Introduction to Green Energy Lending for Small Business CDFIs
Tuesday, June 23 • 10 AM – 11:30 AM PDT
This introductory training will help Community Development Financial Institutions and mission-based lenders understand how to incorporate green lending into their existing products and workflows while supporting small business resilience, sustainability, and access to capital.
Introduction to Green Energy Lending for Small Business CDFIs
This introductory training will help Community Development Financial Institutions and mission-based lenders understand how to incorporate green lending into their existing products and workflows while supporting small business resilience, sustainability, and access to capital.
Last month, The Greenlining Institute and CAMEO Network kicked off the Climate, Community & Economic Resilience Series during Los Angeles Climate Week, bringing together lenders, technical assistance providers, local governments, advocates, and small business leaders to explore a critical question: What does it take to help small businesses prepare for a changing climate?
The discussion highlighted why climate resilience is increasingly a business continuity issue. Following the Eaton Fire in Altadena, many small businesses lost customers, experienced prolonged utility disruptions and struggled with the economic ripple effects of community displacement. In one widely reported example, a business owner said roughly 95% of customers canceled services because families had relocated. While the business itself remained standing, its customer base disappeared almost overnight.
Our convening brought together CDFIs, technical assistance providers, local governments, economic development organizations, climate nonprofits and advocacy groups from across California and beyond. While the conversation covered everything from clean energy financing to disaster preparedness, several themes emerged:
→ First, the interest is there. Many lenders and community-serving organizations are actively exploring climate resilience and clean energy financing opportunities. At the same time, participants identified a significant gap between interest and implementation, citing challenges related to product design, underwriting, staffing capacity and technical expertise.
→ Second, small businesses need more than loans. Access to capital remains a major barrier, but participants also emphasized the importance of technical assistance, incentive and rebate navigation, contractor connections and disaster preparedness planning. One of the clearest findings was that businesses need coordinated support systems that combine financing, trusted guidance and implementation resources.
→ Businesses are increasingly pursuing energy efficiency, electrification, solar investments and preparedness planning not only for environmental benefits, but also to reduce costs, manage risk and strengthen long-term resilience.
These early insights align with what Greenlining has long observed through its work supporting entrepreneurs and communities and communities of color. Greenlining the Block was created to help bridge the gap between community capacity and access to climate investments by pairing funding with technical assistance, coaching and cross-sector partnerships. Our conversation at LA Climate Week reinforced a similar lesson:
→ Businesses need more than capital alone. They need coordinated support systems that combine financing, technical assistance, incentive navigation and trusted implementation partners.
That’s why the CCER Series was created – to help lenders, practitioners and community-serving organizations build the knowledge, partnerships and tools needed to support small business resilience.
Register today and join us in building a more resilient and equitable small business ecosystem.
