The pandemic and economic crisis has left over 30 million unemployed in the U.S. At Raise Green, we believe there are green jobs for anyone out there if they create their own local solar company. These are the first steps towards ensuring an equitable clean energy transition is accessible to everyone and is driven by new entrepreneurs and small businesses—increasing local self-determination and economic growth.

Through clean energy projects, Raise Green can help provide jobs for the unemployed and ensure projects bring economic and environmental benefits at the community level. Our two-sided marketplace helps create and fund climate projects to make investing in clean energy easy. 

Each of these projects needs a project creator, or an Originator as we call it at Raise Green, to create opportunities in the marketplace for our impact investor network to support them. This Originator could be an individual, a group of folks, or another legal entity. We want to make it easier for clean energy entrepreneurs to create a solar project in their community than a fast food franchise. We need everyone’s help in the fight against climate change and now you don’t have to wait!

On June 10th, 2020, we shared [our Originator project creation process. ](https://youtu.be/pKZswTC48ac) Within the webinar, we had the opportunity to recap our own founding story and two successful pilot projects, as well as provide an overview of the four crucial steps of being a Raise Green Originator: Create, Fund, Build, and Run.

Our first pilot project took us approximately 10 months to create and fund. The next one took about 4 months. With our Originator Engine software, [a product we co-created with IBM](https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/uk-en/developing-the-solar-community/), we streamline the process so that Originators can complete this process in as little as 10 weeks or less. If you are interested in learning how to start a project with Raise Green, check out the recording of the webinar here: https://youtu.be/pKZswTC48ac

Our webinar played host to prospective Originators from a variety of different backgrounds, and we had the opportunity to field an extensive Q&A session with some great folks after our presentation. We decided to share some of these questions along with our written answers below. Please feel free to continue the conversation with us by tweeting @RaiseGreenInc, emailing us at [info@raisegreen.com](mailto:info@raisegreen.com), or [signing up for our mailing list](http://eepurl.com/dFst3T). 

Additionally, if you already have an idea or a lead for a project, please reach out to our Head of Originator Sales, Jackie Logan, over email: [jackie@raisegreen.com](mailto:jackie@raisegreen.com). We want to make all of your projects a reality, and we will do our best to connect you with the best tools and people to do so. 

Stay tuned for our next webinar, focused on Impact Investors, on July 8th at 2pm Eastern. To make sure to get the most up-to-date information on this event as well as all other Raise Green content, please follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/?hl=en), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/raisegreen/). 

**7 Questions from prospective Originators:**

*What is the contractual relationship between Originators and Investors? *

This is the exciting part - unlike traditional finance where you have to take terms offered by a bank, Originators can set the terms that work for your project and see if investors are interested in owning a piece of your project. Raise Green works as an intermediary, performing due diligence on contractual obligations and securities structuring. We also provide template documentation to help issue non-voting member units into your project structure, although the extent of involvement is up to you as an Originator. 

*How is the dividend to investors calculated?*

Dividends or other types of repayments depend on whether you use equity or debt to raise capital for your project. You will be issuing dividends if you sell equity in your company, whereas if you sell debt securities, you will be paying interest against that debt. For both of these investment mechanisms the calculation of dividend or interest depends on the operating costs and the power purchase agreement price signed with your project company, and at the end of the day this is a decision that you can make as an Originator. For example, before raising any money, Raise Green will help assess what kinds of capital outlays the project would need for ongoing operations and maintenance. Then, based on whether or not tax equity is included, Originators can determine how much they can offer their investors. Some investors may only join for a higher modeled return (e.g. 7%+), but others may join for a lower modeling return (e.g. 3-5%) if they have a relationship with the project, for example. Part of the exciting part of creating a company on Raise Green is that you help to define and elucidate the new efficient frontier of a new asset class - green private equity for community-level project finance.

*How is the timeframe of the project negotiated? *

Our team will work with Originators to negotiate a timeline that is in-line with your objectives and commitments. Regardless, the timescale of different phases in projects may vary due to project scale, location, off-taker relationship, etc. 

