MAR+Invest (MAR Fund)

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Enriched International · Found: 2026-03-10 21:45

Initiative to attract commercial capital for reef-positive businesses addressing wastewater and solid waste

Source: https://marfund.org/en/mar-invest/

Funding Details

Funder: MAR Fund / Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR)
Funding Goal: Business development and blended finance facility to unlock private investment in coral conservation in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) ecoregion. Supports development and financing of commercially viable projects that generate coral-positive outcomes, protect marine areas, improve livelihoods of reef-dependent communities, and respond to major shocks.
Funding Amount: GFCR approved more than $30,000,000 USD in total portfolio resources; MAR+Invest pipeline estimated $26.5M in commercial capital leverage
Deadline: Rolling basis (Rolling)
How to Apply: Calls for proposals published on mar-invest.org. Most recent call: 2024 Request for Proposals. Applications reviewed by MARTAF (technical assistance facility). Financing facility managed by New Ventures.
Target Region: Mesoamerican Reef region: Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, Mexico
Contact: Email: info@marfund.org; Website: mar-invest.org
Official Page: https://www.marfund.org/en/mar-invest/
Last Checked: 2026-03-15 13:11

Application Checklist

Eligibility

Project must be located in the Mesoamerican Reef region (Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, or Mexico)

Project Scope

Enterprise or initiative must generate reef-positive environmental outcomes
Project must demonstrate commercial viability or market-based revenue potential
Technical assistance available pre- and post-investment through MARTAF facility
Projects linked to 18 prioritized coastal and marine protected areas (CMPAs) preferred

Required Documents

Apply via calls for proposals on mar-invest.org

Constraints

Financing facility (New Ventures) handles blended capital structuring

Summary

MAR+Invest is a blended finance business development and financing mechanism established by the Mesoamerican Reef Fund (MAR Fund) with support from the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR). The programme's objective is to unlock private and philanthropic investment in coral conservation in the Mesoamerican Reef (MAR) ecoregion — the largest barrier reef system in the Western Hemisphere, spanning Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. Thematic priorities include coral reef conservation and restoration, financial sustainability of marine and coastal protected areas (CMPAs), climate resilience, reef-positive livelihoods, sustainable fisheries, blue carbon, marine tourism, seaweed regenerative ocean farming, and climate-smart agriculture. The programme explicitly links conservation outcomes to commercial market returns. Eligible activities include enterprise incubation and acceleration, investment in reef-positive industries, development of financial instruments that blend public, philanthropic, and private capital, monitoring and evaluation of reef impact, and capacity building for local governments, investors, incubators, and protected area managers. Emergency response to major shocks (e.g., hurricanes, bleaching events) is also funded. Geographic focus is strictly on the Mesoamerican Reef ecoregion: the four countries of Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico. The programme does not extend to other regions. Eligible applicants include businesses, social enterprises, conservation organizations, and community initiatives operating within the MAR ecoregion with proposals demonstrating commercially viable approaches to reef conservation. The technical assistance facility MARTAF (managed by MAR Fund) and the Financing Facility (managed by New Ventures) provide differentiated support at various stages of enterprise development. Target beneficiaries include coastal communities dependent on reef ecosystems, managers of coastal and marine protected areas, and local investors and entrepreneurs. The total GFCR portfolio backing exceeds $30M USD, with MAR+Invest's pipeline estimating $26.5M in commercial capital leverage. Calls for proposals are issued periodically; the most recent was in 2024.

Historical Context

MAR Fund initiated in 2004. GFCR approved preparatory grant in June 2021. Full MAR+Invest programme approved by GFCR Executive Board in March 2022. Programme structured in three phases: inception, consolidation, growth. Part of GFCR's global portfolio alongside Indonesia TeKSI programme.

Why it was added

Round 10 Global South search - GEO7

Sources

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