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Clean energy for all

Who needs MnCIFA’s green financing?  

The core reason that the Minnesota Climate Innovation Finance Authority exists is to serve communities that have historically faced barriers in accessing capital needed to fund clean energy projects. These are the same communities facing the worst impacts of Minnesota’s changing climate. 

Bringing fairness to energy resources

Every Minnesotan – regardless of income, race, ethnicity, color, or national origin – has the right to energy that is reliable and affordable, safe and clean. Unfortunately, too many people, especially low-income communities, communities of color, and Indigenous people, carry an unfair heavier burden in the cost of energy and the impacts of our changing climate. Business, nonprofit and public organizations with high energy costs impact the cost of living for all of us, but with greater impacts for households with lower incomes. 

More reliable and affordable, cleaner, safer energy for all

MnCIFA's investments are strategic in delivering cleaner, safer, more reliable and more affordable energy for all Minnesotans, encompassing renewable energy, energy efficiencies, innovative energy technology and other investments. Projects and programs with MnCIFA financing are required to demonstrate community benefits, with energy savings or reductions in carbon emissions.  

By state law, we invest at least 40% of our loans in communities meeting qualifications for environmental justice, defined as communities with census tracts where:  

  • At least 40% of the population is people of color  
  • At least 35% of households have income at or below 200 percent of the federal poverty level
  • At least 40% of the population has limited proficiency in English  
  • The location is within Indian Country, which is defined as federally recognized reservations and other Indigenous lands  

This mapping tool, managed by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency, helps MnCIFA identify areas that may benefit from increased access and innovative options for green financing: Understanding environmental justice in Minnesota.  

Climate Action Framework

MnCIFA supports green financing as an integral part of the State of Minnesota’s Climate Action Framework to address Minnesota’s changing climate through immediate, near-term actions we must take to achieve our long-term goal of a carbon-neutral, resilient, and equitable future for Minnesota.