Solar and Energy Loan Fund of St. Lucie County, Inc.

SELF is a 501(c)(3), as per the Internal Revenue Service, and a certified Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI), as per U.S. Department of the Treasury. SELF was originally selected by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) as 1 of 22 programs in America to receive ($2.94 million) seed funds to create innovative new local clean energy financing tools. SELF’s “Green CDFI” model was selected as one such pilot program in 2010, and the non-profit Solar and Energy Loan Fund (SELF) of St. Lucie County, Inc. was created as the prototype. SELF became an independent non-profit organization and served as the third-party administrator for the DOE grant awarded to St. Lucie County. SELF operationalized the loan fund in the spring of 2011, with $1.65 million in DOE loan capital, and successfully deployed the 3-year DOE grant, while simultaneously obtaining certification as a CDFI in 2012. SELF was re-certified as a CDFI in 2016 and the approval included statewide expansion.

To date, SELF has financed more than $5.7 million of home renovation projects in 63 jurisdictions in Florida, with 70% of the lending activity in low- and moderate-income communities, 40% for women, and 20% for veterans. The majority of SELF’s lending activities has occurred in St. Lucie County, where HQ is located, but SELF is strategically scaling in partnership with local governments and socially-responsible investors. SELF has secured 23 investors, including worldwide crowdfunding in partnership with KIVA.org, and now offers CDFI loans and KIVA-crowdfunded loans to underserved and underbanked communities throughout Florida.