forever

Equitable distribution

Benefits shared across the whole community, not a select few

Everybody wins

Habitats protected, and the people protecting them are rewarded, permanently

Equal Right · equalright.org

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Climate Commons Fund: Theory of Change

PROBLEM

  • Poverty and underdevelopment drive environmental degradation
  • Conservation finance is not getting directly to people

1

INPUTS

  • Grant funding
  • Equal Right and partner time

2

ACTIVITIES

  • Consultation and FPIC
  • Workshops and enrolment
  • Cash transfer disbursement
  • Fund establishment
  • Data collection methodology established

3

OUTPUTS

  • Permanent fund established and managed by the community
  • Community receives LLS cash transfers
  • Conservation dividend distributed from fund returns
  • Ecological and impact monitoring conducted

4

OUTCOMES

  • Il Ngwesi residents are paid for their vital role protecting the ecosystem
  • Residents invest in alternative livelihoods and spend more time on conservation activities
  • Il Ngwesi has access to a permanent source of conservation finance and a means of distributing it to all residents

5

IMPACTS

  • Poverty reduced within the conservancy
  • Ecological health improves within the conservancy

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RAIN Bridging Fund: CCF Proof of Concept

1

Training Workshops

Every resident was invited to take part in 1 of 7 day-long workshops focused on agroecology, financial literacy & renewable energy market linkages. Attendance was recorded - 547 people in total.

2

Community Draw

All those attending the workshops were entered into a community draw, with 14 winners selected to receive a LLS cash transfer and 14 selected as part of a control. The draw was stratified by gender and geography.

3

Cash Disbursement

Winners were verified, final checks carried out and $750 LLS payment disbursed via M-Pesa to each winner, and $75 to the control.

4

Fund Established

A Climate Commons Committee has been established with 7 members from Il Ngwesi & ER. Initial capital, match funded 10% by Il Ngwesi, will be invested with annual returns paid to the 14 winners.

5

Impact Monitored

Baseline surveys were conducted with all cash recipients to track use of payments and assess impact at endline (Dec). We’re also working with EarthAcre to explore community onboarding at scale and conservancy wide ecological impact.

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Ecological Impact 1: Household Behaviour

Ecological change at Il Ngwesi begins with household decisions. We survey the people making those decisions before the money moves, and again after it has.

WHAT WE MONITOR

Pressure on the land

Grazing outside blocks, overgrazing, charcoal, wildlife harm

Financial buffer

Income stability, savings, ability to absorb a drought

Conservation effort

Paid and unpaid time given to the conservancy

Livelihood intent

Shift towards protection, restoration and eco-tourism

Use of the transfer

What the $750 was spent on, and what it displaced

HOW WE MONITOR IT

1

Baseline surveys

All 28 proof-of-concept participants surveyed in August 2026, before any money moved.

2

Randomised by community draw

14 receive the $750 lump sum, 14 form the control on $75. Stratified by gender and geography.

3

Same instrument at endline

Repeated in December 2026 with the same people, so change is measured within households.

4

Built to scale

Designed to run across the full birthright register of ~3,000 adults.

37%

report grazing outside the designated blocks

0%

report poaching or deliberate harm to wildlife

85%

say money is what stops them coping with shocks

67%

already do unpaid work for the conservancy

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PILOT - IL NGWESI CONSERVANCY - LAIKIPIA COUNTY, KENYA

The Climate Commons Fund: how it works

1 CAPITAL IN

2 THE FUND

3 CASH TO EVERY ADULT

4 WHAT IT ACHIEVES

Philanthropy

Grants and patient capital

70%

One off capitalisation

Impact investors

Nature Stocks and outcomes-based finance

20%

Recurring revenue

Community revenues

Carbon, ecotourism and PES

10%

Recurring revenue

Community-owned endowment

Capital is invested, never spent

CAPITALISED BY

70%

20%

10%

Philanthropy

Investors

Community

INVESTMENT OPTIONS

Ethical ETFs

Global · lower risk

National bond markets

Kenya · moderate risk

Local businesses

Ecotourism & microfinance · higher risk

MINIMUM 6% REAL RETURN

ONE-OFF · UNCONDITIONAL

Large lump sum

$750 cash transfer to every adult on the community register

PAID FROM PHILANTHROPY

ANNUAL · UNCONDITIONAL

Conservation Dividend

Paid to every adult, in perpetuity, from investment returns

PAID FROM FUND RETURNS

ANNUAL · CONDITIONAL

Conservation Bonus

Paid when community-wide ecological indicators improve

PAID FROM OUTCOMES-BASED FINANCE

Livelihood diversification

Capital to invest beyond livestock

Poverty alleviation

Direct income into every household

Conservation incentive

Protecting the rangeland now pays

Community wealth

A permanent, community-owned asset

$2,000

PER ADULT, ONE-OFF

$750

One-off lump sum to every adult

$1,000

Permanent capital into the fund

$250

Training, verification & delivery

Equal Right · equalright.org

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PILOT - IL NGWESI CONSERVANCY - LAIKIPIA COUNTY, KENYA

What we’re doing

Equal Right · equalright.org

1 TRAINING & VERIFICATION

Training & verification workshops before every disbursement

2 LOCAL GOVERNANCE

Climate Commons Committee with majority local governance

3 ECOLOGICAL MONITORING

Ecological Integrity Index & BIOCAP biodiversity mapping

4 IMPACT SURVEYS

Baseline & endline surveys with every cash recipient

Traceable, direct impact

See exactly where your money goes, down to the individual

No more three-year grant cycles

One-off capitalisation funds cash for conservation forever

Equitable distribution

Benefits shared across the whole community, not a select few

Everybody wins

Habitats protected, and the people protecting them are rewarded

Climate Commons Fund

A community-owned endowment paying dividends at Il Ngwesi, Kenya.

equalright.org/climate-commons-fund

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Ecological Impact 2: Ecosystem Integrity Index

Household behaviour is the input. The Ecosystem Integrity Index is the outcome: one independently measured number for the whole 8,675-hectare conservancy, updated every year.

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ECOSYSTEM INTEGRITY INDEX

MODERATE

0 · degraded

1 · intact

Functional but vulnerable: native species persist, but human pressure shows.

Compositional intactness

How much of the native species community remains

MEASURED BY

Biodiversity Intactness Index

Structural intactness

Physical modification of the landscape

MEASURED BY

Global Human Modification footprint

Functional integrity

Whether the system is still productive

MEASURED BY

Net primary productivity, Sentinel-3

Independently measured at 300m resolution and updated annually, following the framework published by UNEP-WCMC (Hill et al., 2022) and implemented by The Landbanking Group. The same data supports reporting to NPI, TNFD, SBTN and CSRD (ESRS E4).

DEVELOPING THE MEL STRATEGY WITH

EarthAcre

Nature outcome measurement and direct payments to landowners, Kenya

Wageningen University & Research

Ecological measurement and evaluation design