Operational Best Practices for Green Lending

Building sustainable infrastructure is critical for protecting our planet and curbing climate change. The many green lenders financing these projects need to be armed with the right insights, processes, and systems to deploy green capital successfully. Those who invest in operational excellence will be best positioned to reach their funds' financial, community, and climate goals.

Whether you're a new clean energy fund, a green bank looking to scale, a community development financial institution (CDFI) navigating new lending territory, another capital provider, or an established investor aiming to grow your impact, robust operational frameworks are essential. They ensure the efficient and responsible use of funds, minimize risk, and maximize impact. 

Banyan Infrastructure has compiled operational best practices for green lenders and transformed them into actionable guidance. This compilation draws upon insights from industry experts, partners, and a cohort of community lenders, including participants such as the Clean Energy Fund of Texas, Nevada Clean Energy Fund, Access Plus Capital, and others.    

This white paper is a snippet of the full white paper, Operational Best Practices for Green Lending, to give you a sense of what is included. In this white paper, we cover why operational best practices matter and provide a high-level overview of recommendations surrounding governance.