NESsT Extends its Acceleration Work for Indigenous-Led Enterprises in the Amazon Basin, Supported by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation

NESsT and The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation are partnering to consolidate and scale Indigenous peoples and local community (IPLC) enterprises in the Amazon that contribute to the bioeconomy and conserve the environment.

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--NESsT, in partnership with The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, today announces a significant initiative to continue supporting Indigenous entrepreneurship across the Amazon. This effort, also backed by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), aims to amplify the role of Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities (IPLCs) in preserving biodiversity and fostering sustainable economic development through entrepreneurship.

IPLCs play a key role in the stewardship of forests and depend on the biodiverse ecosystem for their livelihoods. In recent years, enterprises led by IPLCs have gained visibility as agents of change. From 2019 to 2023, NESsT catalyzed 29 Indigenous enterprises in the Amazon through a regional project called Amazon Indigenous Rights and Resources (AIRR) in a joint effort with the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in alliance with Indigenous organizations including Coordinadora de la Organizaciones Indígenas de la Cuenca Amazónica (COICA), Asociación Interétnica de Desarrollo de la Selva Peruana (AIDESEP), Organización Nacional de los Pueblos Indígenas de la Amazonia Colombiana (OPIAC), and Confederación de Nacionalidades Indígenas de la Amazonía Ecuatoriana (CONFENIAE).

Since the AIRR project concluded, NESsT has extended its track-record in the region, continuing to engage with key project partners and IPLC organizations that have a deep understanding of the needs of local communities and are crucial to the growth of local businesses to co-create regional and national governance models. By inviting Indigenous leaders to share their expertise in community-led entrepreneurship and territorial governance, NESsT and its partners aim to support IPLC organizations to play a more active role in strengthening existing governance structures, roles, responsibilities, and decision-making mechanisms, thereby increasing their participation in implementing Indigenous economy programs.

Supported by The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, NESsT will provide additional business and financial assistance to a group of IPLC bioeconomy enterprises in the Colombian, Ecuadorian, and Peruvian Amazon. Along with offering tailored financing solutions, NESsT provides these enterprises with technical guidance in areas such as business and operational capacity, and sustainable resource management and utilizes its performance management tool to monitor, measure, and communicate each enterprise's contributions to conservation and social outcomes. With this acceleration support, NESsT seeks to equip the enterprises to meet market requirements and gain access to additional financial resources, while also ensuring that they comply with social and environmental safeguards.

“By supporting NESsT, we aim to equip IPLC-led enterprises in the Amazon with the financial and business resources they need to grow their business and impact. Our collective goal is to strengthen local economies while protecting the region’s vibrant biodiversity and empowering its guardians,” said Maria DiGiano, Program Officer at The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.

“Investments to Indigenous enterprises make a significant impact on the conservation of the Amazon's rich biodiversity and the economic well-being of its Indigenous communities. Our partnership with The Moore Foundation is a testament to our shared commitment to supporting Indigenous entrepreneurship in the Amazon,” said Kirsten Dueck, CEO of NESsT.

For more information about this initiative and its impact on Indigenous entrepreneurship in the Amazon, please visit https://www.nesst.org/amazonia.

About NESsT

NESsT invests in enterprises that create quality jobs for underserved communities while sustaining the planet.

Since its founding in 1997, NESsT has invested over $36M and trained and supported over 35,000 entrepreneurs across 50 countries. It has accelerated and financed 248 enterprises, in total sustaining more than 112,000 formal jobs and improving the lives of 1.7 million people from the most marginalized communities around the world, including smallholder farmers, Black people, Indigenous Peoples, ethnic minorities, the LGBTQIA+ community, migrants and refugees, people with disabilities, women, and youth.

About The Moore Foundation

The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation advances scientific discovery, environmental conservation, and the special character of the San Francisco Bay Area.

Visit moore.org and follow @MooreFound.