By: Shiva Patel, Managing Director, Capital Strategy & Market Development
In 2024, one in three U.S. households reported forgoing necessities like food and medicine to pay their energy bills. Since then, energy costs have continued to skyrocket due in large part to rising energy demand, aging infrastructure, and rollbacks in federal funding and policies. According to the data, the most overburdened communities lack access to affordable and flexible capital for clean energy projects—proven solutions that drive down utility bills, create local jobs, and reduce air pollution.
While federal headwinds have left thousands of clean energy projects in limbo, JCF and its partners have identified a $1 billion pipeline of clean energy and climate resilience projects that includes energy-efficient affordable housing, community resilience hubs, community-owned solar, and retrofits that cut energy costs for schools and small businesses. These investments also provide good-paying jobs and build long-term environmental and economic resilience.
JCF’s pipeline is the result of intentional collaboration and rigorous diligence, working closely with our national network of more than 400 Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) loan funds, CDFI banks, Minority Depository Institutions (MDIs), and Green Banks. Our pipeline has been vetted from both a financial and community impact perspective. We evaluate the expected social, environmental, and economic benefits, including who the direct beneficiaries would be—nonprofits, schools, small businesses, and affordable housing developers, for example. We also prioritize high-impact projects that include elements such as local job creation, workforce development initiatives, community ownership models, climate resilience, and other co-benefits.
While the federal funding landscape has shifted, the demand for clean energy projects remains strong. And our pipeline continues to grow. The vast majority of these projects are shovel-ready, but lack a portion of the financing to move forward.
Climate Opportunity & Resilience Fund
To move these projects forward, JCF recently launched the Climate Opportunity & Resilience Fund—a $100 million fund designed to unlock $1 billion in clean energy projects from this pipeline—and we are actively seeking mission-aligned investors and funders to partner with us on these clean energy and climate resilience solutions in under-resourced communities that need them most.
These projects reflect community-level innovation through creative, solutions-driven work that builds capacity, strengthens local economies, and creates lasting, generational benefits.
With the right type of capital, these projects can move forward, delivering transformative environmental, social, and economic impact across the country.
If you’re interested in funding our work, connect with us: Impact@JusticeClimateFund.org