TerraMatch
The global platform that connects people who grow trees with funders
![](https://files.wri.org/s3fs-public/styles/medium/public/terramatch.jpg?itok=MgSvTA9F)
Are you a project developer or funder interested in joining TerraMatch? Go directly to terramatch.org or reach out to the team.
The world is losing billions of trees every year, endangering the lives of over 3 billion people.
But people are now fighting to restore forests and farms to productivity. Communities, companies, and governments are already investing in growing the right trees in the right places through the global Bonn Challenge, Initiative 20x20 in Latin America and the Caribbean, and AFR100 in Africa.
Building on this decade of on-the-ground expertise, new momentum from initiatives such as Trillion Trees and Mastercard’s Priceless Planet Coalition will inject billions of dollars into rural economies to grow trees during the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. These funders are eager to invest, but they often don’t know which projects are best equipped to receive funding, scale up, and do it right.
People growing trees the right way
We need a system that can help match the people who run vetted tree-growing projects with people who want to fund their work in a simple way, a system that maximizes impact while minimizing risk.
Building on decades of research from WRI, TerraMatch is the global platform, available in English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish, that connects these two worlds. Its unique algorithm pairs funders’ preferences, from geography to type of land and beyond, with vetted projects that get the right trees in the ground.
The goal? Help people and funders grow a trillion trees together.
How does it work?
1. Create a profile
Project developers can create profiles for their tree-growing efforts online or by downloading the iOS or Android apps. They tell TerraMatch who owns the land, how the trees will be grown, and how much funding they need. Expert staff based at WRI vet every user and project.
Funders can also create and advertise their own offers based on their own preferences, from their goals, like water conservation, to their targeted method of restoration, like agroforestry.
2. Identify opportunities
Through TerraMatch’s algorithm, funders can then search for projects that match their preferred criteria. The vetted data on each project profile provides prospective funders with transparent and accurate information to help them make informed decisions.
Project developers can also search for available offers that match their needs, such as funding amount, reporting requirements, and their goals, providing insight into what funders are looking for.
3. Match!
Project developers can connect with funders directly and explore opportunities for investment and collaboration, and funders can keep track of the projects that they have contacted.
Project Types
TerraMatch project developers can grow trees in five ways. To learn more about how to grow trees the right way, read this short explainer.
Vetting
Experts at WRI carefully review each user on TerraMatch and every potential project pitch.
Users must:
- Represent an organization, not be an individual
- Be able to receive international bank transfers
- Be able to report on how they will manage funds and measure progress
For each user, we check:
- That their organization is legally registered
- That the user represents their organization
- That the organization will invest in growing trees
For each project pitch, we check:
- The project’s size and location
- The developer’s right to use the land
- If the developer has already received funding for this project
- The developer’s successes and failures
- Average historical tree survival rates
- For the appropriate planting season
- For invasive species and exotic monoculture plantations
Resources
Read our two-pagers in:
And our handy starter kit that has more information: