Gender and Climate Finance: Closing the Funding Gap

Women and girls are often at the forefront of climate adaptation, community resilience, entrepreneurship, and environmental stewardship. Yet when it comes to climate finance, investment, and decision-making power, significant gaps remain. Despite growing recognition that climate and gender outcomes are deeply interconnected, relatively little climate funding reaches women-led organizations, enterprises, and initiatives, and gender considerations are frequently treated as an afterthought rather than a strategic priority.
This discussion will explore the relationship between climate finance, gender equality, and economic opportunity. Participants will examine how financial systems, development institutions, and climate funding mechanisms can better support women as leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, and agents of change. The conversation will also consider the role of young women in shaping climate solutions, as well as the broader links between gender justice, human rights, financial inclusion, and sustainable development.
At the heart of the discussion is a question of power: who controls resources, who shapes priorities, and whose perspectives are reflected in climate investment decisions? Moving beyond representation alone, participants will explore how funding models, partnerships, and institutions can help unlock more equitable and effective climate outcomes.
As climate finance scales globally, there is growing recognition that inclusion is not simply a social objective but a determinant of impact. Understanding how to close gender gaps in funding, leadership, and opportunity may be essential to achieving both climate and development goals.
Discussion Group Leaders
Ana Steiner is Relationship Manager at The Social Change Nest, supporting grassroots and community-led organizations to strengthen their impact.
Andrea Lenis is Senior Trusts Manager at ActionAid, advancing support for women and girls affected by climate change through global partnerships and funding.
Jessica Pavlos is Head of Development at the Margaret Pyke Trust, advancing the integration of women's rights and health into climate and conservation action.
Malin Rosenkvist is Director of Fundraising and Communications at MicroLoan Foundation, advancing financial inclusion and economic opportunities for women entrepreneurs.
Discussion Questions
Why does a significant gap persist between commitments to gender-responsive climate action and the flow of climate finance to women-led organizations, enterprises, and initiatives?
How can climate finance institutions, investors, and philanthropies better incorporate gender equality into funding decisions without reducing it to a compliance exercise?
What role can young women play in shaping climate solutions, and what barriers continue to limit their access to leadership, capital, and influence?
How can financial inclusion, economic empowerment, and gender justice be integrated into climate strategies in ways that improve both equity and effectiveness?