The challenge
To effectively communicate USAID’s HEARTH initiative to private sector audiences, Innovation Forum and USAID needed a compelling way to translate an integrated development model into a clear, business-relevant narrative.
This meant showcasing real-world case studies, articulating the shared value of public–private collaboration, and creating a credible platform for dialogue with corporate decision-makers. The partnership was designed to amplify HEARTH’s work, strengthen awareness of its approach, and build meaningful engagement with companies exploring cross-sector collaboration in conservation and sustainable development.
Objectives
- Discuss how cross-sector partnerships can drive impactful change for vulnerable communities in biodiverse regions to safeguard health, food security, and broader development goals in the face of climate change and environmental degradation.
- Demonstrate how companies can create shared value by integrating the well-being of partner communities in vulnerable and highly biodiverse regions into their business practices.
- Build and enhance relationships with audience members to strengthen awareness of HEARTH.
- Receive insights and key questions from stakeholders through the Q&A, to better understand the state of play, discover how HEARTH could be improved and identify future collaboration opportunities.
Our approach
We co-designed a high-impact webinar with USAID to translate the HEARTH initiative into a clear, business-relevant narrative for private sector audiences. Senior representatives from USAID, Olam Indonesia and Ocean Farmers were brought together to showcase real-world case studies and reinforce the value of cross-sector collaboration.
Innovation Forum moderated the discussion and managed the live hosting to ensure a balanced, engaging dialogue, while interactive polling and Q&A surfaced stakeholder insights and questions. To extend engagement beyond the webinar, recordings and post-event content were shared across Innovation Forum’s channels, helping USAID continue building awareness and relationships with corporate stakeholders.
Results
The webinar and targeted marketing campaign enabled USAID to connect directly with senior sustainability professionals and private sector stakeholders, strengthening awareness of the HEARTH initiative and generating new engagement across Innovation Forum’s global network.
The session showcased HEARTH’s integrated approach through concrete case studies from Madagascar and Indonesia, highlighting the role of public–private collaboration in addressing biodiversity, climate resilience and community well-being. This positioned USAID as a credible partner for companies exploring cross-sector collaboration and sustainable investment in high-impact markets.
Strong participation from corporate, finance and agriculture-linked organisations across Europe, North America and Africa supported USAID’s objective of expanding private sector engagement and creating new opportunities for future collaboration.
The project helped to:
- Increase awareness and engagement with the HEARTH initiative, highlighting its integrated approach to linking human well-being with ecosystem health.
- Showcase HEARTH’s impact and strategy through real-world case studies, broadening understanding of its biodiversity, climate and economic resilience outcomes.
- Emphasise the value of public–private collaboration for addressing complex challenges such as food security, deforestation and poverty reduction.
- Position USAID as a partner of choice for the private sector by demonstrating its role in de-risking investment and enabling sustainable business practices.
Agriculture
Cross-sector
Webinar
