Applications Invited for the Lab 2026 Call for Ideas to drive Climate Finance

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About the Organization

The Lab crowdsources, selects, develops, and launches transformative financial solutions to drive billions of dollars of private investment into climate change action in developing countries.

The Lab’s theory of change revolves around the collaboration between public and private sectors, openly sourcing concepts from finance innovators, and a powerful network to move the ideas into action.

About the Grant

The Lab will select and develop eight innovative ideas to drive climate finance in 2026. This cycle will focus on regional programs, designed to draw on local expertise and address the unique financial and climate challenges in target countries.

If your idea is selected by Lab Members, you will work with a team of analysts, key stakeholders, and experts to:

• Develop or refine the mechanics of your idea.
• Survey the market landscape of comparable solutions and assess the idea's viability and impact potential.
• Develop robust financial modeling.
• Assess and document potential social and environmental impacts.
• Map risks and risk mitigation strategies.
• Develop a detailed implementation plan.
• Create promotional content and pitch your ideas to donors and investors.
• Get implementation support to execute go to market strategy.
• USD 150-250k conditional grants for eligible endorsed ideas.

A set of key criteria guides how submitted ideas are assessed and ranked.

• Actionable: The Lab looks for ideas that demonstrate: (1) the involvement of entities able to implement the idea with relevant experience; (2) a clear pathway to implementation, including a defined timeframe, key activities, and project milestones; (3) identification of potential risks to implementation and strategies for dealing with them.
• Catalytic: The catalytic potential is the ability of the idea to mobilize private sources of climate finance. Ideas should demonstrate: (1) the potential for scale-up of private investment in the target market; (2) the ability or potential to replicate in other markets.
• Innovative: Successful Lab ideas demonstrate how the idea addresses barriers to climate finance that have either not yet been addressed or will be addressed more effectively than existing approaches in the market. In essence, the Lab looks for submissions that clearly articulate how the idea submitted is a value-add to other efforts in the space.
• Financially Sustainable: High-quality Lab ideas will have a clear strategy for phasing out public and philanthropic financial support over time and achieving market viability on commercial terms, even if that runway is long in certain cases. They should also identify challenges and risks to attain these objectives and strategies for managing them.
• Value Add: The Lab seeks to offer a significant value-add to the success of the selected ideas and teams, ensuring the capabilities of the Lab team and network complement the proposing team’s capabilities and needs. We look forward to working with teams with sufficient time and a functional governance structure to participate fully in the Lab process.

How to Apply

Applicants must complete an online form (see PDF version for reference).

Deadline: November 9, 2025, at 11:59 PM PST.

Apply

For more information please check the Link

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