New Leaf Climate Partners

What New Leaf Climate Partners does

New Leaf Climate Partners is a strategic investment and advisory firm that operates as the first Nature-Based Development Financial Institution (NDFI), adapting the Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) framework to channel capital into nature-based climate solutions. The firm addresses structural capital gaps in the US reforestation and rural restoration value chain, including a one billion seedling deficit, fragmented conservation finance flows, and limited access to appropriately structured capital for small landowners, nurseries, and rural small businesses. Its core operations span four service lines: investing capital through a family of funds, structuring nature-based transactions, producing market intelligence research, and building regional programs.

The firm's core technology is proprietary research infrastructure, including a Forest Nursery Landscape Assessment database covering 305 relevant nurseries across 15 regions (narrowed from 1,500 national nurseries via fieldwork across 20 states), an SDG-aligned impact framework for the FIR Fund, and place-based conservation finance mapping methodologies. It manages three investment vehicles: the Forest Inputs Resilience (FIR) Fund (a debt vehicle for nurseries and forest input businesses), the Rural Resilience Fund (a community development-oriented loan fund anchored by Edward Jones), and the Nursery Financing Facility (a first-of-its-kind vehicle for seedling supply). Advisory services cover conservation easements, market intelligence, and program design for clients including the US Forest Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, The Nature Conservancy, and the Rockefeller Foundation.

The business model is a hybrid of managed services and professional services. Fund management fees and carried interest on the FIR Fund, Rural Resilience Fund, and Nursery Financing Facility generate one revenue stream, while custom advisory engagements for foundations, government agencies, corporations, and impact investors generate the other. The firm is structured as a Public Benefit Company (LLC), with founding partners Mike Kent, Harry Guinness, and Greg Levin and a team of approximately 8 employees based in New York and San Francisco. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is structured per engagement.

Name

New Leaf Climate Partners

Legal name

New Leaf Climate Partners LLC

Website

https://newleafclimate.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

New Leaf Climate Partners is the first Nature-Based Development Financial Institution (NDFI), a strategic investment and advisory firm channeling capital into nurseries, rural landowners, and small businesses to scale nature-based climate restoration across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Finance and Climate Advisory

NAICS

Support Activities for Forestry (1153), Forest Nurseries and Gathering of Forest Products (113210), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Forestry (800)

akta.pro primary industry

Climate Finance Funds & Green Investment Facilities (BPADACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Climate Change Mitigation & Adaptation (BPAGAGAF), Agroforestry & Perennial Cropping Systems (EUABABAD), Urban & Community Reforestation / Street Tree Planting (AFAMACAL), Forestry & Reforestation (BPAGAGAD)

Keywords

• Conservation finance
• Nature-based solutions
• Reforestation investment
• Rural resilience lending
• Climate advisory services

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Investment Fund Management: Manages investment vehicles (Forest Inputs Resilience Fund, Nursery Financing Facility, Rural Resilience Fund) that provide flexible capital to nurseries, landowners, and restoration businesses. Generates revenue through fund management fees and carried interest.
2. Advisory Services: Provides transaction-level financial expertise for nature-based transactions requiring specialized evaluation, structuring, and blended capital design. Includes market intelligence, program design, and strategic advisory engagements.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

New Leaf Climate Partners is a strategic investment and advisory firm that operates as the first Nature-Based Development Financial Institution (NDFI). It manages a family of investment funds — including the Forest Inputs Resilience (FIR) Fund, Nursery Financing Facility, and Rural Resilience Fund — that channel flexible capital into nurseries, forest input businesses, landowners, and rural communities. The firm also delivers transaction-level advisory, market intelligence research, and program design services for foundations, government agencies, corporations, and investors working on nature-based climate restoration.

