Press Release SustainEnergyFinance Receives $25,000 Grant to Launch Local Clean Energy Financing Organization
Salt Lake City, Utah – SustainEnergyFinance (SEF) will launch Utah’s first clean energy financing nonprofit with the support of a $25,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF). These funds will enable SEF to build its initial operations against a backdrop of a drier and hotter Utah climate where all households and communities across the State need viable options for funding clean energy.
SEF will use its local energy and financing expertise to support project development, build operational capacity, and fund local staff. Through strategic partnerships, innovative financing, and a steadfast commitment to the mission, SEF is confident in its ability to make a meaningful impact and leave a legacy of clean energy, sustainability, and equity for generations to come.
Amidst these challenges lies a unique opportunity in the upcoming 2034 Winter Olympic & Paralympic Games. SEF is committed to leveraging RWJF funds against once-in-a-generation funding from the EPA Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund to design projects and financing products that align with the Olympics’ sustainability goals to reduce and eliminate expected carbon emissions, conserve water, and promote nature-based solutions in the communities that need it most.
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SEF President and Chief Lending Officer Shawna Cuan said, “We are incredibly excited to have the support of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in forming Utah’s first clean energy financing organization. This grant will enable us to launch our operations to serve the Utah communities that have been left behind in the clean energy transition.”
“Growing the constellation of emerging green banks like SustainEnergyFinance will help communities identify and finance solutions to help protect their residents’ health and wealth,” said Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Director of Impact Investments Kimberlee Cornett. “Addressing the disproportionate impacts that climate change will have on communities with low incomes and communities of color requires an on-the-ground understanding of community conditions and priorities. We’re pleased to support SustainEnergyFinance as it brings additional capacity to the state of Utah to find and finance solutions.”
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ABOUT THE ROBERT WOOD JOHNSON FOUNDATION
RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. To get there, it must work to dismantle structural racism and other barriers to health. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, it works side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to achieve health equity faster and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
ABOUT SUSTAINENERGYFINANCE
SustainEnergyFinance is a mission-driven 501(c)(3) that looks to transform communities with accessible, equitable, and creative financial solutions that build a clean energy economy. As a clean energy financing organization, we use public and philanthropic funds to mobilize private investment in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and other decarbonization technologies. For more information, visit: https://www.sustainenergyfinance.org/.