*How long does the initial RAISE (Revenue, Ambition, Impact, Social, Environmental) screening process take? *

The initial screening process will differ extensively depending on where you are in your project creation process and could range from as little to two weeks to as long as two months. Whether you just have an idea, or you already have a project location and type already selected, we will work with you to bring your idea to fruition. 

*How do the tax benefits and credits apply to the Investor and/or Originator entity and how vital is capturing “tax equity” in generating revenue as an originator? *

Raise Green has created a templatized structure that integrates a Tax Equity Partner in order to enable access to the relevant renewable energy tax benefits (e.g. Investment Tax Credit) into your project company cash flow. Our team assists in helping to find a Tax Equity Partner that may invest as a partner in the project company. By involving a Tax Equity Partner, your community-scale project could be roughly 30-40% less expensive due to receiving tax benefits and accelerated depreciation that might otherwise not be accessible. Choosing the right structure for your project finance company is vital to capture this “tax equity” as an Originator in order for these community-scale projects to be successful, and our team has unlocked this through our unique financing approach. 

*Do you have any suggestions on how to approach a potential off-taker (i.e. a community center) about how they’ll benefit from an Originator putting solar panels on their roof? *

Building trust from the outset of a business relationship is essential. The best way to build trust with a potential off-taker is to approach them with sufficient preparation on the details of your project, along with a clear sense of the benefits that could come with a cooperative agreement between your project and the off-taker’s site. Our team can help with this step of communications, but it is a good idea to have an idea of the size of the project along with benefits such as: electricity cost savings, pollution reduction, community support, etc. prior to initiating communications with an off-taker. It is important to note that a trusting relationship between the you and your off-taker is crucial to a project’s success, and setting up ongoing communications and open feedback will help ensure a beneficial relationship overtime. 

*Is it possible to start a company with such a low equity stake at the outset? Will originators have to give up some of their 10% to create a team (accountant, etc.)? *

When you create a project company with Raise Green, by default, your Originator team would start with 100% of the equity in your project. This percentage will decrease depending on the amount of equity you sell to fund your project (ex: 80%), as well as if you decide to offer equity in order to create a team. It is up to you as the Originator and your team whether to share a percentage of equity with key community members or organizations in order to grow the Originator team and incentivize partners to help you get the project done! 


*This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*

How to Start Your Own Solar Project Company: 7 Q&As from our Originator Webinar

How to Start Your Own Solar Project Company

While COVID-19 is currently spreading globally and affecting all of our lives in many different ways, and uprisings of protest across the country righteously call for racial justice, the climate crisis looms. 

Compounding crises make addressing all of them more difficult, but also unite and accelerate our movements toward a more just, healthy, and sustainable world. Even though global carbon emissions have experienced a marginal reduction, climate change persists in the face of a global pandemic and economic drop, due to decades of past and ongoing carbon emissions. 

Fortunately, some of the lessons from today’s pandemic just might provide the foresight and cooperation necessary to save us from the long-term climate crisis at hand. Here are some lessons from COVID-19 that have striking similarities to Climate Change:
 
**1.     If we don’t address a forecasted threat until it is upon us, it becomes too late to divert and the ripple effects widen.**

A global virus had been expected for years, with warnings being voiced from both Republicans and Democrats. George Bush in 2005 and President Obama in 2014 spoke at the National Institute of Health, stressing the severity of the threat: act now, prepare our country, educate our communities, and everyone will need to take part. Bill Gates in his now viral Ted Talk on Pandemic Preparedness spells out the threats and plan of action to mitigate impacts and divert the course.  Take the case study of a country like New Zealand that urgently implemented strict control measures before case numbers could skyrocket. As of June 5th, there had been no new reported cases for two consecutive weeks and lockdown measures had been drastically reduced. 

Early action and better preparation globally would have meant more saved lives and livelihoods.

**2.     While the impact may initially affect another part of the world or a state on the other side of the country, it will inevitably be at your front door in one way or another. **

When COVID cases were being reported in China, with minimal cases in the US, the economic impact in US markets was already being felt.  And once clearly in the US, daily life changed quickly — wedding plans, dinner with friends, visiting your elderly parent in a nursing home — the scale of job losses and the persistent fear for health show that impacts are ubiquitous, ranging from personal to economic to societal. It's hard to fathom how an imminent threat can change the way we live so dramatically, until it actually becomes a reality. Let’s use our current reality and apply it to climate change.  Climate change will have an uneven global impact, but it will ultimately infiltrate our world.  Whether it’s flooding in your town, the loss of industries, or drought, climate change filters into our lives.  