Product overview

New Leaf Climate Partners is a strategic investment and advisory firm operating as the first Nature-Based Development Financial Institution (NDFI), modeled on the Community Development Finance Institution (CDFI) framework. The firm offers a portfolio of investment funds including the Forest Inputs Resilience (FIR) Fund, Rural Resilience Fund (RRF), and Nursery Financing Facility (NFF), alongside advisory services for conservation easements, market intelligence, and program design. Key programs include the Main Street Initiative for small business sustainability support, the Restoration Capital Toolbox for capital access, and a marketplace platform connecting nurseries with urban forestry projects. The firm also conducts original research including the US Land Restoration Demand Assessment and Forest Nursery Landscape Assessment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Forest Inputs Resilience (FIR) Fund A dedicated debt vehicle providing flexible, impact-first capital to nurseries and other forest input businesses to finance growth, modernization, working capital, and ownership transitions in the reforestation supply chain. Intended for forest input businesses and nurseries across the United States.
• Rural Resilience Fund (RRF) A community development-oriented loan fund providing flexible, low-cost loan products designed for land-based work timelines and risks, along with technical assistance for rural landowners and small businesses. Anchored by Edward Jones as primary investor.
• Nursery Financing Facility (NFF) A first-of-its-kind investment vehicle using flexible capital — growth capital, working capital, and transition finance — to strengthen and expand the supply of seedlings for reforestation projects. Designed for native plant and tree seedling nurseries.
• Main Street Initiative A collaborative initiative powered by Edward Jones providing small businesses in rural and underserved communities with grants and technical assistance, including financial education, sustainability advising, and business coaching.
• Restoration Capital Toolbox A curated toolbox documenting financing instruments for restoration projects, including research synthesis, advisory group, convening, and early project pipeline — designed for landowners, Resource Conservation Districts, tribal land managers, and conservation nonprofits.
• Wildfire Resilience Carbon Credit Pilot A pilot program testing novel carbon crediting mechanisms to fund wildfire mitigation projects for small landowners in Northern California, aggregating 25 landowners across 2,000 acres of high-burn-probability lands.
• Bella Vista Blue Oak Woodland Restoration A 100-acre pilot project providing landowner assistance for blue oak woodland restoration in Bella Vista, CA, including local forester coordination, project aggregation, plant selection, funding management, and carbon project implementation.
• Conservation Easement Advisory Transaction advisory support for conservation easement deals, including SALC and REPI program support, baseline documentation, easement language review, and capacity building for land trusts such as Ag Land Trust.
• Market Intelligence and Research Services Rigorous research and market intelligence services including the US Land Restoration Demand Assessment, Forest Nursery Landscape Assessment, US Timber Assessment, Agroforestry Seedling Assessment, and custom market analyses for institutional clients.
• Seed Orchard Viability Assessment Strategic and market assessments for seed orchard projects, including demand analysis, financial sustainability review, and risk scenario recommendations.
• Emerging Forest Markets Education Platform A central website (EmergingForestMarkets.com) providing tailored informational packets, agroforestry trainings, market directories, and stakeholder mappings to help historically underserved landowners access emerging forestry markets.
• Conservation Finance Landscape Mapping (Missouri) A comprehensive assessment mapping current conservation finance flows in Missouri, identifying gaps, stakeholder databases, and actionable recommendations for the Missouri Department of Conservation and partners.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fuel reduction treatments reduce high-severity fire prevalence by 88%
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Missouri Department of ConservationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborating to map the current state of conservation finance in Missouri, identifying gaps, needs, and opportunities for financing conservation across forests, farming, grasslands, rivers, and cross-cutting areas including outdoor recreation and community conservation.
• Arbor Day FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-hosted gathering in New York City with impact investors and conservation finance experts to explore strategic investment in nursery infrastructure for large-scale forestry and habitat restoration.
• American Forest FoundationsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to outline how forests and water can anchor credible, cost-effective carbon strategies for corporations looking to reduce operational exposures to physical environmental risks.
• The Nature Conservancy (Missouri)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerBuilding seedling sales and distribution strategy for Minnesota; supporting Farm & Forest Growers Cooperative with local, climate-adapted genetics mapping and new seed collection capacity prioritization.
• The Nature ConservancycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in Missouri Nature Bank CDFI model development; supporting stakeholder outreach and local team building for native grasses and forest restoration with rural landowners and small businesses.
• Fall River Resource Conservation DistrictcoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner coordinating with landowners for wildfire resilience pilot program in Northern California, ensuring forest prescriptions and compliance with carbon and funding protocols.
• Sierra Cascade Land StewardscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal implementation partner for wildfire mitigation carbon crediting pilot, providing forest resilience treatment services and landowner coordination.
• Western Shasta Resource Conservation DistrictsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Northern California wildfire resilience pilot coordinating with landowners on fuel treatment programs.
• Pit Resource Conservation DistrictsecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartner in Northern California wildfire resilience pilot coordinating with landowners on fuel treatment programs.
• Cascade Resource ConsultantssecondaryImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerTechnical partner providing forest management and carbon project expertise for wildfire mitigation pilot program.
• Point Blue Conservation SciencecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead scientific partner for Bella Vista blue oak woodland restoration pilot, providing ecological expertise for 100-acre restoration project targeting 50% overstory canopy cover.
• Ag Land TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransaction advisory client for SALC and REPI conservation easement programs, helping secure millions in grants and manage easements throughout Monterey County, California.
• Sustainable Forestry & African American Land Retention Network (SFLR)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch and content partnership to help historically underserved landowners access emerging forestry markets through tailored informational packets, trainings, and EmergingForestMarkets.com resource hub.
• AsekiasecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emerging forest markets content development for historically underserved landowners, providing expertise and outreach channels.
• Khuba InternationalsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in emerging forest markets resource development, helping translate complex market mechanics for landowner audiences.
• Small Business Empowerment CentercoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMain Street Initiative partner providing business coaching focused on operations, strategy, and small business fundamentals alongside Edward Jones financial education and New Leaf sustainability advising.
• Volgenau Climate InitiativesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEngaged New Leaf to develop Restoration Capital Toolbox, growing out of VCI convening that identified capital access as critical bottleneck to restoration projects.
• Croatan InstitutesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerWorking with New Leaf and broader advisory group (green banks, asset managers, philanthropies) on Restoration Capital Toolbox research synthesis and toolbox development.
• Bat Conservation InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for agave restoration in Arizona and New Mexico under Innovative Finance for National Forests grant, addressing native seedling supply challenges for Gila and Coronado National Forests.
• Forest Business AlliancesecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership for The Resilience Gap research assessing California wildfire fuel treatment needs by income level, mapping socioeconomic disparities in fire-prone areas.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights7 records

