Organization
SELF offers an innovative financing tool that impacts under-served communities, while laying the groundwork for climate mitigation.
The Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) is a nonprofit clean energy financing provider for low- and moderate-income Florida households. SELF provides homeowners with building science expertise, project management and access to low-cost capital to finance sustainable home improvement projects. Since its creation in 2010, SELF has enabled more than 640 homeowners to upgrade their homes and lower their energy costs. With more than 2/3 of the lending activity in low- and moderate-income census tracts, 50 percent for seniors, 40 percent for women, and 20 percent for veterans. The non-profit receives federal and local grants for operations, including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. With a new office in St. Petersburg since November 2017, SELF plans to make a positive economic and environmental impact in the Sunshine City.
SELF offers an innovative financing tool that impacts under-served communities, while laying the groundwork for climate mitigation.
The Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) is a nonprofit clean energy financing provider for low- and moderate-income Florida households. SELF provides homeowners with building science expertise, project management and access to low-cost capital to finance sustainable home improvement projects. Since its creation in 2010, SELF has enabled more than 640 homeowners to upgrade their homes and lower their energy costs. With more than 2/3 of the lending activity in low- and moderate-income census tracts, 50 percent for seniors, 40 percent for women, and 20 percent for veterans. The non-profit receives federal and local grants for operations, including Pinellas and Hillsborough counties. With a new office in St. Petersburg since November 2017, SELF plans to make a positive economic and environmental impact in the Sunshine City.
Company Overview
Company Name
SELF Gulf Coast
Year Established
2011
Number of Employees
9
Profile
Some communities struggle to secure financing for needed home repairs and improvements. That's where SELF steps in. The Solar and Energy Loan Fund is a mission-driven lender and a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI). It empowers women, veterans and under-served populations by providing affordable financing for home improvements. Saving homeowners money, increasing small business revenue, fostering residential sustainability and resiliency and building the green economy is SELF's bread and butter.
Awards & Accolades
National Achievement Award for local energy programs from the National Association of Counties (NACo) - 2012 “Green Business of the Year” award from the South Florida Chapter of the U.S. Green Building Council - 2013 Identified by the Opportunity Finance Network as “1 of 5 trailblazing CDFIs in America” – 2015 “Exceptional Non-Profit in Innovation” award from 211/TC - 2015 Highlighted on the White House website, featuring: “Innovative Financing for Clean Energy Technologies”– December 2015 Identified by U.S. DOE staff as a “shining legacy of the Better Buildings Neighborhood Program” and featured in their national newsletter of the Better Buildings Network– 2017 “Non-Profit of the Year” finalist from 211/Treasure Coast - 2017 WMNF Homegrown Heroes Award Nominee, 2018 (pending award)
Core values/mission statement
Create positive social, economic and environmental impacts Provide access to affordable financing Improve health, safety, and quality of life Reduce home operating costs and decrease carbon footprint Move the whole community toward clean energy Rebuild and empower underserved communities Lower Utility Bills - Improve Quality of Life - Invest in Your Home
Company Leadership
Executive Director
Coward has more than two decades of professional experience in Florida as a planner, clean energy policy expert, small business owner and elected official, including 12 years as a St. Lucie County Commissioner (1998-2010). He attended Florida State University, earning a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning, with an emphasis on economics and the environment.
St Petersburg Program Manager
Jessica Lewis's background includes marine research and nonprofit work, where she sought to welcome diverse participants in citizen science and social and environmental justice campaigns. She hails from Surf City, N.C., and earned her bachelors of science from College of Charleston in South Carolina. Jessica is an active volunteer in the Tampa Bay area, and serves on the boards of Suncoast Sierra Club and Suncoast Surfrider Foundation.
