Le Lézard
Classified in: Environment
Subjects: Contract/Agreement, Corporate Social Responsibility, Funding

Amazon and USAID Launch Effort to Boost Climate Funding for Women


Amazon and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) are launching a public-private partnership to address the gender inequities that exist for women in the climate finance ecosystem and support female entrepreneurs with the resources they need to accelerate climate change innovations.

Amazon will commit a total of $53 million to help accelerate women's climate solutions, including $3 million toward the USAID partnership and $50 million for Amazon to invest directly in climate tech companies run by women.

Amazon will serve as a founding partner of USAID's Climate Gender Equity Fund, a new climate finance facility designed to remove systemic market barriers that prevent women and girls from accessing climate finance. USAID will also match Amazon's $3 million investment to help launch the fund.

The Climate Gender Equity Fund will have a global focus and provide grants for businesses, NGOs, accelerators, incubators, and grassroots organizations working on women-led climate solutions. It also will fund efforts to help women access the networks and technical skills they need to accelerate the development of their climate change technologies.

As a co-founder of The Climate Pledge, a commitment to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2040, Amazon will work with Pledge signatories and other companies to encourage their additional support and corporate investment in this new fund. The partnership will help advance mutual goals around women's climate leadership and gender equity, including Amazon's sustainability goals, the work of The Climate Pledge, and the Biden administration's National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality.

Additionally, Amazon is allocating $50 million from its Climate Pledge Fund to invest in women-founded and women-led climate tech companies, as well as incubators and accelerators that prioritize women-led entities. The Climate Pledge Fund?Amazon's venture capital program that invests in companies pioneering decarbonizing technologies and solutions?will collaborate with USAID and the Climate Gender Equity Fund to source new investment opportunities and broaden its pipeline of female applicants.

"As an important step in solving climate change, we must address the gender inequalities that persist in climate finance, and ensure female entrepreneurs have an equal seat at the table and access to the funding, networks, and technical support they need to scale climate solutions," said Kara Hurst, vice president of Worldwide Sustainability at Amazon. "We're proud to collaborate with USAID and the Biden administration to help scale women-led climate solutions globally. This is just one part of our broader Climate Pledge goal to reach net-zero carbon by 2040, and we encourage other companies to join us in this effort."

Female-founded companies typically receive a fraction of global venture capital, and that percentage fell during the pandemic. However, research shows that female entrepreneurs are more likely than their male counterparts to innovate to address social needs. Women-led companies also generate more revenue per dollar invested and produce greater ROI for investors.

Amazon has recently taken several additional steps to advance gender equality across its value chain, including:

Learn more about Amazon's sustainability efforts.


These press releases may also interest you

at 11:19
On 29 March 2024, BTR New Material Group Co., Ltd. ("BTR")(835185.BJ), a global leader in battery materials, inked an investment agreement with the Moroccan government to erect a lithium battery ternary cathode material facility in the country. The...

at 10:43
NATSO, representing America's travel plazas and truck stops, and SIGMA: America's Leading Fuel Marketers, issued the following statement in response to the Biden Administration's Heavy-Duty Vehicle Greenhouse Gas Regulations and Standards Final Rule....

at 09:13
The trucking industry says new emission standards for heavy-duty trucks announced today by the Biden Administration have unachievable targets and will carry real consequences for the U.S. supply chain and movement of freight throughout the economy....

at 08:59
American Battery Technology Company (ABTC) , an integrated critical battery materials company that is commercializing its technologies for both primary battery minerals manufacturing and secondary minerals lithium-ion battery recycling, today...

at 08:44
Environmental problems caused by population explosion such as global warming, natural resource depletion, deforestation, water shortage and plastic pollution are getting severe in the world. Regarding plastic pollution, micro-plastics, nano-plastics...

at 08:30
Today, Governor Gavin Newsom joins a team of neighborhood leaders and environmental justice organizations in a series of new ads (Regina, Tianna, Cesar, Nalleli, Community, Governor), to be aired statewide for the Campaign for a Safe and Healthy...



News published on and distributed by: