Question 1

What is the Liberia Conservation Fund (LCF)?

Accepted Answer

The Liberia Conservation Fund is the national conservation trust fund established to provide long-term, sustainable financing for Liberia's protected areas and other conservation priorities. LCF serves as a permanent financial institution that mobilizes, manages, and disburses funds to support biodiversity conservation, climate resilience, and community livelihoods in alignment with national priorities.

Question 2

Is LCF part of the Government of Liberia or Conservation International?

Accepted Answer

No. LCF is an independent legal entity. It is not owned or controlled by the Government of Liberia or Conservation International. At the same time, LCF aligns its work with national priorities and works closely with government and partners to support Liberia's conservation goals. Representation from government and civil society actors sit on the board.

Question 3

How is LCF different from a traditional conservation NGO?

Accepted Answer

LCF is a financing institution, not an implementing NGO. We do not directly run conservation projects. Instead, we mobilize, manage, and disburse funds to government agencies, communities, and civil society partners through transparent, well-governed financial mechanisms designed to operate over the long term.

Question 4

What types of financial mechanisms does LCF use?

Accepted Answer

LCF uses a mix of complementary financial mechanisms: Endowments (invested capital generates annual returns in perpetuity), Sinking funds (time-bound funds for specific conservation needs), Revolving funds (capital advanced and replenished through repayments), and Emerging nature finance mechanisms (carbon finance, biodiversity offsets, extractive sector contributions).

Question 5

How does the East Nimba Nature Reserve Endowment work?

Accepted Answer

The East Nimba Nature Reserve Endowment demonstrates LCF's model in practice. An initial US$1 million investment established a permanent endowment, where annual investment returns finance conservation activities at ENNR while the principal remains intact. This structure delivers predictable, long-term support for the reserve, independent of short-term funding cycles.

Question 6

What makes LCF a strong investment opportunity for donors and partners?

Accepted Answer

LCF offers donors a way to move beyond short-term projects and invest in systems that deliver permanent impact. By pooling resources into professionally managed financial mechanisms, LCF allows partners to support specific sites or themes while benefiting from shared governance, fiduciary oversight, and national coordination. Every US$1 million in endowment capital can generate approximately $50,000 annually for conservation and communities, indefinitely.

Question 7

Can donors earmark their contributions?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Donors can earmark contributions for specific protected areas, ecosystems, or thematic priorities. Each sub-account tracks its own income, investments, and disbursements, while remaining under LCF's collective governance and fiduciary oversight to ensure accountability and alignment with national priorities. Donors, funders, and NGOs can even develop their own sub-funds within the larger endowment for specific projects.

Question 8

Who decides how funds are allocated? How does LCF ensure transparency and accountability?

Accepted Answer

LCF operates under strong governance arrangements, including an independent Board, formal investment and conflict-of-interest policies, external audits, and regular financial and technical reporting. Funding decisions are overseen by the LCF Board of Directors and informed by advisory committees, national conservation priorities, and local input.

Question 9

Is LCF ready to scale?

Accepted Answer

Yes. LCF has demonstrated proof of concept through the ENNR endowment, has an operational governance structure in place, and has begun grant disbursement. The next phase focuses on scaling the model nationally, with an initial fundraising target of $5 million to establish additional funds and mechanisms.

Question 10

How can partners engage with LCF?

Accepted Answer

Partners can engage by capitalizing endowments or sinking funds, co-designing new conservation finance mechanisms, supporting specific protected areas, or collaborating on national systems-building. LCF serves as the landing platform for long-term investment in Liberia's conservation landscape. Please reach out to our Fundraising Consultant Sara Swett at sara@tandaadvisors.com.

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