Next Virtual Cohort begins April 14!

Ready to start or expand your financial institution's green lending program?

Inclusiv’s virtual, instructor-led Green Home Consumer Lending course supports mission-driven financial institutions (such as credit unions, green banks, loan funds, and community banks) 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! 

Enrollment for our Spring 2026 cohort is open and class starts on Tuesday, April 14, 2026. 

This course is designed for each participating financial institution to enroll a team of 2-3 staff members. Discounted pricing is available for team enrollment, please contact [email protected] for more information.


About This Course

Inclusiv and the Center for Impact Finance have partnered to help mission-driven lenders launch and scale their green lending programs. This course helps lenders design safe, affordable consumer loan products accessible to LMI households. 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. 


Who Should Register

The GHCL training is best for lenders that: 

  • Have limited or no green lending program
  • Can commit 5-8 hours a week to classwork, assignments, and the development of an implementation plan for their financial institution.

We recommend enrolling in teams of 2, and that at least one staff member has lending experience.

Gain New Skills

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 instructor-led course that features 8 weeks of live virtual class sessions.

Schedule:  

  • Tuesday, April 7 from 2-2:30pm EDT: Quick learning platform orientation
  • Tuesdays, April 14 - June 16 from 2-3:30pm EDT: 
    • Eight live virtual instructor-led course sessions for peer learning and diving deep into content  
      • No class during break weeks on Tuesday, May 12 and Tuesday, June 9
      • Final virtual capstone presentation session on Tuesday, June 16

Additional Support:  

  • Personalized expert feedback on assignments 
  • Peer discussion and troubleshooting 

Workload:   

  • 5-8 hours per week over eight weeks (including two break weeks)   
  • Program participants are required to create a business plan to present to their board or governing body that serves as a roadmap for launching or growing green lending products. A template for this project will be provided.

Tuition

Inclusiv members receive a 40% discount on instructor-led courses. Members with assets under $100M receive additional discounts. This course is designed for a 2-person team from each participating lender. Discounted pricing is available for team enrollment, please contact [email protected] for more information.

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.

Alumni Testimonials

“I can’t thank you enough for the opportunity to participate in the Green Home Lending program. It was absolutely fantastic. It came highly recommended by other team members, and it didn’t disappoint. It is a lot of work 😊 but all the materials presented were relevant and I feel that I wouldn’t have learned as much if it was not as comprehensive. I don’t have any suggestions for improving the content. I loved it... every banker interested in climate finance should participate.”

"As a recent graduate of the Green Home Lending Course, I found the instructors to be deeply knowledgeable about home retrofits, contractor development, community engagement strategies, and financial product design. The course was an excellent opportunity to connect and collaborate with credit unions.”

“This class has opened up my eyes as to how we can serve our members so much more with Green Energy solutions without & with grant funds. I get it more than ever. I’m planning on sending two more team members to the next available sessions since this is not obligatory for us, we want to live this out in service to our members. Thank you all for sharing your knowledge & wisdom. You ARE making a difference.”

Course curriculum

    1. Course Overview

    2. How to use this course

    3. Course Waiver & Policies

    4. Technical requirements and student success

    5. Using the Thinkific Mobile App

    1. Module 1 Overview

    2. Why the World Needs You as a Green Home Lender

    3. Introduce yourself in the GHCL Community!

    4. Elements of Effective Programs

    5. Success Story: HEAT SQUAD

    6. Lenders Share Their Stories (Optional)

    7. Test Your Green Home Knowledge

    8. Community Research Interviews: Schedule and Prepare

    9. Readings & Resources

    10. Organizational Readiness Assessment

    11. Making the Case to Your Organization

    12. Virtual Class Meeting - April 14

    1. Module 2 Overview

    2. Intro to Rooftop Solar Equipment

    3. Weatherization, Efficiency, and Electrification: The Basic Components of Home Decarbonization

    4. An Introduction to the Home Energy Assessment

    5. Housing Quality Barriers to Energy Improvements

    6. The Health and Housing Connection

    7. Climate Resilient Housing

    8. Test Your Knowledge: Housing Connections to Health and Resilience

    9. Prep for Case Study: READ FIRST

    10. Case Study Quiz: Home Energy Efficiency Payback Analysis and Loan Structuring

    11. Resource Library: Basics about Home Energy Retrofits and Programs

    12. Virtual Class Meeting - April 21

    1. Check your Case Study Answers

    1. Module 3 Overview

    2. The Regulatory Context for Home Energy Improvements

    3. Understanding the Players and Resources in Your Local Home Improvement Market

    4. Social Equity Concerns and Home Energy Improvements

    5. Regulation of Residential Rooftop Solar

    6. Quiz: Key Terms and Players Related to Your Regulatory and Market Environment

    7. Themes from Expert Stakeholder Interview

    8. Community Research Assignment: Understanding your Local Context

    9. Optional Resources for Module 3

    10. Virtual Class Meeting - April 28

    1. Module 4 Overview

    2. The Green Home Improvement Process: A Customer Perspective

    3. Managing the Customer Process

    4. Financing Approaches for Home Solar

    5. Customer Education and Counseling for Green and Healthy Homes

    6. Themes from Homeowner Interview

    7. Quiz: The Customer Journey

    8. Customer Journey Planning Assignment

    9. Example - Partnership Template

    10. Optional Resources for Module 4

    11. Virtual Class Meeting - May 5

About this course

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

  • 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.

  • Tuition

    This course is designed for a 2-person team from each participating lender. Discounted pricing is available for team enrollment, please contact [email protected] for more information.

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

Upcoming Cohorts

Next cohort: April 7-June 16, 2026, Tuesdays, 2-3:30pm EDT.

Future cohorts: To be announced. Likely Fall 2026. 

Questions? Email us at [email protected]