Chamber of Eco Commerce

Funding Innovation

Financial markets play a critical role in the process of sustainable business practices. Sustainable investment practices offer not only the benefits of reducing economic, environmental, and social risks, but also the potential for businesses and investors to achieve superior financial returns.

We have identified key barriers for business, and created this educational Speaker Series to help all size businesses overcome financial barriers. The speakers provide relevant input and catalyze further important dialogue on the issue of 'Financing Resilience for Business'.

To boost knowledge transfer and to build capacity, we provide access to critical information and qualified contacts. We share information about loans, guarantees, co-guarantees, counter-guarantees, equity guarantees, credit, foreign direct investment, export‑credit insurance, lease, securitization, venture capital, angel investment, matching fund, transfer fund, crowdfunding, barter, microfinance, insurance and more.

We help investors to find projects and engage investors with enterprises, organizations and communities around partner projects by region.

We bring together individuals and organizations in a way that does not require a large investment of funds and time. By pooling our contacts and resources, we can find new opportunities and develop unique financial instruments and tools to bring innovations to market in a quick and efficient manner. Together, we can overcome market penetration challenges and remove barriers accelerating access to funding, markets, and government approval process.

We are a network of capital industry and business executives, entrepreneurs, and values-based investors and donors. A catalyst for the development of the Eco Commerce capital industry through investments in innovation. A network of regional gateways for leaders and learners in Eco Commerce.

Stimulate investment in Eco Innovation. Deliver a deal flow, sector specific portfolios of highly qualified innovations, to values-based investors.Improve and accelerate access to much needed capital. Provide hands-on advisory services to business executives, entrepreneurs, and investors. Act as an aggregator, leading the global efforts in developing unique partner programs, investment strategies, financial instruments, and regional funds that will meet specific requirements of all stakeholders.

Impact Investing

Investment approach that aims to proactively create positive social and environmental impact against an acceptable risk-adjusted financial return. This requires the management of social and environmental performance (in addition to financial risk and return). With impact investing “impact” comes first, whereas with sustainable investing “financial returns” come first.

Responsible Investing

Investment approach that integrates consideration of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues into investment decision-making and ownership practices, and thereby improve long-term returns to beneficiaries. Source: UN PRI NB: in this paper “sustainable investing” and “responsible investing” are used as synonyms

Socially Responsible Investing (SRI)

Socially responsible investing, an area often affiliated with the retail financial sector, incorporates ESG issues as well as criteria linked to a values-based approach. For example, it can involve the application of pre-determined social or environmental values to investment selection. Investors may choose to exclude or select particular companies or sectors because of their impact on the environment or stakeholders. Negative screening (such as weapons exclusions) and positive screening (such as Best-in-Class or thematic approaches) typically fall in the remit of such investments.

Sustainable Investing

Investment approach that integrates long-term environmental, social, and governance (ESG) criteria into investment and ownership decision-making with the objective of generating superior risk-adjusted financial returns. These extra-financial criteria are used alongside traditional financial criteria such as cash flow and price-to-earnings ratios.

Social Venture Capital Investing

Is a form of venture capital investing that provides capital to businesses deemed socially and environmentally responsible. These investments are intended to both provide attractive returns to investors and to provide market-based solutions to social and environmental issues. Social venture capital can refer to debt or equity investments in socially-oriented enterprises, which includes BoP (Base of the Pyramid)-targeted efforts to stimulate economic development in the poorest regions of the world.

Microfinance

Insurance

Loans & Grants

U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) provides low-interest, long-term loans for physical and economic damage caused by a declared disaster. Learn more about home and personal property, business and economic injury loans.

Business Physical Disaster Loans

Economic Injury Disaster Loan

Military Reservists Economic Injury Loan

Small Business Loans

Surety Bonds

Small Business Investment Company (SBIC)

Grants

Venture Capital

Emergency Preparedness

For small business owners, being prepared can mean staying in business following a disaster. Explore the resources that can help you develop an emergency preparedness and disaster relief plan.

Disaster Assistance

Emergency Preparedness

Disaster Planning

Disaster Cleanup

Disaster Recovery Plan

State Government Information

Green Business Guide

There’s a new focus on environmental responsibility, and as a small business owner, you can make a difference. Help protect our ecosystem and serve your customers who value your environmental efforts.

Green Marketing

Green Business Case Studies

Green Business Practices

Green Certification and Ecolabeling

Environmental Grants & Loans

Use the links below to help find financial resources to pay for energy efficient upgrades to your facilities, to finance your business’s innovative environmental products and technologies and to support your environmentally friendly business.

Department of Energy Grants and Loans

The Department of Energy provides many funding opportunities including:

Loan Programs

Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy grant programs

Office of Science Grants and Contracts

Environmental Protection Agency Grants

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has several grant programs, many of which are listed on this site. In addition, links to several specific programs are provided below:

Brownfields Grants for redeveloping formerly polluted real estate

Green Building Grants

Integrated Pest Management Grants

National Center for Environmental Research

National Science Foundation (NSF) Grants

Environmental Engineering

Environmental Sustainability

Energy for Sustainability

Small Business Innovation Grants

A few federal programs provide grants to small firms engaged in scientific research and development (R&D). The federal government's SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) and STTR (Small Business Technology Transfer) programs award a specific percentage of federal R&D funds to qualified small businesses. SBIR/STTR programs encourage small firms to undertake scientific research that helps meet federal R&D objectives, and have high potential for commercialization if successful.

The following federal agencies award SBIR/STTR grants:

Department of Agriculture (USDA)

Department of Defense

Department of Education

Department of Energy

Department of Health and Human Services

Department of Transportation

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

National Science Foundation