About Charlotte Kaiser
Charlotte Kaiser’s career has spanned the history of impact investing in natural capital. Charlotte built and led NatureVest, TNC’s impact investment team, where she grew the portfolio to over $2.5B in capital invested for conservation impact. She helped launch the two first debt-for-nature swaps; built the first company investing in stormwater retention credits; and has supported innovative public-private collaborations to deliver conservation impact across sectors. Earlier in her career she was a community development banker, working in the policy-mediated markets that drive institutional capital to public goods such as affordable housing and small business lending in low-income communities. A native of Washington, DC, Charlotte lives in Montana after two decades in New York City. She is a graduate of Harvard and Yale.
Select transaction experience
Seychelles Debt-for-Nature Swap
Size: $22M
Structure: First-of its-kind sovereign debt buy-back from the Paris Club financed by The Nature Conservancy. In exchange for the debt relief created by the deal, the Seychelles committed to establishing a 400,000km2 marine protected area in the Indian Ocean.
Role: Oversaw negotiation of terms and transaction structuring.
Belize Debt-for-Nature Swap
Size: $364M
Structure: Refinanced USD 553 million of Belize’s sovereign debt, reducing national debt by roughly 12% of GDP and unlocking an estimated $180 million over 20 years for conservation. Credit enhancement provided by political risk insurance from the US Development Finance Corporation.
Role: Led transaction team.
Cumberland Forest LP
Size: $131M
Structure: Private fund invested in two acquisition companies managing 254,000 acres of working forest across Virginia, Kentucky and Tennessee for carbon, sustainable timber and biodiversity.
Role: Oversaw negotiation of terms and transaction structuring; chaired IC and Board of GP.
Kipeto Wind Farm
Size: $10M
Structure: High-yield mezzanine tranche in existing wind farm developed by IFC and capitalized by DFC debt designed to generate a conservation dividend alongside yield to investors.
Role: Transaction lead on negotiation, structuring, and fundraising.
Africa Conservation & Communities Tourism Fund
Size: $80M
Structure: Equity fund providing bridge financing to tourism operators screened by TNC for commitment to and investment in conservation. Loan terms include covenants requiring best practices in labor, conservation investing, and community engagement. Anchored by German development bank KfW.
Role: Oversaw negotiation of terms and transaction structuring.
Livestock to Markets
Size: $3.5M
Structure: Catalytic loan to start-up social enterprise supporting sustainable grazing practices and providing access to markets among Samburu pastoralist herders in Kenya.
Role: Transaction lead on negotiation and structuring.
Experience across the capital spectrum
Charlotte has structured and executed transaction across the full risk/return spectrum, drawing on investments from a wide range of allocators.
Catalytic PRIs
Mezzanine debt
Venture equity
Sovereign debt
Private equity
Perspective & writing
5 ways sustainable forestry can support climate action, development and biodiversity
(WEF Forum blog, 2024)
Can cutting down trees be good for the climate?
(GIIN lightning talk, 2024)
Burning for the bottom line: Why fire belongs in the timberland management toolkit
(ImpactAlpha op-ed with Cat Burns, 2025)