Financing the Clean Energy Future: Inaugural Clean Energy Funders Forum Builds Momentum and Collaboration Across Public, Private, and Philanthropic Capital

The United States stands at a crossroads in the transition to a clean energy economy. Achieving net-zero emissions by 2050 will require unprecedented deployment of both capital and technology—but today, capital isn’t flowing at the levels needed. Too often, funders work in silos, duplicating efforts and limiting impact. And with federal financial support pulling back, the urgency to coordinate and maximize every other investment has never been greater.

At SEPA, we see that no single utility, developer, funder, or policymaker can solve these challenges alone. Progress depends on bold collaboration across public, private, and philanthropic capital. That is why, this September, SEPA launched the inaugural Clean Energy Funders Forum (CEFF) 2025. The sold-out event convened over 100 funders and partners to explore a single question: how do we finance a clean energy future at scale—with speed, impact, and alignment?

CEFF provided a candid space for funders and practitioners to share what’s working, what’s not, and how to push progress forward together. Across plenaries, breakouts, and lightning talks, one theme rose above all: collaboration is no longer optional; it’s essential.

As one keynote speaker reminded participants, “We can’t build good systems without good political power. Investing in relationships, in each other, is the way to win.”

As a trusted convenor in the clean energy sector, SEPA created the Clean Energy Funders Forum to ensure that every dollar invested in the transition goes further and faster. CEFF 2025 marked a critical step toward building the relationships and networks that can align funding strategies, reduce duplication, and accelerate impact.

For those new to SEPA, we are a 30-year-old nonprofit dedicated to bringing the right organizations and people together, conducting forward-looking research on what the energy system needs today and in the years ahead, and serving as the pragmatic, nonpartisan partner that decision-makers rely on for actionable solutions. With that foundation, CEFF 2025 moved beyond dialogue to explore concrete pathways, through its sessions and discussions, that will help shape a more strategic and effective clean energy funding ecosystem.

Partnering Across Capital Types

Speakers emphasized the need for public, private, and philanthropic funders to collaborate in addressing the scale of the challenge.

• Philanthropy is prioritizing implementation and capacity-building, especially as affordability pressures mount with electricity prices rising faster than inflation.
• Private investors underscored that the dollars exist, but deployment is uneven. They highlighted stacking capital–leveraging public incentives, philanthropic de-risking, and private scale as the way forward.
• Policy leaders reminded the room that clear, predictable standards, regulations, and transition plans create the certainty markets need to mobilize.

Panelists agreed: the moment demands bold partnerships and fresh approaches, not yesterday’s playbooks.

Effective Public-Private-Philanthropic Models

Funders shared real-world case studies of blended finance at work.

• The New York City Energy Efficiency Corporation (NYCEEC) demonstrated how philanthropic loan guarantees can unlock 10x the private capital for community solar, storage, and affordable housing retrofits.
• The Michigan Climate Investment Hub has created a physical and collaborative home for advancing state-level decarbonization, pooling federal, philanthropic, and private dollars to accelerate deployment.
• The Nevada Clean Energy Fund has used innovative underwriting tools and CPACE financing to enable projects that otherwise would have been seen as “too risky,” including electric school buses for rural districts.

The throughline: funders are filling market gaps and proving that creative structures can turn stalled projects into scalable ones.

Adapting to Federal Pullbacks

Another timely discussion centered on the reality of reduced federal support for clean energy initiatives. Panelists shared how they are pivoting to state, local, and community-driven strategies.

• Community-based organizations and coalitions are stepping up to maintain momentum, even as federal grants are paused or rescinded.
• Foundation leaders emphasized the importance of storytelling, making clean energy feel tangible and urgent for everyday communities, not just policymakers.
• Financial institutions pointed to catalytic capital—money that is deployed strategically to unlock or attract additional investment that otherwise might not flow—as critical for bridging gaps, particularly as tax credits expire and federal pipelines stall.

Despite the setbacks, speakers struck an optimistic tone: the infrastructure, networks, and local resilience built in recent years remain strong, and with the right partnerships, progress will continue.

Centering Equity in the Transition

Equity was front and center throughout CEFF. Sessions emphasized that the transition cannot succeed if it leaves behind frontline, tribal, or low-income communities.

• The Alliance for Tribal Clean Energy highlighted the Indigenous Power & Light Fund for Energy Sovereignty, launched in September 2024 with a three-year goal of $100 million, with $40 million already secured. The Fund is helping Tribes replace costly diesel with clean systems, electrify homes and villages for the first time, and strengthen critical infrastructure, advancing both immediate needs and long-term energy sovereignty across Native communities in the U.S., including Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.
• Several foundation leaders discussed expanding their focus from funding advocacy to investing more widely in deployment, particularly in communities where traditional finance has been insufficient or absent.

Speakers stressed that equity is not just a moral imperative, it’s a market necessity. Funders who fail to prioritize equity risk leaving vast communities and opportunities behind.

De-Risking Private Capital

One of the biggest questions in clean energy finance is how to make projects attractive to mainstream investors. Sessions on de-risking investment highlighted the role of philanthropic and public dollars in creating the right conditions for private capital to flow at scale.

Speakers described several tools that can give investors greater confidence:

• First-loss capital and credit enhancements can act like a safety net by absorbing early risks, so commercial lenders feel more comfortable participating.
• Standardization and securitization bundle projects together and streamline paperwork, helping reduce costs and complexity for all parties.
• Bridge capital, which provides temporary funding, allows strong projects to survive delays or market setbacks until long-term financing is secured.

As one participant explained, recent bankruptcies in parts of the solar sector show just how critical these strategies can be—without timely support, promising projects can fail, while with it, they can unlock significant private investment and move forward.

A Call for Political Power

Closing keynote speaker Jigar Shah left the room with a challenge: solving the financing puzzle is not enough. Funders must also invest in political power and communications.

He reminded the audience that while clean energy technologies are advancing rapidly, they cannot scale without the political will to back them. Oil and gas companies spend billions shaping public opinion and influencing policymakers, while clean energy advocacy is still funded in the millions. That imbalance, he argued, leaves the sector at a disadvantage in the very arenas where long-term success will be decided.

Shah urged participants to think beyond project pipelines and focus on building durable coalitions, supporting trusted messengers, and investing in narrative change. From local elections that shape utility commissions to the digital spaces where public sentiment is formed, political influence determines whether clean energy solutions thrive or stall.

His call to action was clear: funders must help shift the narrative, expand the bench of communicators, and ensure that communities themselves are leading the conversations. Only by pairing capital deployment with political power can the clean energy movement achieve its ambition of lowering electricity costs, strengthening resilience, and reaching net zero.

Looking Ahead

The 2025 Clean Energy Funders Forum demonstrated the immense creativity, urgency, and collaboration shaping today’s funding strategies. Whether through blended finance, community-driven initiatives, or a sharper focus on equity, funders are proving that solutions exist—even amid disruption.

As one speaker summed it up, “We’ve spent 20 years on pilots. Now is the time to build—and to build together.”

Looking ahead, SEPA is beginning plans for CEFF 2026 and will extend select invitations to relevant individuals and organizations to participate in the 2026 CEFF Advisory Council. Together with this group of advisors, SEPA will carry this conversation forward and continue to catalyze collaboration between public, private, and philanthropic clean energy funders.

*In accordance with Chatham House Rules, all organizations mentioned by name in this blog have reviewed and approved the text or comments attributed to their organization.