The Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) supports entrepreneurs in developing countries by providing critical access to financing for climate and clean energy initiatives. PFAN offers free business coaching and investment facilitation, helping early-stage projects in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate adaptation become investment-ready and secure capital.
Founded in 2006 by the UNFCCC and the Climate Technology Initiative (CTI), PFAN is now jointly hosted by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP). With a mission to mobilize private investment, PFAN contributes to the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals by building clean energy markets and supporting projects that mitigate climate change.
PFAN’s Key Offerings:
- Business Coaching: Entrepreneurs receive expert coaching to refine their business plans, making projects attractive and ready for investment.
- Investor Connections: PFAN connects vetted projects with investors, bridging the financing gap for climate solutions in emerging markets.
- Focus on Climate Impact: PFAN works across renewable energy, energy efficiency, and climate resilience, helping develop solutions that drive social and environmental benefits.
Funding Amount
PFAN supports climate and clean energy projects with investment requirements between US$1 million and US$50 million, allowing funds to be disbursed in smaller tranches as needed.
PFAN makes an exception for energy access and rural electrification projects—such as clean cook stoves, solar home systems, and mini—grids—with investment asks ranging from US$500,000 to US$50 million. This investment can also be distributed in smaller tranches based on project needs.
Eligibility
The Private Financing Advisory Network (PFAN) actively supports climate adaptation and clean energy projects across low- and middle-income regions, including Sub-Saharan Africa, Central, South and Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, Eastern Europe, Central America, and the Caribbean. Currently, applications are open for projects in Pakistan and several Caribbean countries.
Eligibility Criteria for PFAN Support: Projects or businesses must:
- Provide climate change adaptation benefits and/or
- Utilize clean energy technologies, products, or services that align with PFAN’s focus areas.
Examples of Eligible projects
- Projects deploying renewable energy or climate change technologies for productive applications.
- Greenfield and brownfield projects, independent power producers, and distributed thermal and electrical energy generation initiatives.
- Operational projects at a small or pilot scale ready for scale-up.
- Initiatives improving energy access for rural and remote areas, including off-grid, mini-grid, thermal energy, and clean cooking solutions.
- Business ventures in clean energy, focusing on technology deployment (downstream) or technology development and commercialization (upstream).
- Mergers, acquisitions, or joint ventures that add value to existing clean energy or technology businesses.