** 3.   The solution to a crisis requires cooperation and collaboration globally, nationally and locally — from governments, to NGOs, from private to public sector.**
 
Whether it is sharing critical research to push for a vaccination or sharing data related to trends and new findings from experience with the virus, collaboration and coordination on multiple levels with a singular focus is pushing us towards solutions faster than imagined. 

Because of the urgency, we see innovative new uses of existing drugs, retooling of factories, and the shift of resources to where they are most needed — all scaling up quicker than previously thought possible. With this singular focus and collaboration, we just might beat this virus in record time. 

The seeds for this type of effort exist for climate change - global organizations, taxonomies, science targets, data, unifying [policies that set standards demand appropriate investment and inspire unity and justice, ](https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/21252892/climate-change-democrats-joe-biden-renewable-energy-unions-environmental-justice), and innovative renewable energy systems — we need to get singularly focused and feel the urgency. 

We know what we need to do here. 

** 4.    A crisis brings underlying problems to the surface – like how disasters hit marginalized communities disproportionately. For a truly just, healthy and sustainable world, no one can be left behind. **

The current pandemic exposes underlying inequities in the life of our citizens. One example are the healthcare disparities that exist in the U.S with Americans of lower socioeconomic status reporting more cases of chronic illness, long before COVID-19. This has the flow-on effect of these groups being at higher risk for severe illness when it comes to COVID-19, according to the CDC.  

Climate change is a similar beast where wealth inequalities and racial injustices are concerned. Climate justice is racial justice. Studies indicate that disenfranchised communities in Southeast Asia, sub-Saharan Africa, and Latin America will be the first ones negatively impacted by the warming climate, as sea levels flood shoreside communities with poor infrastructure, cause droughts in already arid regions, and disrupt crop harvests for farmers in the Global South. According to the Global Internal Displacement Database,[ 24 million people were displaced annually by climate disasters in the last decade](https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/2018/10/drought-climate-change-force-guatemalans-migrate-to-us/).  So, much like COVID-19, more Black people, and poorer, disadvantaged folks are unfairly bearing the brunt of the compounding crisis waves, but we’re all implicated and accountable to the ripple effects that follow. 

**5.     And, probably the most personally eye-opening is the importance of and the power of the individual, and their local community to bring immediate and hugely impactful action **

In the absence of a vaccine, mitigating drugs and proper testing, the first line of defense has been in the hands, literally, of each person to take conscious action and to work together locally as a community such as sheltering in place, social distancing, handwashing, and wearing masks. We do this not just to protect ourselves but also to protect others. There has been an outpouring of help for one another — people running errands and delivering groceries to elderly, making masks for others, donating to local businesses, school children sending letters to essential workers, brave and righteous protest. 

These individual actions have mattered. Yes, we need changes from big corporations and governments but do not overlook the fact that health, justice, and climate solutions, can start with the individual in the choices we make and the votes we cast.  

**All of these lessons are applicable and significant in the fight against climate change.**

COVID and the George Floyd protests have shown us that we as individuals are not powerless. All of us are critical in flattening the curve and saving lives. There is huge power in the individual and the local community to make changes that have collective impact to stop the progression of climate change. 

Just as the visualization of data has induced a cooperative movement to ‘Flatten the Curve’ of COVID partly to address the capacity limitations of hospitals, climate science shows us that we can and need to flatten greenhouse gas emissions to limit the destructive impacts of global warming. Think of the atmosphere and oceans as our “global hospitals”. They too will reach their maximum capacity in terms of buffering effects, eventually giving way to catastrophic increases in global temperatures. 
 
Our experiences with COVID must inform the next decade in our joint fight against climate change.  

But for all these comparisons between COVID and climate change, there is one important difference:  for the climate, there is no vaccine; there is no one solution to eradicate it. 

The time to act is now, to get ahead of the curve. 

