Shell Foundation

📈 Better incomes for smallholder dairy farmers start with stronger value chains. Across Maharashtra, our partnership with Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) and Govind Dairy is helping farmers improve milk quality, strengthen animal health and access more rewarding markets, enabling them to capture more value from every litre they produce. 🎥 Watch how this partnership is helping strengthen dairy farming in rural India. #SmallholderFarmers #InclusiveGrowth #FoodSystems #India

🥛 Every litre of milk has value. Too many farmers struggle to capture it. That's why Shell Foundation is partnering with Collectives for Integrated Livelihood Initiatives (CInI) and Govind Dairy to help smallholder dairy farmers in Maharashtra access premium markets, improve milk quality and increase their incomes. Across rural India, limited access to cooling infrastructure and formal markets often prevents smallholder dairy farmers from securing the best prices for their milk. By expanding village-level milk chilling, quality testing, and digital traceability, the partnership is helping farmers improve milk quality, strengthen market access, and capture more value from every litre they produce. This partnership reflects Shell Foundation's wider commitment to building inclusive, climate-smart agricultural value chains that enable smallholder farmers to raise their incomes while lowering emissions. 🔗 Read more: shellfoundation.org/press-release/… #SmallholderFarmers #InclusiveGrowth #FoodSystems

⚡In emerging markets, scaling e-mobility is closely tied to the ecosystems that support clean mobility businesses to grow sustainably. Ghana’s latest EV charging market study is a useful reminder of this. While infrastructure remains a key constraint, the long-term viability of clean mobility markets is also shaped by financing conditions, utilisation rates and business models suited to local realities. This is why accelerating clean mobility requires a broader market-building lens. Supporting the transition is not only about expanding access to technology, but also about helping businesses address the structural constraints that can slow adoption or limit commercial viability. Through partnerships such as our work with @WeAreKofa and @AmpersandEnergy, supported by the UK Government via the @FCDOGovUK, Shell Foundation supports approaches designed around the realities of urban transport markets, with the aim of helping build the conditions for viable clean mobility ecosystems to emerge over time. #EMobility #EnergyTransition #InclusiveGrowth

🚛 As electric freight expands across India, ensuring drivers benefit from the transition will be critical to its long-term success. Our latest report with @SmartFreightCtr explores how more inclusive financing models can help unlock that opportunity. Drawing on insights from more than 1,500 freight drivers across 11 states, the study examines how electric vehicles are reshaping livelihoods and what it will take to improve incomes while accelerating freight decarbonisation. The findings show that drivers operating electric vehicles can earn around 25% more than in their previous occupations. They also highlight the importance of affordable finance, predictable demand and practical pathways to vehicle ownership in making electric freight accessible to more people. Building a cleaner freight sector means creating economic opportunities for the people who keep supply chains moving every day. Read the full report: shellfoundation.org/press-release/… #ElectricMobility #InclusiveGrowth #SustainableTransport #India

Excited to join Catalyst Fund’s $30M second close, backing climate resilience founders across Africa. Looking forward to supporting the next generation of solutions in this space with @TheCatalystFund. Read more: shellfoundation.org/press-release/…

🌍 What do today's global shocks reveal about where capital should flow? This was the central question discussed during a private dinner co-hosted by Shell Foundation and @500GlobalVC at London Climate Action Week. While economic, geopolitical and climate shocks continue to create uncertainty, the conversation highlighted an important point: they can also reveal where demand is strongest and where investment can have the greatest impact. 🔹 Electric mobility 🔹 Productive use of energy 🔹 Sustainable cooling 🔹 Climate-smart agriculture 🔹 Heat resilience Across these sectors, the message was consistent: many of the solutions already exist. The challenge is ensuring that capital, partnerships and policy can move quickly enough to help them scale. The discussion also reinforced that no single type of capital can do this alone. Philanthropy, public funding and commercial investment each have a role to play in reducing risk and unlocking growth. Thank you to everyone who joined us for a thoughtful discussion. #LCAW #ClimateFinance #InclusiveGrowth

🌡️ As extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, strengthening heat resilience is becoming an urgent priority. During @london_climate, Shell Foundation is pleased to co-host a private roundtable with K.M. Dastur & Company UK, bringing together leaders from across philanthropy, finance, technology, research and implementation to explore how collaboration can accelerate practical solutions to this growing challenge. The discussion will focus on identifying key gaps, opportunities for partnership and promising approaches that can help communities and businesses better adapt to rising temperatures while protecting health, productivity and livelihoods. By convening diverse perspectives under the Chatham House Rule, we hope to foster an open exchange of ideas and strengthen collective action around one of the defining climate risks of our time. Details here: shellfoundation.org/event/roundtab… #LCAW #HeatResilience #ClimateAdaptation #Partnerships

