Finance and Investments

The Crop Diversity Endowment Fund lies at the heart of the Crop Trust’s work. It provides a sustainable, long-term funding mechanism for protecting crop diversity in perpetuity. The Crop Trust invests contributions in diversified financial instruments to generate sufficient returns for this purpose. Each year, a portion of the return (up to 4% of the fund's average market value over the previous twelve quarters) is withdrawn and used to ensure that crop diversity held in key genebanks is effectively conserved and made available for use. 

The year 2024 was successful for the Endowment Fund, with its value rising from USD 305 million to USD 357 million. This increase was due to both new contributions from donors and strong investment returns in the capital market. Investment gains, net of fees, amounted to USD 22 million, a return of 7.3% for the year.

The Crop Trust received a record USD 37.7 million for the endowment in 2024, thanks to the support of our donors – the Governments of Germany, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States of America, along with Groupe Limagrain and the 2024 World Food Prize Laureates Dr. Cary Fowler and Dr. Geoffery Hawtin.

The Crop Trust produced its first Climate Disclosures Report in 2024, prepared in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures. This report provides insight into how the organization integrates climate considerations into its fiduciary duty, with specific focus on the emissions of the Endowment Fund investment portfolio. By analyzing these emissions, we can proactively identify emerging risks before they cause a material impact. Furthermore, this approach enables us to seize opportunities that arise as social, economic and regulatory landscapes evolve, reinforcing our commitment to responsible investment and a climate-safe future.

In 2017, the Crop Trust received a EUR 50 million concessional loan from the German Development Bank, KfW. By the end of 2024, total capital repayments amounted to EUR 12 million, leaving a remaining balance of EUR 38 million. The funds are held in a euro investment fund with a market value of EUR 41.8 million (USD 43.3 million) at year-end. This fund also had a positive year, generating a 6% return in 2024.

In 2024, the Crop Trust continued to demonstrate solid financial stability, with total revenues amounting to USD 51 million, up from USD 19 million in the previous year. Total expenditure was USD 21.8 million, of which USD 18.2 million was for program activities to provide both long-term and time-bound support to preserve and use the world's most important collections of crop diversity. This excludes the impact of financial operations, such as the revaluation of accounts held in foreign currencies.

In addition, USD 1.3 million was used to increase global awareness of crop diversity's importance while broadening institutional partnerships. Administration-related expenditure amounted to USD 2.4 million, reflecting the operational costs necessary to support the effective implementation of our mission and programs, including management, governance, information technology and facilities maintenance.

The financial statements of the Crop Trust for the year ended 31 December 2024 were prepared in accordance with International Financial Reporting Standards and audited by PriceWaterhouseCoopers GmbH Wirtschaftsprüfungsgesellschaft (PwC).

The full Financial Statements and Independent Auditor’s Report are available on the Crop Trust website.