For Immediate Release
June 26, 2023
The Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF), America’s first local green bank and Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), announced today it has received a second grant from the Opportunity Finance Network’s (OFN) Finance Justice Fund.
“SELF is at a critical moment of growth,” said Duanne Andrade, SELF’s Executive Director. “We’re scaling our climate solutions for low- and moderate-income homeowners, landlords, and developers, while also growing geographically. OFN’s grant directly supports our capacity while also validating all of the work we’ve done so far. We’re thankful for OFN’s continued support and trust.”
“CDFIs like SELF demonstrate a commitment to addressing problems resulting from persistent poverty, lack of investment, and systemic racism,” said OFN President and CEO Harold Pettigrew. “Through this essential funding, our Finance Justice Fund partners advance the causes of social, economic, and racial justice, one loan at a time.”
OFN first awarded SELF an energy efficiency grant in 2018. In 2021, OFN’s inaugural investment in SELF from its Finance Justice Fund supported SELF’s SEER Loans for Landlords to improve the affordable housing stock and address energy burdens affecting low-income renters.
###
About SELF
SELF is a non-profit, certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), also known as Florida’s Green Bank. Since 2010, SELF has financed over 3,000 sustainable and climate-resilient property improvements, created over $40 million of green economic development activity, and leveraged over $100 million in project costs for affordable housing construction. SELF’s mission is to rebuild and empower underserved communities by providing access to affordable and innovative financing for sustainable property improvements, with the primary focus on energy efficiency, renewable energy, and climate resilience in low- and moderate-income (LMI) neighborhoods. Visit https://solarenergyloanfund.org/ to learn more.
About Opportunity Finance Network (OFN)
Opportunity Finance Network is a leading national network of more than 390 community development financial institutions (CDFIs) – specialized lenders that provide affordable, responsible financial products and services in low-income rural, urban, and Native communities nationwide. As a trusted intermediary between CDFIs and the public and private sectors, OFN works with its partners – banks, philanthropies, corporations, government agencies and others – to create economic opportunity for all by strengthening and investing in CDFIs.
Since its founding in 1986 and through 2021, the network has originated $100.4 billion in financing in rural, urban, and Native communities, helping to create or maintain more than 2.6 million jobs, start or expand more than 696,000 businesses and microenterprises, and support the development or rehabilitation of more than 2.3 million housing units and more than 13,600 community facility projects. Learn more about OFN and its programs at www.ofn.org.
Media Contact:
Mike Kennedy
Contact via email
772.448.3133