You can be part of the solution with Raise Green: consider starting a solar project in your community, reducing your carbon footprint, lowering electricity costs for those in need, providing local work in the development of the project, and building a more inclusive form of capitalism representing an opportunity for revenue to stay within the local community. Or, invest in community-driven solar projects today. It simply makes sense.

*
This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*

Five Lessons Learned from COVID-19: How does learning from the pandemic help us fight climate change?

Five Lessons learned from COVID that might save us from Climate Change



COVID-19 has changed the world for all of us, and we hope all of you are staying safe, healthy, and continuing to flatten the curve by social distancing responsibly. Unfortunately, the climate crisis looms large and much closer on the horizon than many people realize -- **it’s the next big curve that must be flattened**.  

Last week, coinciding with the 4 year anniversary of Regulation Crowdfunding, we had the opportunity to host a webinar with the Raise Green community. Not only did we receive super insightful and interesting questions from our attendees, we also unfortunately maxed out the participants allowed by the Zoom platform! We are humbled and grateful to have had this “problem” on our hands, but we apologize to anyone that wanted to and was unable to attend. In response, we are posting a recording of the [Raise Green webinar here](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6RW8zb_HnMM). Take a listen! 

While our webinar provided an opportunity for many of you to ask some great questions and receive answers, there were definitely a handful of frequently asked questions -- and this blog shares those great questions and short answers below. Please give them a read, and don’t hesitate to continue the dialogue directly with us by tweeting or posting at us [@RaiseGreenInc](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/) or emailing us at [info@raisegreen.com].

Stay tuned as our next webinars are around the corner - diving into Originators on June 10th, and shortly thereafter, Impact Investors.  To make sure to get the most up-to-date information on these, please consider signing up for our [email list](/https://raisegreen.us18.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=11082e3b065fd4366639c43b6&id=e376621b73) and follow any of our social accounts ([Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/raisegreeninc/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/RaiseGreenInc), [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/RaiseGreenInc/), [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/29305067/admin/)). We will be sure to blast all of these leading up to our upcoming webinars, so follow them if you don’t want to miss out on some great content! 

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/x/d9f173f85a/untitled-presentation.svg)

# 6 Frequently Asked Questions from the webinar:

**What are the risks involved in impact investing and how are these risks managed?**

Like any financial investment in a company, impact investing has risk.  Each investment must be reviewed for its unique potential returns and risks of loss, which can be all of your investment whether debt or equity.   Raise Green performs certain due diligence prior to listing a company on the funding portal. This includes ‘bad actor checks’ on all Originators, and ensuring each potential Investor has access to a formal write-up by the Company that lays out its business case and discloses specific risks to investors.  It is very important that prior to investing, each investor reviews all these materials to determine if the investment is appropriate for their particular  financial objectives and circumstances. More generally, Raise Green requires Investors to review certain educational materials about Crowdfunding risks prior to opening an account, and we limit an Investor’s total dollar invested as required by our Regulators. Learn more about the process and risks here: https://www.raisegreen.com/faq

**When we look beyond solar, e.g. to regenerative agriculture and carbon sequestration projects, or regional CSAs, what do you see as the key similarities and what do you see as key challenges for something that isn’t as easy to model?**

Raise Green is set up to facilitate the financing needs for any type of clean energy or climate solution company, but we’re focused initially on  solar. Just like Amazon started with the storing and selling of books online in the early 1990s before expanding to the vast online marketplace we see today, Raise Green is targeting solar projects before expanding to a larger marketplace for any and all climate solutions. Our business model works best with projects that have a contractual cash flow (like a Power Purchase Agreement). As long as projects pass our due diligence, which starts with the RAISE Model, and they’re looking to bring a climate solution to their community, we are glad to work with your company to raise inclusive financing. Get started here: https://www.raisegreen.com/originator-program 

**How can contractors and developers integrate Raise Green’s financing options into their workflow?**  

Raise Green encourages contractors along the project development pipeline to reach out and join as enterprise partners. We have many enterprise partners already for solar installation, engineering, procurement and contracting, banking, accounting, insurance, tax-equity, and more. If you see a role for your company or yourself as a contractor in helping provide services or equipment to motivated local project developer-Originators, reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com]! Of course, contractors and developers could decide to be the Originator of a project company as well. 
 
