CC Facility Awards First Research Grant to I&P Ecosystems

We are honored to have been selected as the first-ever recipient of the research grant awarded by the Catalytic Climate Finance Facility (CC Facility) - a joint initiative led by Convergence Blended Finance and the Climate Policy Initiative, and supported by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), the anchor donor of the Learning Hub.

This research grant represents a unique opportunity for I&P Ecosystems to delve deeper into the intersection of gender, climate, and blended finance, particularly in the context of African markets. While these themes have often been treated in silos, we believe it is urgent to explore how they interact in practice - and how financial tools can be designed to address multiple development challenges at once. By combining our field experience, data insights, and research capacity, we aim to generate actionable knowledge that not only fills critical data gaps but also informs more inclusive and climate-resilient investment strategies.

We look forward to contributing meaningful research that serves practitioners, funders, and policymakers across Africa and beyond.

“For the past year, I&P Ecosystems has been carrying out an in-depth analysis of the best investment practices on the continent. We are delighted that the data and insights we have gathered can be used as evidence for the analysis of gender and climate blended finance models and to work with the Learning Hub on this report to lead us collectively to showcase those impactful examples.” Marianne Vidal-Marin, Director of I&P Ecosystems.

I&P Ecosystems, a structure of I&P, brings extensive experience as a blended finance fund manager to assess how blended finance models can act as catalysts in steering investments toward gender and climate-aligned projects. Leveraging its proprietary database of blended finance funds, I&P Ecosystems will build an evidence base on how limited and general partners can effectively leverage blended finance models to drive gender and climate impact while achieving strong financial performance. The focus of the report will be on the African region.

Find out more : 

⇒ Blended Finance and the Gender-Energy Nexus: A Stocktaking Report - This report aims to take stock of current practices in the gender-responsive climate blended finance market, with a focus on energy. 

⇒ Breaking Down Silos: Integrating Gender and Climate Goals in Blended Finance Transactions