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Our Environmental Work

Clean energy and energy affordability are deeply connected to Self-Help's mission of creating and protecting economic opportunity for all. When families and communities can invest in energy efficient upgrades, solar panels, and electric vehicles, they’re not only able to save money on energy costs, but also breathe cleaner air where they live, work, learn, worship, and play. For over 25 years, Self-Help has financed more than $500 million to support green projects that generate cost savings as well as a cleaner environment.

Core principles of our environmental work include:

  • We offer financing options to help reduce energy costs in our communities.
  • We lend to organizations that have a positive environmental impact.
  • We do not finance fossil fuel extraction, infrastructure, or delivery.
  • We benchmark energy usage, prioritize energy efficient investments, and follow green building guidelines in our own buildings.

Key Lending & Investment Areas

  • Individuals: Self-Help Credit Union and Self-Help Federal Credit Union offer loans to finance green home improvement, residential solar, and electric vehicles.
  • Communities: We offer senior debt for commercial renewable energy, clean transportation, and energy efficiency projects for loan sizes of $1 – 20 million, with a strong preference for scalable projects that benefit low-income communities.
  • Partners: We make green loan purchases from lending partners to provide liquidity and scale impact. We also partner with non-profits and clean energy programs to help amplify our collective reach.

If you are interested in a lending or partnership opportunity with our Climate Capital team, please reach out to [email protected].

Launched in 2024, Self-Help Climate Capital builds on Self-Help’s long-term commitment to sustainability. For more information on our role with Climate United and the Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, click here.

Our Commitment to Sustainability

Self-Help has an ambitious goal to reach carbon neutrality (Scope 1 & 2 emissions) in our operations by 2030. Making building energy efficiency improvements, analyzing our utility data, and investing in solar are helping us power towards that goal as part of our internal Clean Energy Plan. In our real estate development and branch facilities, we benchmark energy use and prioritize green building guidelines. We develop affordable housing and office space using green standards like SystemVision and Energy Star.

 

Click the images below to learn more.

 

Kinston Rooftop PV (Kingfisher)

We finance renewable energy.

D-BRB Vacuum Truck 2

We support green businesses.

nchfa_092113_110

We build efficient homes.

vedack-detail

We invest in home energy.

Pueblo-building-optimized

We help our borrowers save energy and water.

Howard changing lights

We reduce our operational emissions.

Supporting Self-Help’s Environmental Work

Explore Partnership Opportunities: Interested in connecting with our climate finance work? Contact our Climate Capital team at [email protected].

Invest in Clean Energy: Our Green Term Certificate offers a competitive return and, in addition to supporting impact lending across sectors, helps reduce greenhouse gas emissions by supporting climate investments. To learn more, contact [email protected].

Resources

Everyday habits can help cut costs and make where we live, work, and play healthier: