About the course

A highly interactive, cohort-based virtual training program designed to help mission-driven lenders develop green home loan products that serve LMI households--ranging from efficient appliance upgrades and home retrofits to adding home solar panels. Participants explore clean energy technology and energy efficiency fundamentals, program design, regulatory and incentive frameworks, borrower-journey mapping, contractor management, financial sustainability, and partnership strategies. Leave with a business plan guiding the launch or revision of your "green" loan products and programs! 

After completing this course, lenders will be able to: 

  1. Evaluate needs for home and consumer green lending within the broader context of evolving green technologies, opportunities to create meaningful benefits for low-income communities, and state and local market and regulatory conditions. 
  2. Address non-financial barriers to uptake of green technologies and home energy improvements. 
  3. Build loan products and develop business plans to grow a green home lending business.



Course Details & Eligibility

This is an 8-module, instructor-led course with weekly 90-min class sessions. Participants can expend to dedicate 5-8 hours per week to course content and class meetings.

  • Open to:

    All financial institutions.

  • Participant limit:

    We recommend enrolling in teams of 2. A max of 2 participants per financial institution will be admitted.

  • Language:

    Offered in English. For the version in Spanish geared toward Puerto Rico cooperativas, search for "Desarrollo de Productos de Préstamos Eco Amigables" on this site.

Upcoming Cohorts & Registration

Our next cohort begins in April. Each week will have one 90-minute class session, 2-3:30 p.m. Eastern.

  • Week 0, April 7: Quick learning platform orientation
  • Week 1, April 14
  • Week 2, April 21
  • Week 3, April 28
  • Week 4, May 5
  • BREAK (Inclusiv conference), May 12
  • Week 5, May 19
  • Week 6, May 26
  • Week 7, June 2
  • BREAK (prep for final capstone), June 9
  • Week 8, June 16: Final presentations

Tuition

Inclusiv members receive a 40% discount on instructor-led courses. Members with assets under $100M receive additional discounts. For group discounts, reach out to [email protected].

Professional Certification: Green Home Consumer Lender Badge

Offered in partnership with the University of New Hampshire's Center for Impact Finance

Successful completion of this rigorous course confers a digital badge from the Center for Impact Finance. This badge can be shared on LinkedIn. For individuals enrolled in the University of New Hampshire's Master's in Community Development degree program, completing this course will confer 3 hours of graduate credit toward that degree completion.
Inclusiv-CIF badge

Course curriculum

  1. Welcome Module

  2. Module 1: Intro to Green Home Consumer Lending

  3. Module 2: The Green Home

  4. Module 3: Understanding Your Market Environment

  5. Module 4: The Borrower Journey

  6. Module 5: Working with Contractors

About this course

  • Non-member price: $2,000
  • Member price: $1,200
  • Additional discounts available for small CUs and groups

Instructor(s)

Jennifer O'Gorman

Director of Green Lending, ezSolar Loan & Harborstone Credit Union

Jennifer is the Director of Green Lending at Harborstone Credit Union (formerly Community 1st Credit Union), where she oversees all aspects of green lending for the credit union and the ezSolarLoan brand. Jennifer has been in lending for 21 years, with 11 years of experience in Green Lending. When she started with the Credit Union, their specialty product was Green Lending but the volume was very low, so Jennifer worked with the CEO to grow that program to $10 million per month in fundings, over 800 monthly applications, and 10 Green Lending Loan Processors.

Jamal Lewis

Center for Impact Finance

Jamal is a recognized expert in climate, energy, and housing policy and program implementation, named a 2024 Climate Changemaker by the New York Times. As a former Senior Director at Rewiring America, he played a key role in the advocacy and implementation of the Inflation Reduction Act, spearheading efforts to drive equitable climate, energy, and housing policy in states nationwide. His extensive experience includes advising states on maximizing federal funding, designing innovative electrification, energy efficiency, and hazard remediation service delivery models, and providing technical assistance for program advancement. Jamal has also been instrumental in the planning and implementation of utility efficiency programs and has a strong track record of facilitating community engagement for equitable outcomes.