Issued by:
Carolinian Canada Coalition
Date: December 11th, 2025
Contact:
Jo Reynolds, Impact Investment Manager
jo.reynolds@carolinian.org
- Overview
Carolinian Canada invites proposals from qualified consultants or organizations to conduct a third-party verification of the pay-for-success outcome of the Long-Point Conservation Impact Bond (LCIB II).
The verification will confirm the achievement of 100 hectares of enhanced healthy landscapes and provide a concise report that strengthens trust, transparency, and relational accountability within the CIB partnership network.
Preference is given to Indigenous professionals who work locally or in proximity to the region.
2. About the Conservation Impact Bond (CIB)
The Conservation Impact Bond (CIB) is an award-winning, place-based outcomes finance model recognized with the 2022 Finance for the Future Climate Leader Award. It is a first-of-its-kind collaboration aligning Indigenous leadership, community stewardship, and private-public investment to reconcile people and ecosystems for climate-resilient, healthy landscapes across southern Ontario’s Carolinian Zone.
Through a pay-for-success mechanism, investors provide up-front capital to Indigenous stewards and habitat growers. When pre-defined ecological and social outcomes are verified by a third party, outcome payers (grantors and partners) release payment for the pay-for-success outcome.
Carolinian Canada serves as the bond issuer and facilitator, guided by the Two-Eyed Seeing Impact Framework, which integrates Indigenous and Western knowledge systems.
3. Definition: Enhanced Land for Healthy Landscapes
Context: Healthy Landscapes reconcile people and ecosystems for resilient thriving natural and human communities for immediate impact and as a gift to future generations.
Healthy Landscapes heal land and water by centering Indigenous leadership; healthy habitat with native plants; an ethical nature-smart economy; and community relationships to the land.
Defining Healthy Landscape Enhancements | |||
Healthy Landscape Enhancements | Internal Assessment Guidelines | External Alignment | Data Collection Method |
Advance Indigenous leadership to heal the land | LEAD: Stewarded by Indigenous Leadership Pillar in relation with the emerging Indigenous Environment Network | Indigenous community goals Local, federal, and global guidelines for reconciliation (e.g., TRCA) | Participant reporting aligned with their own processes (e.g., verbal, stories, interviews, documents) |
Increase quality, quantity, or commitment to healthy habitat with native plants to advance towards 30% on the landscape | 1) Inclusive of natural and cultural multi-use landscapes 2) SEED: quantity is typically measured in area or numbers of native plants 3) STEWARD: general quality is measured by % native plants in habitat 4) SAVE: commitment is typically measured in terms of quality and length of commitment. It includes legal and voluntary actions and commitments by the steward to protect nature in the short or long term Connectivity and other factors – data is collected but not used for CIB purposes Habitat includes land and water | Federal ecological corridor criteria for legal commitment Local expertise, e.g., ecologist Stewardship agreements and guidelines established by local groups for voluntary commitment | Participant reporting
|
4. Purpose of the Verification
The third-party verification will:
- Confirm that the number of hectares of enhanced Healthy Landscapes achieved under LCIB II across five project partners is at least 100 hectares.
Achieve this by:
- Validating the data, methods, and documentation provided by Carolinian Canada and project partners.
- Offer transparent evidence that triggers the outcome payment.
- Identify how relational accountability, trust, and Ethical Space principles are preserved through data practices.
The process should honour the values of the CIB by maintaining privacy, cultural protocols, and relational integrity across Indigenous and non-Indigenous partners.
5. Audience and Use
This verification serves multiple audiences:
- Investors and Outcome Payers to trigger payment and validate impact.
- Indigenous and Habitat Partners to ensure transparent, reciprocal accountability.
- CIB Leadership Team and CCC Board of Directors to provide confidence to the model accountability.
- Researchers and Policymakers to strengthen the evidence base for outcomes-based conservation finance.
The verification process itself is part of building trust and co-learning within the CIB network, forming a model for future pay-for-success initiatives.
6. Scope of Work and Deliverables
The successful proponent will:
- Review CCC and partner data tracking LCIB II outcomes related to number of hectares enhanced for healthy landscapes.
- Provide a methodology that aligns with data integrity management, data privacy needs, and ethical space principles for review by CIB Leadership Team.
- Verify the number of hectares enhanced through LCIB II using methodologies.
- Provide a verification report including:
- Summary of verified results
- Description of verification methods, evidence, and data sources
- Provide recommendations to refine the verification process for future CIB phases
- Optional - Participate in one feedback session with CIB Leadership Team to reflect on verification learnings.
7. Preferred Timeline
Provide a verification report including:
- Dec-Jan 2025: First meeting to review requirements & commence contract
- Jan 30, 2026: Support provider with materials and outcome reports
- Feb 6, 2026: Verification and review of findings
- Feb 20, 2026: Approve findings
8. Budget
Budget: Maximum $8,000, inclusive of HST and expenses. Proposed budget should be aligned with experience, scope and methodology.
Please provide a detailed cost estimate.
9. Proposal Requirements
Proposals should include:
- Organizational profile and relevant experience (preferably in outcomes-based finance, environmental verification, or Indigenous-led evaluation)
- Description of proposed methodology and framework
- Qualifications of key personnel
- Workplan, timeline, and budget
- Two references from comparable projects
10. Submission Details
- Deadline: January 5th, 2025
- Submit to: Jo Reynolds, Impact Investment Manager
- Email: jo.reynolds@carolinian.org
- Please submit email with the following in the subject line: "RFP: Outcome Verification"
11. Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated on:
- Alignment with CIB principles (Ethical Space, Two-Eyed Seeing, relational accountability)
- Technical quality and clarity of methodology
- Experience in verification, impact measurement, or Indigenous-led evaluation
- Cost-effectiveness and feasibility within the timeline