Luxembourg and GLF turn to AI to connect climate projects with capital
The Government of Luxembourg and the Global Landscapes Forum (GLF) have opened applications for impact funds investing in climate and nature solutions to join the first cohort of Rio Changemakers, an AI-enabled global marketplace designed to connect capital with trusted, locally led projects.
Impact funds are encouraged to apply by 26 September 2026 for priority consideration, with applications being reviewed on a rolling basis. The initiative is seeking established funds as well as first-time and emerging fund managers investing in emerging markets and developing economies.
The call comes ahead of the planned unveiling of the Rio Changemakers minimum viable product (MVP) at the 2026 UN Climate Change Conference (COP31) in Antalya, Türkiye, in November.
The fund-focused call follows the launch of a call for climate and nature projects in late July, bringing both sides of the proposed marketplace into its first cohort.
“The problem is not simply a shortage of capital or credible projects. Investors often struggle to efficiently find, assess and compare suitable opportunities. Rio Changemakers is being built to close that gap, combining AI, science and trusted information while keeping locally-led action at the centre,” said John Colmey, Strategic Adviser and Co-founder of the Global Landscapes Forum and Senior Director at Landscape Alliance.
Funds applying to join the first cohort should invest in climate and nature solutions across emerging markets and developing economies and demonstrate a commitment to locally led action. This includes supporting projects and organizations led by Indigenous Peoples and local communities, women, youth and other grassroots groups.
Additionally, Africa, Asia, the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean have been identified as priority regions for the first cohort.
Selected funds will be among the first organizations to use and shape the platform. They will be able to create fund profiles, test its matching and discovery features and gain early access to a growing pipeline of climate and nature projects seeking finance.
The first cohort will also provide an opportunity for fund managers to influence how information, investment criteria and platform tools are developed. Their feedback will be used to test how opportunities are presented, assessed and matched with suitable financing partners.
“Rio Changemakers is being built with the organizations that will ultimately use it. Bringing funds into this first cohort is essential to ensuring the marketplace reflects how capital is actually deployed and can create stronger pathways between investors and locally-led climate and nature solutions,” said Kamal Prawiranegara, Director of the Global Landscapes Forum.
By bringing projects, funds and investors onto the platform at an early stage, Luxembourg and GLF aim to test how capital can be more efficiently connected with climate and nature opportunities and ensure the marketplace reflects the needs of different participants in the financing ecosystem.
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