🌍Building income resilience takes more than investment. It takes partners willing to coordinate around what's already proven to work. As part of London Climate Action Week, Shell Foundation is pleased to co-host a private dinner with @500GlobalVC, bringing together leaders from across investment, philanthropy and entrepreneurship to explore how proven approaches can reach scale faster. Against a backdrop of growing economic and geopolitical uncertainty, discussions will focus on where evidence already exists, which business models are ready to grow, and how partnerships can help strengthen incomes and resilience for households and small businesses. We look forward to an open exchange of ideas and practical insights. #LCAW #ClimateFinance #InclusiveGrowth #Partnerships

👩🏾‍🍳 For many women running food businesses, every minute saved can mean another customer served. That is one of the key findings from our latest briefing paper on commercial eCooking in Kenya and Tanzania. Developed by the Modern Energy Cooking Services (MECS) Programme at @lborouniversity, the study forms part of a Results-Based Financing programme led by Shell Foundation, @OdysseyEnergyS and @CrossBoundary Advisory, and funded by the UK Foreign, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (@FCDOGovUK). Drawing on evidence from nearly 400 women-led businesses, it shows that induction cookstoves are being adopted first and foremost as productivity tools. Faster cooking translates into shorter waiting times, higher throughput and, in many cases, increased sales. The research also highlights an important lesson: successful adoption depends on more than the technology itself. PayGo financing, hands-on training and delivery models tailored to the realities of small businesses all play a critical role. At Shell Foundation, we believe that understanding how productive assets improve livelihoods is essential to designing solutions that can scale. Read the full briefing to explore what these findings mean for the future of productive uses of energy: shellfoundation.org/news/the-overl… #CleanCooking #WomensEmpowerment #EnergyAccess #InclusiveGrowth

🌍 How do we turn public funding into scalable clean energy solutions? On the sidelines of London Climate Action Week, the Ayrton Forum brings together partners working to answer that question. Through its long-standing partnership with the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (@FCDOGovUK), Shell Foundation works within the @ayrton_fund as a delivery and co-funding partner, helping design, fund and implement initiatives such as Transforming Energy Access, TIME, CASEE and RIDE. By combining catalytic funding with venture support and market-building expertise, these initiatives help promising businesses scale solutions that expand access to clean energy while strengthening incomes and livelihoods. We look forward to sharing lessons learned and discussing how partnerships can translate innovation into lasting impact. #LondonClimateActionWeek #AyrtonForum #CleanEnergy #ClimateInnovation #Partnerships

🌍 What if Africa’s green transition became one of its biggest job creation opportunities? The new report Unlocking Africa’s Green Transition: Opportunities Towards a Green and Inclusive Workforce, published by FSD Africa, Shell Foundation and Shortlist, with support from the UK Government through the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the Transforming Energy Access (TEA) platform, finds that Africa’s green transition could create up to 84 million jobs by 2050. But unlocking this potential will require more than investing in green technologies. It will require investing in the people behind them. The report finds that sectors such as clean cooking, distributed solar, waste recycling and electric mobility could create millions of livelihoods across the continent. Yet 86% of green jobs projected for 2030 are expected to be informal, highlighting the need to strengthen skills development and workforce systems. At Shell Foundation, we believe the green transition should not only lower emissions, but also raise incomes and create more resilient economic opportunities for underserved communities. We’re proud to have contributed to this research and hope it helps inform the policies, partnerships and investments needed to build a greener and more inclusive future for Africa. Read the full report: shellfoundation.org/press-release/… #GreenJobs #Africa #CleanEnergy #InclusiveGrowth #ClimateAction

