CCFLA’s PPF Connector program supports collaboration and information sharing by project preparation facilities (PPFs) to improve the efficiency of the project preparation support ecosystem. The PPF Connector offers project matchmaking services and partnership development support to PPFs, as well as information resources to PPFs, city networks, and other stakeholders.
This brief highlights lessons learned from the first 12 months of the PPF Connector, which launched in July 2023. It reflects extensive conversations with PPFs, reviews of projects receiving preparation technical assistance, a survey of LUCI initiatives, and outputs from a workshop on PPF collaboration. This brief focuses on learnings relevant to the international project preparation ecosystem rather than those relevant only to the PPF Connector program itself.
Most learnings are not novel or unique to this program. They reflect a wider growing awareness of the importance of project preparation, the challenges in the project preparation support ecosystem, and the opportunities to work towards systemic change that will help cities unlock financing at scale. This brief is meant to support the discussions within CCFLA, the Project Preparation Action Group, and the broader project preparation and urban climate finance communities. It is not a comprehensive analysis and does not attempt to quantify the challenges or opportunities.
The learnings are organized into reflections on:
1. the overall state of the project preparation ecosystem.
2. the challenges our activities are not effectively addressing, and what we see is needed to scale to support cities to adequately address climate and sustainable urbanization goals.
3. the successes and opportunities to highlight what activities and resources have worked well and shown value for CCFLA and member PPFs that we can extend or deepen, and promising areas to drive systemic change.