**What SEC registration exemptions are available for crowd sourcing in general, or for ‘Raise Green’ projects specifically?** 

Raise Green is a licensed Funding Portal with the SEC and FINRA, which means that it is authorized to serve as an intermediary in a transaction involving the offer or sale of exempt securities in reliance on Section 4(a)(6) of the Securities Act. This means that Raise Green can conduct offerings of a variety of security types (debt, equity or others) for private companies incorporated in the U.S. under Regulation Crowdfunding (Reg CF) looking to raise capital. And, this allows a new or existing company to raise a maximum aggregate amount of $1,070,000 through crowdfunding offerings in a 12-month period. Read more here: https://www.raisegreen.com/faq 

**Can investors receive tax incentives that follow renewable installations? Can you describe in more detail about the “access to tax equity investment”?**

The Federal Investment Tax Credit and accelerated depreciation benefits are important incentives that help improve the economics of clean energy projects. Unfortunately for many community-scale projects and non-profits, these incentives are difficult or impossible to access due to complexity or lack of sufficient tax-burden to effectively capture the value. Raise Green does not offer financial, tax, accounting or legal advice in any way, however we do provide assistance to access enterprise partners that can help Originators get their projects up, funded and running. One of those enterprise partnerships is focused on tax equity, so if you’ve got a project that you’d like to list on Raise Green, and you’re interested in capturing tax equity investment and accelerated depreciation benefits, please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com] so we can assist!   

**What are the benefits and challenges for an originator to create a project through Raise Green as compared to financing through a solar outfitter?**

Raise Green enables individuals to create their own green job, and create local economic development, opening up the possibility of community ownership of solar projects. Typical solar outfitters offer two main financing options: either a loan (which can have interest rates close to 7-9 percent or higher); or a third-party owned Power Purchase Agreement model where their company owns the solar system and sells electricity at a fixed rate to the off-taker. 

Raise Green’s model for community-scale solar projects enables a local Originator to create, finance, build and run their own project which allows them to set their own financing terms, and inclusively finance their project bringing in impact investors as owners or lenders to replace the traditional bank or third-party owner.  This means that the Originator and their crowdfunded local community climate company have more autonomy and flexibility in managing the project. It also means that the Originator is responsible for managing that company over the solar infrastructures expected life. They ensure that the system is built and maintained, and that the Crowdinvestors are getting paid back as the project generates and sells electricity through their Power Purchase Agreement. Of course, as mentioned above, the Originator can choose to bring in service providers, we like to call enterprise partners,  to help with any and all phases. Raise Green’s inclusive finance approach enables communities to create, own and benefit from the solutions to climate change.


![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/267x150/2252db00c5/updated-copy-__-raisegreen-pitch-deck-200407-1.svg)

*This is not a Research Report, should not be construed as investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein Past performance is not indicative of future results. This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.*


6 Questions and Answers from Raise Green’s Webinar: What can you do about the climate crisis?

## Raise Green enables project finance options for existing clean energy and community projects

*May 10, 2020*

On Monday, May 4th, 2020 the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) [announced](https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-101) temporary, conditional relief for established smaller companies affected by COVID-19 that may look to meet their urgent funding needs through a Regulation Crowdfunding offering. The changes allow faster crowdinvesting offerings for some companies by providing relief from certain rules related to early offering closures and financial statement requirements. To use the temporary rules, a company must meet strict eligibility requirements and provide clear, prominent disclosure to investors about its reliance on the COVID-19 relief regulation amendments. The relief will apply only to offerings launched between May 4, 2020 and August 31, 2020.

In accordance with these SEC rule changes, Raise Green is offering owners of existing clean energy and community projects (that have Power Purchase Agreements or other contracted cash flows), to **conduct expedited crowdinvesting offerings to raise debt or equity**.

This is done in four key ways:

1) Existing projects and companies are eligible if they have a legal entity older than six months, and if they are not otherwise disqualified from issuing exempt securities under Regulation Crowdfunding.

2) Issuers can now start marketing their offering once an Offering Statement is available without the financial statement attached, to be followed by the financial statements that will allow investment commitments to be taken. For smaller offerings no more than $250,000,   financial statements need only be certified by the principal executive officer (rather than a public accountant).