⚡ One of the biggest blind spots in the green transition? Energy access is measured through connections made, systems deployed, or households reached. Not the opportunity it creates for people. Across India, Kenya and Nigeria, millions of small businesses rely on energy to earn a living but access alone is not enough. When energy is used productively, it can drive meaningful economic opportunity for low-income entrepreneurs. We find that PUE technologies, from refrigeration and cooking to textiles and digital tools, are already boosting productivity and income. For example, microenterprises adopting these solutions often see measurable income gains, highlighting their potential to transform livelihoods at scale. However, adoption remains slower than it should be. Suppliers face persistent barriers, including high upfront costs, limited access to finance, fragmented markets, and low consumer awareness, all of which make it harder to reach the businesses that would benefit most. The report sets out a clear agenda for scaling impact: 🔹 Expanding access to tailored finance for both suppliers and end users. 🔹 Strengthening last-mile distribution and market linkages. 🔹 Investing in consumer awareness and business support. 🔹 Addressing structural and gender-specific barriers to adoption. Productive use of energy has a critical role to play in turning energy access into income growth particularly for women-led businesses, who represent a large share of this market 📄 Read the full report: shellfoundation.org/news/exploring… #EnergyAccess #Africa #InclusiveGrowth #ProductiveUse #EnergyTransition #Entrepreneurship

🛵 Around 30 million people across Africa rely on two- and three-wheelers to earn a living. Today, fewer than 200,000 of those vehicles are electric. In partnership with @KineticgreenEV, we are launching a new initiative to pilot and adapt electric two- and three-wheelers for African markets. For many transporters, a vehicle is one of their most important productive assets. Expanding access to electric vehicles that are affordable, durable and suited to local operating conditions could help strengthen livelihoods while lowering emissions. Through multi-country pilots, we will test how electric vehicles perform in African markets and generate practical learning on the charging and service infrastructure needed to support adoption at scale. Supported by catalytic funding from Shell Foundation and the UK Government through @FCDOGovUK's RIDE programme and the @TEAEnergyAccess (TEA) platform, the initiative aims to generate evidence that can help inform the future of electric mobility across African transport systems. Read more: shellfoundation.org/press-release/… #EMobility #Africa #Transport #InclusiveGrowth

🎙️ #WEBINAR | How can clean energy investments deliver stronger economic outcomes for women? On 4 June, Caribou, Value for Women and Shell Foundation will host a webinar exploring the growing evidence behind the gender-clean energy nexus and what it means for investment design. Drawing on a synthesis of 115 studies and new financial modelling across 15 clean energy assets, the session will examine how financing structures, local context and bundled support models can significantly shape outcomes for women. The discussion will also explore: - The links between clean energy and women’s livelihoods - The impact of combining energy access with finance, training and market access - Why the same asset can generate strong returns or net losses depending on financing terms and local realities - Five key factors shaping gender-responsive investment design The session will feature speakers from Gates Foundation, Acumen, SunCulture and Koolboks, followed by a live Q&A. 🗓️ 4 June 2026 ⏰ 2pm GMT / 9am EST 📍 Virtual webinar Register here: shellfoundation.org/event/webinar-… #GenderLens #ClimateFinance #EnergyAccess

🌍 For philanthropy to drive systemic change at scale, it needs to take on roles outside its comfort zone. At the Philanthropy Asia Summit, our CEO Jonathan Berman joined The Philanthropic Agenda panel to discuss how philanthropy can help unlock larger pools of capital for inclusive impact. Philanthropy is well positioned to pilot and prove new approaches. But few organisations are structured to help those solutions reach scale. At Shell Foundation, this often means taking early risks that commercial actors cannot yet justify, helping to demonstrate viability, reduce uncertainty and build confidence in emerging markets. This approach has helped unlock financing across sectors where perceived risk remains a barrier. In India, for example, early catalytic support helped reduce barriers to financing electric two- and three-wheel vehicles at a time when lenders lacked repayment data and confidence in the market. 🎥 Watch Jonathan’s full intervention below. #Philanthropy #CatalyticCapital #InclusiveGrowth #SystemsChange

🌍 This week, Shell Foundation is at the Africa CEO Forum in Kigali, one of the continent’s leading gatherings bringing together business leaders, investors, policymakers and entrepreneurs to shape Africa’s economic future. As discussions focus on growth, competitiveness and private sector development, one question remains central: how do we help more high-potential ventures move beyond early traction and scale sustainably? For Shell Foundation, this is where practical conversations matter. Across African markets, promising businesses are already building solutions that respond to real challenges, from energy access to productivity and livelihoods. But scaling them requires more than innovation alone. It requires the right financing, stronger partnerships, and business models designed for the realities of the markets they serve. Looking forward to exchanging with founders, investors and ecosystem partners in Kigali on what it takes to turn promising ventures into scalable impact. #AfricaCEOForum #Entrepreneurship #Startups #ImpactInvesting #InclusiveEconomy