Fondo de Inversión Ambiental de El Salvador

Name

Fondo de Inversión Ambiental de El Salvador

Legal name

Fondo de Inversión Ambiental de El Salvador

Website

https://fiaes.org.sv

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Environmental Conservation Financing

NAICS

Administration of Conservation Programs (92412), Administration of Environmental Quality Programs (924), Funds, Trusts, and Other Financial Vehicles (525)

SIC

Federal & Federally-Sponsored Credit Agencies (6111)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYBPADACAH

Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities

Business & Public Services/International Organizations & Development/International Financial Institutions & Development Banks

SECONDARYIMAMAJAK

Ecosystem Services & Natural Capital Programs (Water, Biodiversity Credits, PES)

Industrials, Manufacturing & Construction/Paper & Forest Products/Forest Management, Reforestation & Carbon Forestry Services

Keywords

• Environmental conservation financing
• Debt-for-nature swaps
• Climate change adaptation
• Ecosystem restoration programs
• Watershed management services

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Tecla

HQ country

El Salvador

HQ region

Latin America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Debt-for-Nature Swaps: Original funding originated from debt-for-nature swap agreements with the Government of the United States (1993). Subsequent rounds included agreements for tropical forest conservation (2001), forest and coral reef conservation (2021), and the Lempa River Conservation and Restoration Program (2024). These are bilateral agreements that convert debt obligations into environmental investment commitments.
2. International Climate Finance: Funding from international sources including Green Climate Fund, Green Development Fund, Adaptation Fund, European Union, and bilateral cooperation agencies such as German GIZ. These funds are channeled through national selection processes for environmental projects.
3. Environmental Compensation Funds: Since 2014 (Ministerial Agreement No. 31), FIAES serves as the mechanism for environmental compensation mandated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN). Companies undergoing environmental evaluation can fulfill their compensation obligations through FIAES-administered projects.
4. Bilateral Cooperation: Partnerships with development banks such as BANDESAL for educational and environmental awareness programs, providing non-reimbursable financing for capacity building activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

FIAES is a national environmental investment fund established in 1993 through debt-for-nature swap agreements between the Governments of El Salvador and the United States. It channels grants and technical assistance to implementing partners (NGOs, community associations, local governments) for environmental restoration, reforestation, mangrove restoration, marine turtle conservation, sustainable agriculture, and climate resilience projects across El Salvador's Central American Dry Corridor. It also administers the official environmental compensation mechanism mandated by the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN).

Product overview

FIAES (Fondo de Inversión Ambiental de El Salvador) operates as a national environmental investment fund established in 1993 through bilateral debt-for-nature swap agreements. Rather than a technology product company, FIAES functions as a financing mechanism and project administrator for environmental conservation. The organization manages environmental compensation funds, implements restoration projects, and coordinates conservation programs including the Quelonia marine turtle program, reforestation campaigns (Plantatón), mangrove restoration, sustainable agriculture initiatives, and the Corredor Seco Centroamericano regional program. FIAES also develops educational and awareness platforms including the Tour Verde Virtual digital experience, environmental journalism congresses, film festivals (CIMA), photography exhibitions, and the Revista Mejor Ambiente publication.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Quelonia Program: Marine turtle conservation program developed by FIAES for the protection and reproduction of marine turtle species on Salvadoran coasts, involving local communities and providing economic alternatives.

Products and services

• Compensaciones Ambientales (Environmental Compensation Mechanism)
• Quelonia (Marine Turtle Conservation Program)
• Corredor Seco Centroamericano (Central American Dry Corridor Program)
• Tour Verde Virtual (Virtual Green Tour)
• Revista Mejor Ambiente (Better Environment Magazine)
• Congreso de Periodismo Ambiental (Environmental Journalism Congress)
• Festival de Cine Medioambiental CIMA (Environmental Film Festival)
• Exposición Fotográfica Ambiental (Environmental Photography Exhibition)

Quantifiable outcome

• Restored 58,218+ hectares of forests and mangroves
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered major, core and minor.

