Corporations provide support to organizations implementing sustainable development including nonprofits through direct-giving programs, private foundations, and/or public charities. As well, companies can also offer their employees' time by encouraging employee volunteerism. A foundation can be established as part of a company's corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategy and be funded via the allocation of a percentage of accrued profits, an endowment or other means. Annual giving could range from a few hundreds thousands of dollars to hundreds of millions. They may or may not have a specific mandate or geographic coverage. Some companies and corporate foundations have a focus on biodiversity and conservation.

A range of products from chocolate, water bottles, toys, cloths, etc. are developed and sold to help generate profit for conservation and endangered species. A significant percentage of profit should go to target NGOs or conservation efforts or the product may be seen as benefitting from marketing nature while not actually contributing (green washing).

Special license plates featuring wildlife images that are sold at a higher price to car owners. The extra income is channelled to environmental causes and projects illustrated by the plate, mostly related to conservation and protection of wildlife. This practice is used in many states in the USA.

Guarantees can mobilize and leverage commercial financing by mitigating and/or protecting risks (such as political, regulatory, and foreign-exchange risk), notably commercial default or political risks. Guarantee programs are often designed to help entrepreneurs obtain bank financing by dealing with collateral constraints. The guarantee functions as a promise by the guarantor to the lender that, in the event that the borrower defaults on payment, the guarantor will repay the lender a specified proportion of the foregone principal. This allows traditional lenders to take risks and learn new markets outside current risk profiles. The scheme can be attached to biodiversity related businesses which are often operating in non-mature markets and lack financial records. 

Special commercial products featuring wildlife are sold at an extra price to costumers and the extra revenues are channelled to environmental causes and projects illustrated by the product/item, mostly related to conservation and the protection of wildlife. Examples include, licence plates, special ringtones and screensavers (mobile communication), gifts sold at zoos, etc.

A conservation easement is a restriction placed on a piece of property to protect its associated resources. The easement is voluntarily donated, can generate tax credits, or can be sold by the landowner. It limits certain types of uses or prevents development from taking place on the land in perpetuity while the land remains in private hands. Easements protect land for future generations while allowing owners to retain certain private property rights. Conservation easement are traditionally incentivised with tax breaks.

Formal protected areas governed (and in many cases owned and managed) by a non-state entity such as indigenous peoples and/or local communities; private individuals or organisations; or a combination of these with state involvement. This model allows for the state to forego costs of land purchase in order to establish a protected area, and often results in the management costs of the protected area to be shared between the state and the non-state entity, or carried entirely by the non-state entity.

Voluntary climate financing is when individuals, companies and organizations finance climate change actions (mitigation or adaptation) with no regulatory or market benefits. Voluntary financing occurs for a variety of climate mitigation actions including sustainable forestry (see REDD+), agriculture, and rangelands. Companies and individuals purchase voluntary carbon credits for moral, public relations, and internal policy purposes. Some companies have instigated internal carbon trading (i.e. Microsoft) to reduce carbon efficiency.

The promotion of sustainable tourism through an enabling legal framework and direct or indirect incentives. Responsible travel to natural areas can provide an alternative sources of income for the conservation of protected areas and the welfare of local communities. Receipts from tourists include accommodation and catering as well as any expenditure in the country where they travel to. The Government benefits from the direct and/or indirect taxation. To promote sustainable tourism is particularly critical in the early development stages and can direct tourism investment towards sustainable infrastructure and tourism activities.

Compensation paid by a company and/or individual condemned for an environmental crime and/or unintentional damages to the environment. Prevalent environmental crimes include illegal wildlife trade, illegal waste, manmade disasters and spills, etc. Charges can include fixed fines, remediation costs, and economic damages. The compensation is usually determined by the law. The amount of the compensation might be determined by an assessment of economic loss and remediation costs.