Sustainable Development Fund

Sustainable Development Fund is sponsored by Reinvestment Fund. This fund provides affordable financing and non-repayable awards (Access Grants) for energy efficiency, electrification, and clean energy projects that reduce emissions and energy costs and support community-servicing organizations.

Sustainable Development Fund — Reinvestment Fund Grants and resources available for Early Childhood Education projects HBCU Brilliance Initiative Targeted financial support for Historically Black Colleges and Universities Food justice grants serving Philadelphia and the national HFFI program PA Coronavirus Small Business Assistance Program Social Determinants of Health Initiatives including national Invest Health and regional Building Healthier, More Equitable Communities in NJ Early Childhood Education Historically Black College and Universities (HBCU) Investing in projects that are both targeted and transformative Financing for a variety of project needs Financing for a broad variety of projects from solar to energy-efficient retrofits Financing that supports small scale housing developers New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) Leveraging private-sector equity and loan capital investment Aligning public investment and high impact services Lending & Investment Team Early Childhood Education Historically Black College & University (HBCU) A commitment to build strong, healthy, more equitable communities National reach with offices in Atlanta and Philadelphia What guides us as an organization Our founding, history and our industry Current career opportunities Meet our Board of Directors Concrete and measurable results Invest with us Nationally Options for individuals starting at $1,000 Invest with us in Philadelphia Investments towards enhancing the Philly region Supporting data-driven, strategic decision-making and investment to strengthen communities An analytic tool to guide neighborhood revitalization and equitable development strategies Limited Supermarket Analysis A tool to understand and address inequitable access to fresh and healthy food Housing Research and Analysis Quantitative and qualitative analyses on topics such as fair housing and eviction and foreclosure prevention Early Childhood Education Analytics Data-driven approaches to reducing gaps in access to high quality early learning Find our latest field-building research and reports Sustainable Development Fund Reinvestment Fund’s Sustainable Development Fund (SDF) provides affordable financing to advance energy efficiency; electrification, and clean energy projects that reduce emissions and energy costs and support community-servicing organizations across PECO’s electric service territory.

SDF pairs mission-driven capital with a practical, project-focused approach—helping organizations move from early planning to installation. Under SDF, Reinvestment Fund provides right-sized financing aligned with project timelines, incentive cycles, and repayment sources, supporting both straightforward installations and more complex retrofit and electrification scopes.

SDF offers two pathways: (1) core SDF loans for construction, equipment, and permanent financing, and (2) Access & Readiness support —including Catalyst Loans and Access Grants —to help smaller projects overcome upfront feasibility, design, and financing-readiness barriers.

SDF was established by the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission (PUC) through PECO’s electric restructuring proceeding, with strong input from a coalition of environmental and consumer organizations that prioritized building a cleaner energy future for southeastern Pennsylvania.

SDF later received additional funding and expanded responsibilities through the PECO/Unicom merger settlement, including resources to support wind development, solar photovoltaics, renewable energy education, and growth of SDF’s core fund.

SDF supports projects located in PECO electric service territory (the southeastern Pennsylvania counties of Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia, in addition to sections of Lancaster and York Counties). SDF financing can support nonprofits, mission-aligned for-profit businesses, and quasi-public entities (including schools, housing authorities, and local government).

SDF Financing is available for projects involving: Electricity conservation and energy efficiency improvements in buildings (including energy retrofits, gut rehab and new construction). Installation of new energy-efficient production equipment. Implementation of demand-response solutions, including electric storage.

Construction of energy projects that generate electricity from renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, hydro or biomass. Construction of energy projects that generate electricity from other advanced clean energy technologies such as fuel cells, combined-heat-and-power (CHP) or other advanced solutions.

Through the core SDF loan program, Reinvestment Fund offers a full range of loan products—structured to match project timing and repayment sources and underwritten in accordance with Reinvestment Fund’s Credit Policy.

Core SDF financing may include: SDF’s affordable, flexible financing products include: Construction financing (new construction or rehab) Equipment loans and leases Energy conservation lease financing Financing for projects supported by Energy Savings Agreements (ESA), Energy Performance Contracts (EPC), and/or Power Purchase Agreements (PPA) Subordinated debt (where appropriate) Energy Performance Contract financing Loan sizing, pricing, and terms vary by project.

All financing is subject to underwriting and approval. 2) Access & Readiness Capital Program (Small-Project Support) SDF has designated a portion of its capital for the Access & Readiness Capital Program , designed for smaller organizations and smaller, electricity-focused projects that face early-stage readiness or capital-access barriers.

The goal is to help projects reach a clear decision point and become viable candidates for implementation financing. Requirements and Conditions: Matching contributions . Applicants are generally expected to provide a minimum 20% match for costs supported by Access & Readiness tools.

Match may include organizational funds, philanthropic support, secured incentives/rebates, other capital sources, and (in some cases) pre-approved in-kind contributions. Match expectations may be adjusted in exceptional cases. Who Access & Readiness is for .

Access & Readiness is intended for smaller organizations—generally those with annual operating expenses of $1,000,000 or less (up to approximately $1,500,000 in limited circumstances where access to capital is constrained and the project strongly aligns).

Financing Options under the Access & Readiness Capital Program : A) 0% Interest Catalyst Loans Purpose: Short-term, 0% interest loans to fund eligible early-stage costs that help bring a clean energy, electrification, or deep efficiency project to an implementation-ready stage.

Typical size: $50,000–$150,000 Repayment: expected to be repaid from implementation financing, capital campaign proceeds, or other reliable sources tied to project implementation Credit review: subject to Reinvestment Fund’s standard credit underwriting and the borrower’s demonstrated repayment plan Catalyst Loans are typically appropriate when an applicant is otherwise creditworthy but lacks affordable predevelopment financing to advance the project.

Purpose: Non-repayable awards to address discrete technical, planning, or affordability barriers that prevent community-serving organizations from advancing clean energy and electrification projects.

Access Grants are used in two primary ways: Technical Energy Service Provider (TESP) / Readiness Pathway: funding technical and planning services that define/refine the energy scope and produce a decision-ready package Small-Scale Implementation Cost-Share: modest, targeted cost offsets for discrete, electricity-focused measures where a loan is not appropriate Technical Energy Service Provider (TESP) / Readiness Pathway: approximately $15,000–$75,000 Small-Scale Implementation Cost-Share: approximately $5,000–$25,000 Applying for an SDF Loan or Grant The first step is to complete and submit the relevant Initial Financing Request Form for your project to SDF@reinvestment.

com . A member of the Reinvestment Fund team will review your Form and will follow up to confirm eligibility and program fit, request any additional information needed, and discuss next steps (including the appropriate financing pathway, timeline, and documentation requirements).

Financing Request Forms & Guidelines Inquiry Form for an Energy Efficiency Project Inquiry Form for Clean Energy Production Project Access & Readiness Capital Program Guidelines: Small Project Access & Readiness Capital Program Application Form for a 0% Interest Catalyst Loan Application Form for an Access Grant To learn more about SDF and its financing, email SDF@reinvestment. com .