Your foundation's mission is environmental. Your grantmaking funds conservation, restoration, and climate work. But your endowment? It's invested in the same index funds as everyone else.
You've looked at the options. ESG funds that tilt toward less-bad companies. Impact investments that promise returns and impact but often deliver neither at scale. Direct land purchases that lock up capital and require management expertise you don't have.
There's a gap between what you fund and what you invest in. And it's not for lack of wanting.
the endowment alignment problem
Environmental foundations face a structural contradiction:
| Activity | Typical Approach |
|---|---|
| Grantmaking | Fund conservation, restoration, climate solutions |
| Endowment | Invest in conventional equities, bonds, alternatives |
The endowment often includes exposure to the very industries the grantmaking opposes. Even "responsible" allocations tend toward:
- ESG-screened funds that exclude the worst actors but don't fund nature
- Green bonds that fund corporate projects, not ecosystems
- Impact investments with long lockups and uncertain outcomes
- Timber and farmland that require operational expertise
What was missing—until now: liquid, institutional-grade instruments that directly fund natural capital.
why traditional options fall short
| Option | Limitation |
|---|---|
| ESG funds | Negative screening, not positive nature exposure |
| Green bonds | Use-of-proceeds reporting, not verified outcomes |
| Carbon credits | Stacking fragmentation, verification concerns, illiquid |
| Conservation land | Illiquid, management-intensive, concentrated risk |
| Timber REITs | Commodity exposure, not conservation outcomes |
| Impact PE/VC | Long lockups, J-curve, uncertain exits |
Foundations want:
- Liquidity for rebalancing and spending policy
- Diversification across geographies and ecosystem types
- Verified outcomes, not just use-of-proceeds
- Returns that support the spending rate
- Alignment with mission at the asset level
Until now, no instrument delivered all of this. Now one exists.
ensurance instruments for endowments
Ensurance creates a new asset class: instruments backed by real natural capital with verified ecological outcomes.
general ensurance coins
General ensurance coins like $ENSURE are liquid, tradable instruments that fund ecosystem protection across the protocol.
| Characteristic | What It Means for Endowments |
|---|---|
| Liquid | Trade anytime, rebalance as needed |
| Diversified | Exposure across 15 ecosystem types, 19 services |
| Tradable | Active markets, price discovery |
| Mission-aligned | Every trade funds natural capital protection |
| Transparent | Onchain tracking of all fund flows |
Coins provide broad natural capital exposure without the illiquidity of direct land ownership. Trading activity generates proceeds that flow to designated beneficiaries.
specific ensurance certificates
Specific certificates are tied to individual natural assets — named places you can visit.
| Characteristic | What It Means for Endowments |
|---|---|
| Place-based | Specific watersheds, forests, wetlands |
| Yield-bearing | Ongoing returns from protocol rewards |
| Verified outcomes | MRV documentation of ecological health |
| Story-ready | Report on specific assets to board and donors |
| Tradable | Secondary market liquidity |
Certificates turn cost into investment — they're tradable and yield-bearing, providing ongoing returns while funding specific natural assets.
portfolio construction
A foundation endowment might allocate:
| Allocation | Instrument | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 60% | General ensurance coins | Broad, liquid natural capital exposure |
| 30% | Specific certificates | Targeted allocation to priority ecosystems |
| 10% | Agents/syndicates | Direct participation in stewardship |
This provides diversification, liquidity, yield, and mission alignment — the combination traditional options couldn't deliver.
PRI-eligible natural capital strategies
For foundations that make program-related investments (PRIs), ensurance offers structured opportunities beyond traditional grants:
PRIs as underwriters
The most powerful PRI application: invest directly into natural asset acquisition as an underwriter.
| Component | How It Works |
|---|---|
| Investment | PRI capital funds natural asset acquisition or restoration |
| Security | Investment is secured by the real asset itself |
| Repayment | Ensurance premiums fund repayment over the policy period |
| Exit | At policy end, natural asset moves to ENTRUST (permanent protection) |
This isn't a grant that disappears. It's a secured investment with a clear repayment mechanism and a defined outcome: permanence.
other PRI structures
- Below-market certificates — Concessionary terms for priority conservation
- Syndicate participation — Catalytic capital for restoration projects
- Agent funding — Support ongoing stewardship of protected lands
PRIs through ensurance count toward payout requirements while building the natural capital infrastructure that supports your grantmaking.
how to get started
for investment committees
- Review current exposure — What natural capital exposure (if any) exists in your portfolio?
- Define allocation target — What percentage should align with environmental mission?
- Select instruments — Coins for broad exposure, certificates for targeted allocation
- Establish custody — Ensurance instruments are standard ERC-20/ERC-1155 tokens
- Integrate reporting — Onchain data feeds into impact reporting
for program staff
- Identify synergies — Which grantees work in areas where certificates exist?
- Coordinate funding — Grants + endowment investment in the same ecosystems
- Leverage MRV — Shared monitoring across grant and investment activities
for boards
- Understand the instruments — Coins, certificates, agents, proceeds
- Approve policy — Natural capital allocation within investment policy statement
- Monitor outcomes — Ecological and financial performance together
existing instruments are available now
No lead time. No development period. Invest today.
- General ensurance coins — tradable now, liquid natural capital exposure
- Specific certificates — place-based, yield-bearing, verifiable
- Agents — direct participation in stewardship coordination
- Markets — live trading, immediate participation
frequently asked questions
what's the expected return?
Returns come from protocol activity (trading fees, proceeds distribution) and potential appreciation. Like any emerging asset class, returns are uncertain but the underlying value is real natural capital with measurable ecological production.
how do we custody these assets?
Ensurance instruments are standard Ethereum tokens. Any institutional crypto custody solution works. We can recommend custodians experienced with foundations.
is this appropriate for a perpetual endowment?
Yes. The instruments are designed for long-term holding. Proceeds and yields support spending policy. The underlying assets — ecosystems — are inherently long-duration.
how do we report this to the IRS?
Ensurance instruments are treated as property for tax purposes. Consult your tax advisor for specifics on your foundation's situation. We can provide transaction records and valuation data.
can we make grants in ensurance instruments?
Yes. You can grant coins, certificates, or fund agents directly. Some foundations are exploring grants that include both cash and ensurance instruments.
what if the crypto market declines?
Ensurance instruments have value from underlying natural capital, not just crypto market sentiment. In a broad crypto decline, natural capital exposure may actually provide diversification benefit.
the bottom line
Your foundation exists to protect nature. Your endowment should too.
For decades, there was no way to invest in nature at institutional scale without buying land. That's changed. Ensurance creates liquid, diversified instruments backed by real natural capital — with certificates that are yield-bearing and tradable, turning what was once cost into investment.
The alignment gap between your mission and your endowment can finally close.
related reading:
- what is ensurance? — the fundamentals
- how to fund conservation for 512 years — the proceeds mechanism
- nature finance: what's working and what's missing — the landscape