In response to the growing challenges of climate uncertainty, policy complexity, and funding delays and constraints, groups such as Coalitions & Collaboratives (COCO) and Blue Forest have launched bridge financing solutions to support community-based action focused on improving watershed health, forest resilience, and wildfire mitigation. 

These solutions address one of the most persistent barriers to project implementation: reimbursement-based funding, which often requires those doing the work to front large sums of capital before being repaid. Whether projects are ultimately paid for through reimbursement-based grants or beneficiary payments, this funding gap slows and can stall critical work. This session will explore several bridge financing mechanisms, including 1) COCO’s Forest & Water Renewal Revolving Fund, focused on providing early-stage bridge financing to small and mid-sized organizations that lack access to the upfront capital needed can accelerate on-the-ground action; 2) Blue Forest’s Forest Resilience Bond, an innovative public-private partnership that quantifies ecosystem benefits to add new revenue streams and provide upfront capital to finance project costs. These bridge financing tools leverage private capital to accelerate and increase the impact of public investments.

The discussion will reflect on how these initiatives represent a promising path forward and solutions long overdue in the sector, while also acknowledging that they are unfolding against a backdrop of shifting policy and recent federal funding cuts, which add a layer of uncertainty to long-term planning.

The discussion aligns with the conference’s theme, 20 Years of Community and Hope, by spotlighting adaptive financial tools designed to empower community action in uncertain times. Panelists will highlight"what’s working and what’s next" within these practical, scalable models that blend public investment, philanthropic capital, and private sector investments to meet urgent environmental needs. Panelists will share insights from the private sector, lessons from the pilot design process, and the perspectives from on-the-ground practitioners who can use this funding. In doing so, we aim to inspire collaboration, illuminate new pathways for resilience financing, and demonstrate that with the right tools, hope and action can scale together.

Existing organizations lead projects in the Eagle River Valley, but lack sufficient resources to and scale efforts. Pursuing solutions to this challenge introduces questions and options of all kinds, and it can be unclear how to proceed, especially because particulars of place and limited capacity contribute even more complexity. During the process of launching the Eagle River Fund, the Eagle River Coalition is learning from other organizations’ efforts, exploring non-traditional methods, and taking (calculated) risks to create secure funding for its river. 

This presentation directly highlights themes of Adapting in Uncertain Times, What’s Working and What’s Next, and Unlikely Partnerships. It also touches on themes of Community, Collaboration & Self-Care and Forward-Thinking Approaches to Watershed Management.