The U.S. Green Bank 50

A new era for green banks in America

About the GB50

A groundbreaking new organization bringing together green banks across the nation to lead a historic wave of clean energy and climate investment in American communities. The organization includes green banks in nearly all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico.

Our Mission

GB50 serves as a hub for green banks, fostering the shared development of best practices, resources, and financial solutions for the rapidly growing green banking industry. GB50 aims to accelerate the expansion of green banking and drive investment in clean energy and inclusive climate solutions in communities across the country, particularly in lower-income areas that have been disproportionately impacted by pollution and environmental injustice.

Green banks exist to meet funding and technical assistance needs for clean energy and climate projects. Green bank investments bring private capital off the sidelines, build and transform clean energy markets, and result in a faster, more equitable transition to clean energy. In 2023 alone, green banks invested over $10 billion into communities across the country.

Why the GB50 Matters

GB 50 brings together best practices for efficient and effective investment from across the country.

With the recent surge in clean energy initiatives spurred by the Inflation Reduction Act, green banks are set to play a crucial role in creating jobs, boosting local economies, addressing climate change and making clean energy accessible to all Americans.

Read the Press Release

Our coalition is positioned to support the growth of green banking into new communities, ensuring that benefits reach more homes, community organizations and small businesses.

GB 50 provides peer learning opportunities to share tools, resources, and best practices for green banks to extend capital, engage proactively with communities, and maximize the impact of federal clean energy incentive programs, all in the pursuit of a mission to build and transform markets for clean energy deployment.

Our Impact

Affordable Housing Upgrades in Minnesota

The Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority (MnCIFA) pioneered a first-of-its-kind $4.7 million loan to the Heights Community Energy to build and operate a geothermal energy system for a new residential development, which is set to deliver 1,000 housing units on the East Side of Saint Paul. This geothermal project will provide clean energy-powered, lower-cost heating for residents of the Heights.
"The Heights Community Energy project in Saint Paul is a prime example of what green banks can do — provide financing for a project to supply zero-carbon geothermal energy to a mixed-use development that traditional banking may not have supported. We applaud the creation of US Green Bank 50 so more projects like this can get off the ground and benefit communities across the country.”
- Russ Stark, Chief Resilience Officer of the City of St. Paul
Electrifying School Buses in Nevada

"I am confident that this program will help us save money on maintenance and fuel, improve air quality for our children, and offer performance benefits over traditional diesel and propane buses, including better acceleration, quieter operation, and superior performance on inclines. NCEF’s $7.7 million federal grant, along with their support in navigating funding, assessing electric bus options, and developing implementation plans, has been invaluable as we work to bring these benefits to all our students, especially those in communities that need it most."
- Seth Canning, Director of Transportation at Elko County School District
Community Solar in Illinois

“As one of the leaders of the first African American-led, community-driven community solar projects in the nation, we clearly understand the importance of a national network of green and climate banks like the U.S. Green Bank 50. After years of organizing our project, we received an award in renewable energy credits to take our solar project to the next level. There was just one problem: no one would lend us $3.2 million to pay for fees to a large utility to connect our system to the grid and the 5% down payment for our renewable energy credits... a loan for predevelopment costs through a private lender and the Climate Bank made it possible for our community solar project to proceed. When we complete the project and are successful, it will begin reducing our carbon footprint, reducing household energy costs, and reducing our racial wealth gap in Metro Chicago.”
- Naomi Davis, founder and Board Chair of the Green Energy and Justice Cooperative (“GEJC”) and Blacks in Green (“BIG”)
Energy Efficiency in Maine

Efficiency Maine’s finance products help move Mainers, the majority of whom live in rural, aging housing stock, toward energy-efficiency technologies. “Evergreen's experience has shown that simple, accessible financing through Efficiency Maine is critical to helping homeowners move forward with comprehensive energy-saving projects, making the process smooth for both customers and contractors.”
- Richard Burbank, President of Evergreen Home Performance of Rockland, Maine
“Financing offered by Efficiency Maine has been instrumental in enabling me to take on larger, more impactful projects and start saving right away. We need more of this in Maine!”
- Heather Chandler of Westbrook, Maine