3) Offerings may now close sooner than 21 days if the target funding amount for the project is committed by investors.

4) The investment commitment cancellation period is changed from 48 hours before the close of an offering, to 48 hours after the investment commitment is made (barring any material change in the company or offering).

*Please see the below Chart for a more complete listing of the changes.*

All offerings using the temporary amendments must comply with disclosure requirements in the temporary SEC rule ([Rule 201(z)](https://www.sec.gov/rules/interim/2020/33-10781.pdf)). As the SEC said in the temporary rule: “The Commission recognizes that, in the current environment, **many small businesses are facing challenges accessing urgently needed capital in a timely and cost-effective manner. A securities offering under Regulation Crowdfunding may be an attractive fundraising option for some small businesses at this time**, particularly as a means of allowing an issuer to make use of the internet to reach out to its customers or members of its local community as potential investors as well as to existing investors.”

At **Raise Green**,  we are intent on using our powers for good, just like all of the owners and (dreamers of being owners) of distributed clean energy projects and community businesses.  There is an urgent need for capital in a “timely and cost-effective manner”. **Raise Green** enables anyone and everyone to participate in inclusive financing that is designed to benefit local small to medium businesses and community organizations. We encourage you to check the SEC’s [press release](https://www.sec.gov/news/press-release/2020-101) about these changes, as well as the full temporary [rule](https://www.sec.gov/rules/interim/2020/33-10781.pdf).

Please reach out to us at [info@raisegreen.com](https://calendly.com/raise-green/15min?month=2020-05) if you are interested in raising funds on Raise Green or would like to learn more about what we do.

The following table summarizes the current rules and temporary amendments:

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/1560x3941/6a69341448/sec-table.jpg)

*This Blog is for discussion purposes only, expresses the views of Raise Green, and is not investment research. This is not investment advice, and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy any securities.  Certain information is from or links are to third party sources. Although they are believed to be reliable, we do not guarantee their accuracy, completeness or fairness. Raise Green is a licensed Funding Portal with the SEC and FINRA, and is not a Municipal Advisor.  Prior to being approved to list a company on the Raise Green portal, a diligence review is completed. Prior to investing. investors must sign up for an account on the portal. Raise Green does not provide tax, accounting or legal advice. Investing in crowdfunded offerings involves risk and you should review the risks of a particular investment prior to investing. You are strongly encouraged to consult your professional advisors before investing. Go to [www.raisegreen.com](/) for additional information on services, the funding portal, regulation, and investment  risks. Or, direct inquiries to [info@raisegreen.com](https://calendly.com/raise-green/15min?month=2020-05). Copyright © 2020*

Raise Green enables project finance options for existing clean energy and community projects

The SEC now allows small businesses to pursue faster crowdinvesting offerings because of (you guessed it) #COVID19


# Equity crowdinvesting makes clean energy and climate finance accessible to everyone

This global pandemic is forcing us to examine a lot about our lives. It’s time to shift our thinking so we emerge from this crisis with a more healthy, inclusive and sustainable economy that makes our communities more resilient. We each have the power to vote, not just at the ballot box, but also with our dollars and our time. Raise Green is focused on the latter two -- we offer you tools to create or invest in local clean energy projects or climate solution companies.

Private equity investing isn’t new, but in the past, for the most part only “accredited investors,” or wealthy people who earn more than $200,000 a year or have a net worth of over $1 million, were allowed to take part. In theory, this was to protect new and vulnerable investors  from making bad decisions and to help them avoid financial ruin, but the flip side was that ordinary citizens were denied the opportunity to invest as they saw fit. Research shows that investors who seek impact should allocate capital to sustainable companies whose growth is limited by external financing conditions (i.e. private companies), so if non-accredited investors want to have impact, their choices are severely constrained. For example, AngelList, the world’s most popular online investing platform, only allows accredited investors to invest.

That all changed in May 2016, when the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) launched the new rules under the name "Title III" (full name: Title III of the Jumpstart Our Business and Startups (JOBS) Act, also called Regulation Crowdfunding, or Reg CF for short). President Obama signed the bipartisan act making it easier for small companies to fundraise. For the first time in the U.S., this change enabled any and every American to "be able to go online and invest in entrepreneurs that they believe in", as  President Obama said. What makes this policy exciting is: 

1. Entrepreneurs can now raise up to $1 million in a 12-month period from non-accredited investors through crowdinvesting offerings; and 

2. Investors can invest a limited amount per 12-month period based on their income and net worth, so they’re still have some protection.


