CCL Electrification Action Team Webinar: Green Banks - State and Local, CDFIs - May 12th, 2025
CCL's EAT is hosting a series of three webinars in March through May 2025 to introduce Green Banks, Green Finance, Community Development Financial Institutions, a rapidly growing field which invests in affordable housing, building decarbonization, and other community projects. It includes the eight national green banks created last year by the IRA's Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).
May 12th will be the third in this series. Here are the description, deck, and recording of the March 10th webinar. As we discussed in March, there's a great deal of uncertainty about the GGRF funds that provided seed capital for the Green Banks. But that doesn't mean we should ignore the Green Banks, or tune out.
Lindsay Robbins is Vice President, Market Transformation at Community Preservation Corporation (CPC) Climate Capital, one of the key entities in Climate United Fund, the largest GGRF / NCIF (EPA | CUF) awardee at $7B. She’ll give an overview of why energy upgrades are crucial in multifamily housing, and the impact they can have on resident comfort, health, and safety. She’ll also describe CUF / CPC’s original plan to deliver green banking services to communities across the nation; and their pivot to working with other grantees to meet their mission without the NCIF funds. Bottom line: both our presenters will highlight that despite the very real risks from the new administration, the green banks are determined to fulfill their original missions
Franz Hochstrasser is Managing Director, Finance at S2 Strategies, a consultancy working with governments, businesses, and non-profits to build a thriving clean energy economy. Among many things, S2 Strategies is the secretariat of Green Bank 50, a new organization bringing together green banks across the nation, including nearly all 50 states, DC, and Puerto Rico. GB50 fosters shared development of best practices, resources, and financial solutions for the rapidly growing green banking industry. GB50 aims to accelerate the expansion of green banking and drive investment in clean energy and inclusive climate solutions in communities across the country, particularly in lower-income areas that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental injustice.
In our first webinar, we heard that despite the current challenges around GGRF funding to the green banks, the organizations, relationships, and connective infrastructure that have been created as a result of the GGRF proposal process were valuable and will not be abandoned. Franz will provide first person insight into the reality of this, as a key player in raising the capital to carry that out. He confirms that the commitment and determination are definitely in place for the GGRF green banks to succeed despite the headwinds.
Perhaps most exciting to CCLers, Franz is personally leading a large part of GB50's work to preserve the Inflation Reduction Act. This of course aligns perfectly with CCL's current priority Actions. Listen carefully in this segment of the webinar, and call your Representatives to save the IRA!
Come with your questions, concerns, or your plans about what you hope to do for tabling and other outreach.
The event will be on Zoom: https://zoom.us/j/3285924117; Passcode: 123
Or by phone: 1-929-205-6099; ID: 328 592 4117; Passcode: 123