Acumen Fund, Inc.

Acumen

  • Type International
  • Date of accreditation 19 Mar 2015

The Acumen Fund, Inc. is an impact investment fund with almost 15 years’ experience in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) that serve low-income communities in developing countries primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Acumen has a successful track record in sourcing and executing equity investment opportunities in the clean energy, agriculture and health-care sectors, which provide environmental and livelihood impacts. The results of its activities overlap with the results areas and impacts of the GCF in the areas of reducing carbon dioxide emissions from energy efficient products (appliances); improvements in the livelihoods of vulnerable populations through the provision of improved agricultural inputs, services and information; and increased access to health-care products and services that treat diseases and conditions related to the negative effects of climate change and emissions from polluting fuels. The activities of Acumen, for example, include the distribution of: solar lanterns, solar home systems, smoke-free cook stoves (energy) and formal financial services, such as providing home improvement micro loans for low-income women and families in developing countries in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Leveraging its well-established track record investing in companies via equity and loan instruments, Acumen sought accreditation to the GCF as an opportunity to further assist more people in the low-income communities in which it operates.

  • Size
    • Micro
    • Small
    • Medium
    • Large
  • Environmental and social risk category
    • Category C
    • Category B
    • Category A
    • Intermediation 3
    • Intermediation 2
    • Intermediation 1
  • Fiduciary standards
    • Basic
    • Project management
    • Grant award
    • On-lending/blending:
    • Loan
    • Equity
    • Guarantee
    • Blending

Projects

FP211
Cross-cutting

Multiple countries

Hardest-to-Reach

FP210
Cross-cutting

Multiple countries

KawiSafi II

FP148
Mitigation

Multiple countries

Participation in Energy Access Relief Facility ("EARF")

FP078
Adaptation

Multiple countries

Acumen Resilient Agriculture Fund (ARAF)

FP005
Cross-cutting

Multiple countries

KawiSafi Ventures Fund

Documents

News + Stories

GCF boosts COVID-19 low-carbon energy relief with anchor investment

01 Sep 2021 / Green Climate Fund (GCF) backing has been crucial in an emergency relief fund launched today that shields clean energy companies in developing countries from COVID-19 economic shocks to keep low-carbon trajectories on track. The USD 80 million Energy Access Relief Fund (EARF) has drawn together a unique coalition of financial support for 90 companies in Africa and Asia that have been filling energy access gaps with low-carbon solutions but now face bankruptcy form the COIVD-19 fallout. EARF will keep these companies financially solvent by providing them with short-term loans.

Giving power to the people, minus the emissions

22 Aug 2019 /

Ministers call for successful GCF replenishment at HLPF

15 Jul 2019 / Panellists at the Green Climate Fund (GCF) high-level event at the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in New York recognised the Fund’s critical role in helping developing countries meet their commitments under the Paris Agreement and called for an ambitious GCF replenishment.

GCF and Acumen sign agreement to promote resilient agriculture in East and West Africa

25 Jan 2019 / GCF and Acumen have signed funding agreements which will open up new channels of climate finance to climate resilient agriculture projects in East and West Africa.

Acumen and GCF sign agreement to implement its first approved project proposal, bringing household solar energy to East Africa

04 Aug 2016 / GCF and Acumen Fund today signed an agreement enabling the disbursement of funds to implement the first approved project proposal from Acumen, making it the first GCF project to move to this stage.

Acumen Fund formalises relationship with GCF, its partner for East African distributed solar power

16 Jun 2016 / Acumen Fund, Inc. has become the first GCF private sector accredited entity to formalise its relationship with GCF.

Workshop: GCF supporting direct access entities

03 Sep 2015 / The Green Climate Fund is convening its national and regional accredited entities for four days of training on the Fund’s environmental and social safeguards (ESS) and gender policy at GCF headquarters in Songdo.

Contacts

Ms. Lynn Roland
Primary

General Counsel
Phone +1 (212) 566-8821
lroland@acumen.org
Mr. Samuel Jewett
Secondary

ESG Insights Manager
40 Worth Street, Suite 303, New York, United States
Phone +1(612)505-8006
sjewett@acumen.org