Illustrative funder profile

KZN Catchment Restoration Grant Fund

A pooled grant fund that pays to get restoration projects running and ready for later finance: delivery, preparation, baselines and monitoring.

Illustrative · no endorsement

Illustrative, no endorsement. This is not a real organisation and implies no endorsement or commitment by anyone. Modelled on DBSA Green Fund, WWF Nedbank Green Trust, DFFE Working for Water, the Lewis Foundation and SANBI-accessed climate funds, as described in the CSS work.

See this funder's matches Open as a preset in the form

Profile

Every field with its source.

Funding route

Grant (restoration finance facility route)

Illustrative profile

Mandate

Fund delivery and preparation so that restoration projects become ready for outcome, beneficiary or carbon payments.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Geography

KwaZulu-Natal, prioritising the uMngeni and uMkhomazi catchments and strategic water source areas.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final); Strategic Water Source Areas (2017)

Strategic priorities

Alien clearing and follow-up, wetland and river rehabilitation, baselines, monitoring, implementer capacity.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Funding programmes

Two windows: technical assistance (feasibility, baselines, permits, monitoring design) and implementation (delivery, equipment, monitoring systems).

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final); CSS, Financing Options Workshop deck

Typical funding mechanism

Grant, paid in tranches against milestones: approved plan, baseline assessment, hectares treated, workers trained.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Ticket size

Illustrative R1m - R25m per project over 1 - 3 years. Real examples: WWF Nedbank Green Trust up to R3m; DBSA Green Fund up to R25m for preparation.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Historical projects (examples)

uMngeni Water Balance (144 ha cleared); Sappi-WWF uMkhomazi (about 188 ha); Adaptation Fund Greater uMngeni programme (US$7.5m).

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Decision criteria

Strategic fit, environmental benefit, co-funding, scalability, sponsor capacity, data quality.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Legal and regulatory constraints

Will not pay for wages already funded by the partner's main employment programme. Public money ring-fenced by source. Needs audited financials.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final); Caveat Legal review for CSS

Evidence requirements

Activities delivered against plan, expenditure report, site locations, photos. Low monitoring burden.

Sources: CSS, MRV SteerCo deck; CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Budget cycle

Annual allocations and competitive calls.

Sources: CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final)

Priorities

Alien plant clearing and follow-up
Wetland, river and spring rehabilitation
River health monitoring
Baselines and monitoring systems
Implementer capacity

Answers used for matching

The profile written as answers to the matching form. These are the preset's values.

Organisation type: Public and philanthropic grant funder
Sector: Public or development fund
Goals: Restoration projects running and ready for later finance; Better baselines and monitoring
Interests: Alien plant clearing; Springs and wetlands; River health and water quality monitoring; Baselines and monitoring systems; Paid work for unemployed people
Provinces: KwaZulu-Natal
Catchments: uMngeni (U20), uMkhomazi (U10), uMlazi (U60), Mdloti / Tongati (U30), Mooi (V20)
Funding routes: Grant; Technical assistance grant
Ticket size band: R1m - R5m
Timeframe: 1 - 3 years
Evidence it needs: Work locations; Costs; Monitoring

Illustrative profile · KwaZulu-Natal catchments and strategic water source areas

Sources cited

CSS, Jobs for Nature Financing Options report (final) · 30 Sep 2026, circulated 2 Oct 2026
Strategic Water Source Areas (2017) · SANBI BGIS, queried 7 Oct 2026
CSS, Financing Options Workshop deck · 4 Sep 2026
Caveat Legal review for CSS · 27 Jul 2026. A design constraint, not legal advice.
CSS, MRV SteerCo deck · 22-23 Sep 2026