FORT PIERCE, Fla., Oct. 27, 2026 — The Hive Fund for Climate and Gender Justice has awarded a $300,000 grant to nonprofit SELF to strengthen its lending ecosystem and expand equitable green lending programs. The grant will support the infrastructure behind SELF’s Plug and Play (PnP) program, which helps mission-driven lending partners offer affordable, accessible home improvement financing to low- and moderate-income (LMI) homeowners.
SELF’s PnP program gives mission-driven lenders access to shared tools and resources to operate sustainable home improvement loan programs. Rather than building lending operations from scratch, partners can rely on SELF’s extensive experience, lending technology, underwriting, loan servicing, capital, training, technical assistance, and CanopyClimate, SELF’s free web-based home planning tool. This collaborative model lowers costs, reduces risk, accelerates program launches, and allows partners to focus on serving LMI homeowners in their communities.
The grant will help SELF strengthen the systems and support that keep this ecosystem running. A stronger foundation can help partners process loans more efficiently, provide consistent service, and respond to growing demand for affordable home improvement financing.
Many households face barriers to accessing affordable loans for essential repairs and upgrades. Climate change, inflation, and rising housing and energy costs add to those challenges. Heat waves, hurricanes, and flooding can disproportionately affect LMI communities, where households may have fewer resources to prepare for or recover from extreme weather. These conditions make climate-resilient housing solutions increasingly important.
SELF helps address these needs by offering low-interest, unsecured loans underwritten based on a borrower’s ability to pay, rather than relying solely on traditional credit scores. This approach can expand access to financing for unbanked and underbanked households seeking sustainable home improvements, including high-efficiency HVAC systems, heat pumps, roof repairs and replacements, solar and battery storage, and other essential repairs and upgrades.
These investments can help LMI households manage extreme weather, reduce utility and insurance costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and improve home health, safety, resilience, and affordability. They can also support home equity and wealth-building, advancing climate justice, housing stability, and economic mobility.
“We’re grateful for the Hive Fund’s continued support,” said Duanne Andrade, CEO of SELF. “This grant strengthens the foundation our partners depend on every day to bring affordable financing to LMI homeowners. A strong ecosystem means more families can make the repairs and improvements that keep their homes safe, healthy, and resilient.”
The grant builds on the Hive Fund’s 2025 support of SELF and reflects a shared commitment to helping underserved households improve their homes, lower energy burdens and operating costs, and strengthen sustainability and storm resilience.
About the Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF)
Founded in Florida in 2010, SELF is a nonprofit, U.S. Treasury-certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) that helps homeowners finance energy efficiency, clean energy, and climate resilience improvements. SELF has deployed $80 million in affordable financing across more than 5,500 projects and helped more than 16,000 people. Seventy-one percent of these projects have served LMI households, and the default rate has remained exceptionally low at 2%.
Learn more at www.solarenergyloanfund.org.
Media Contact:
Sherri Herrera
Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF)
sherrih@solarenergyloanfund.org
833-476-7353
www.solarenergyloanfund.org