Bridging the Capital Gap: Blended Finance for Renewable Energy and Critical Minerals and Technologies

This two-panel event, “Bridging the Capital Gap: Blended Finance for Renewable Energy and Critical Minerals and Technologies,” co-hosted by WICE and BlackRock during San Francisco Climate Week 2026 is designed around a single unifying theme: blended finance as the bridge between climate ambition and execution.

The central question we will discuss is:

Can we build the financial and institutional architecture needed to sustain a just energy transition, and the critical mineral supply chains that underpin it, without the public catalytic capital that made it possible? And if not, who steps up?

This event will convene senior leaders from climate technology, venture capital, institutional investment, corporate ESG and international development to discuss the different viable pathways to closing the finance gap in the clean energy and critical minerals sectors.

We will discuss the operational, human, and institutional dimensions that are too often invisible to capital markets, and identify concrete pathways through which investors and development practitioners can partner more effectively.

Specific objectives include:

Discuss the real-world consequences of the catalytic capital gap, drawing on WICE's direct experience as a consortium of former USAID professionals with deep operational networks in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.Present innovative bankable models, from concessional debt and philanthropic grants to VC and institutional investment funds to REC-backed prepayment facilities for distributed solar,  that demonstrate how blended structures can de-risk and scale commercial investment in renewable energy and  critical mineral supply chains.Initiate a forward-looking conversation about co-investment structures, advisory partnerships, and joint programming that can help ensure sustainable supply chains and keep the momentum of the energy transition alive in underserved markets.

Agenda

9:30 – 9:45 AM | Welcome Remarks, by Dr. Emily Weeks, CEO of WICE (World Institute for Conservation and Environment)

9:45 – 10:45 AM | PANEL 1: When the Money Stops: Blended Finance for Scaling Renewable Energy

Moderator: Katie Retz, Energy Peace Partners

Speakers:

Christina Cairns, WICE/PowertrustAnna Hawley, Managing Director and Senior Portfolio Manager, BlackRock Sustainability/ESG PortfolioMolly Dean, United Nations Environment ProgrammeDerek Tang, Head of Programs at New Energy Nexus

10:45 – 11:15 AM | Networking Break & Light Refreshments

11:15 AM – 12:15 PM | PANEL 2: Digging Deeper: Financing Critical Minerals and the Decarbonization of Critical Technologies for a Just and Resilient Energy Transition

Moderator: TBD

Speakers:

Kristi Disney Bruckner, Law & Policy Director, IRMA Initiative for Responsible Mining AssuranceEric Slawter, BlackRock Decarbonization Partners Private Equity FundChris Demers, Congressional candidate, former ESG lead for HP, Juniper Networks and SupermicroMelody McNeil,  WICE

12:15 – 12:30 PM | Closing Remarks, Q&A, and Next Steps

Note: By registering for this event, you agree to share your registration information with the organizers of SF Climate Week