Indigenous-led enterprises in the Amazon are building livelihoods in ways that keep forests standing, drawing on knowledge that has guided life in relation to nature for generations. In the Ecuadorian Amazon, Kichwa-led organization Ruku Kawsay is just one example of how this works in practice, ensuring stronger livelihoods and a standing forest through the traditional Amazonian farming system known as “chakra”.
NESsT is recognized by the Ministry of the Environment in Peru (MINAM), alongside a group of impact investors and organizations that drive biodiversity-based solutions in Peru.
We’re delighted to release the NESsT 2025 Annual Report, highlighting a year defined by far-reaching impact and transformative growth. For nearly three decades, NESsT has worked at the nexus of people, profit, and the planet. In 2025, we reached a milestone that speaks to this mission: since its founding, NESsT has positively impacted the lives of over 4.7 million people from communities around the world.
Cooperativa Agraria Cafetalera Santa Ana is a coffee cooperative in Perené, Junín that works with around 170 coffee farmers, nearly half women who are heads of their households and over half are over the age of 45.
Impact investing trailblazer ImpactAssets has named NESsT to the 2026 IA 50 Fund Managers list, a publicly available database that highlights fund managers delivering demonstrable social and environmental impact, setting the standard for uncovering opportunities across private markets. This is the fourth time NESsT has been included in the IA 50, first as an Emerging Manager in 2022, 2023, and 2024.
The NESsT Fund loan will increase Kulkao’s organic production capacity and improve the yield of more than 1,000 smallholder farmers living in the Peruvian rainforest, expanding the income possibilities for local indigenous communities in the buffer zone of the Cordillera Azul National Park, which covers more than 1.5 million hectares of land.
As spring emerges in the southern hemisphere, the NESsT Fund is actively looking for additional companies that want to raise debt capital in the $50K - $500K range. The Call for Applications, active as of October 2019, aims to select 5-10 investment companies in the next two months to offer debt funds.