• Universidad de El Salvador (UES)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 December 2019National university partnership for environmental training. Cooperated on Environmental Management Diploma program with territorial focus, strengthening technical capacities of implementing organizations.
• Catholic Relief Services (CRS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 April 2019Formal cooperation agreement for ecosystem restoration. Joint focus on agricultural landscapes, water funds governance, capacity building, and environmental journalism training program.
• FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization of the United NationscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Implementing partner for RECLIMA project ($127.7M total investment). FAO serves as accredited entity for Green Climate Fund financing, with FIAES providing counterpart funds and local implementation through territorial network.
• Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2014Government counterpart for environmental policy and regulatory framework. FIAES designated as official mechanism for environmental compensation under Ministerial Agreement No. 31, coordinating compensation projects for companies undergoing environmental evaluation.
• IUCN - International Union for Conservation of NaturemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerGlobal conservation organization. FIAES member of IUCN; joint support for Regional Coastal Biodiversity Project and marine conservation initiatives.
• RedLAC - Red de Fondos Ambientales de Latinoamérica y El CaribemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of Latin American and Caribbean environmental funds. FIAES member providing platform for regional exchange, knowledge sharing, and joint advocacy on climate and biodiversity issues.
• FUNZEL - Fundación Zoológica de El SalvadormajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerZoological foundation executing marine turtle conservation (Quelonia program) with FIAES financing, including egg collection, incubation, and neonate release activities.
• UNES - Unidad Ecológica SalvadoreñamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal environmental NGO partner for mangrove restoration, coastal biodiversity conservation, and community-based conservation governance in Barra de Santiago area.
• AAP - Association Trees and Water for the PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal partner executing conservation and restoration projects in Volcán Chingo protected area, including governance, infrastructure, and fire prevention activities.

Scale indicators15 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Fondo Nacional del Medio Ambiente (FONAMA): Chilean national environmental fund administering financing for conservation and environmental projects. Directly comparable as a national environmental fund in Latin America, channeling public and international capital into ecosystem restoration and climate initiatives through competitive grant processes.
• Fondo Mexicano para la Conservación de la Naturaleza: Mexico's principal environmental fund that channels domestic and international capital into conservation, restoration, and sustainable development projects. Highly comparable as a Latin American national environmental fund operating through grant mechanisms and implementing partners, with similar governance and donor ecosystem.
• Fondo Ambiental del Ecuador: Ecuador's environmental fund mechanism supporting conservation and sustainable development initiatives. Comparable as a Latin American environmental fund with bilateral and multilateral climate finance linkages, administering programs through implementing partners in priority geographies.
• Fondo de Adaptación (Adaptation Fund): International climate adaptation financing mechanism that has funded FIAES projects. Comparable as a financier of climate adaptation initiatives in vulnerable communities, with similar project structures and beneficiary targeting in developing country contexts.

Broad incumbents

• RedLAC - Red de Fondos Ambientales de Latinoamérica y El Caribe: Network of 30+ environmental funds across Latin America and the Caribbean. FIAES is a member; RedLAC provides the institutional framework for peer funds to share knowledge, access joint funding, and coordinate regional environmental finance strategies.
• The Nature Conservancy: Global environmental organization operating conservation programs including debt-for-nature swaps and conservation finance in Latin America. Comparable as a larger-scale institutional player in conservation finance, restoration, and protected-area stewardship overlapping with FIAES's mandate.
• Conservation International: Global environmental NGO operating in over 30 countries including Central America, with significant focus on conservation finance, debt-for-nature swaps, and biodiversity protection. Comparable institutional actor in the same environmental finance space.
• World Wildlife Fund (WWF): Global conservation organization with active programs in Central America including forest restoration, marine turtle conservation, and climate adaptation. Overlapping programmatic footprint with FIAES in El Salvador's conservation areas.

Others

• IUCN - International Union for Conservation of Nature: International conservation network of which FIAES is a member. Comparable as a strategic institutional partner supporting marine and terrestrial biodiversity conservation initiatives in Central America.
• Green Climate Fund: Major multilateral climate fund that committed $35.8M to FIAES's RECLIMA project. Comparable as a primary funder within FIAES's ecosystem, channeling climate finance to national implementing entities across developing countries.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/fiaes_sv
• Facebookfacebook.com/fiaes.sv
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/fiaessv

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Fondo de Inversión Ambiental de El Salvador