Direct peers

• CapShift: CapShift operates as a marketplace and advisory platform connecting institutional investors with impact investment opportunities, including nature-based and climate solutions. NLC's Noveena Padala previously worked at CapShift evaluating impact investment firms, suggesting direct overlap in the climate finance advisory space.
• American Forest Foundation: American Forest Foundation is a nonprofit focused on sustainable forestry, with which New Leaf has a partnership. They work on forest and water-related carbon strategies for corporations, operating in adjacent value chain segments.
• Encourage Capital: Encourage Capital is an impact investment firm focused on environmental and social challenges, particularly nature-based solutions and conservation finance. They manage multiple funds and provide advisory services similar to New Leaf's integrated approach.
• Blue Forest: Blue Forest is a conservation finance nonprofit that develops and manages investment funds for forest restoration and watershed protection. Their Forest Resilience Bond and FIRE Fund directly parallel New Leaf's FIR Fund and NFF in deploying capital to forest restoration value chains.
• Croatan Institute: Croatan Institute is an independent research and advisory organization focused on sustainable finance, including natural capital and impact investing. New Leaf partnered with Croatan on the Restoration Capital Toolbox, demonstrating direct collaboration in the conservation finance ecosystem.
• Quantified Ventures: Quantified Ventures is an environmental impact investment advisory firm that develops and structures outcomes-based financing for nature-based solutions. They are a direct competitor in the nature-based transactions advisory space.
• Conservation Finance Network: Conservation Finance Network is a peer learning network for practitioners deploying innovative finance for conservation outcomes. New Leaf actively participates in their events, making it a direct peer in the conservation finance field.

Broad incumbents

• RSF Social Finance: RSF Social Finance is a nonprofit financial services organization providing loans, grants, and investments to social enterprises. While broader in focus, they operate in the same impact finance ecosystem and provide similar CDFI-style infrastructure.
• Trust for Public Land: Trust for Public Land is a major conservation nonprofit that acquires and manages land for conservation and public access. They provide similar conservation finance and advisory services to government agencies and foundations, competing for some of the same client relationships.
• Climate Asset Management: Climate Asset Management is a large-scale natural capital investment manager backed by HSBC and Pollination, managing significant AUM in nature-based solutions. They compete in adjacent segments and represent a more established incumbent in the natural capital investment space.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/new-leaf-climate-partners

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 New Leaf Climate Partners