Fast-forward to today. A global pandemic is bearing down on our communities and families, economic uncertainty, climate change, and income inequality are escalating on a daily basis. These impacts are damaging public health and endangering lives and livelihoods, hitting the poorest and most vulnerable disproportionately. Many small businesses are failing, and the Federal government and big banks are failing to lead or provide sorely needed relief. There has never been a more important time to enable inclusive growth.

Thankfully, most world leaders are acting to manage the crises. In the U.S., State and local elected officials are stepping up to lead the response to the coronavirus and the ensuing economic downturn. On the more long-standing climate crisis, nations of the world have agreed in the Paris Agreement on climate change that "holding the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels, would significantly reduce the risks and impacts of climate change”.  Nations also agreed to Sustainable Development Goals that seek to eradicate poverty, hunger, and other societal-ills by the end of this decade. But individuals need something to do to get involved. We have the frameworks in place, now we need people to implement.

In the United States, the new economy is taking shape, and it is a distinctly local economy. There is a renewed call for "community-driven" climate solutions, and people are looking for empowering tools to take action in the face of these mounting societal challenges. The Green New Deal is an attempt by the government to strengthen local economies, and proposes "directing investments to spur economic development, deepen and diversify industry and business in local and regional economies, and build wealth and community ownership, while prioritizing high-quality job creation and economic, social, and environmental benefits in frontline and vulnerable communities, and deindustrialized communities". But we don’t have to wait for the government to act, we already have many of the tools to make this a reality, and crowdinvesting gives everyone the ability to do just that.


## Why we're fired up


Raise Green aims to democratize the ownership of the clean energy and green infrastructure needed to transition the global economy away from harmful carbon pollution. The verified local impact that this type of blended capital and collective action creates will help move us toward an inclusive and prosperous sustainable society that we all own and benefit from. It means a level playing field for inclusive economic growth, by giving all citizens opportunities to originate climate solutions, and invest in a climate-resilient future. 

President Obama used to have a plaque on his desk that read: “hard things are hard”. To solve hard problems like climate change without exacerbating issues of social justice and wealth inequality, we need to work together. Because more impact investors mean more climate solution projects, and more climate solution projects means more social and environmental innovation and progress. This is what it looks like to finance a safe, inclusive, and climate-resilient future that we all can own and benefit from.


## Why you should be ready to go


We need you to be a part of the new local clean energy economy. We started this company to answer the question: What do we do at the end of the march? Today, it seems the better question is, what do we do at the end of the quarantine? Whether you invest your time, or your money, we hope you will join our growing collective of dedicated changemakers building a brighter future together. If you’re interested in sustainable community development, impact investing, climate action, or inclusive growth, Raise Green is the place for you.

As we often say here on the Raise Green team, there is wood to chop! Let's get to work. [Sign up today](/originator-program) to get started.

![Img](//a.storyblok.com/f/77953/910x605/a13263a08c/solar-energy-photovoltaic-wood.jpg)

*This is not a Research Report,  should not be construed as investment advice,  and does not constitute a solicitation to sell or an offer to buy securities relating to any products referenced herein  This blog represents a business discussion only and the views of individuals at Raise Green. Investing in Crowdfunded investments is risky and speculative. Please see FAQs on this Site for more information.  *

**Citations:**
 1- https://www.zora.uzh.ch/id/eprint/162661/
2- https://www.sec.gov/smallbusiness/exemptofferings/regcrowdfunding
3-  https://obamawhitehouse.archives.gov/the-press-office/2012/04/05/remarks-president-jobs-act-bill-signing
4-  https://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement 
5- https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
6-  https://www.scribd.com/document/456454101/Evergreen-Action-Plan#fullscreen&from_embed 
7- https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text

Energy Democracy for All

# Raise Green founding story

*April 22, 2020 - Franz Hochstrasser, CEO and Co-Founder, Raise Green*

Like many entrepreneurs before us, our early business plans had a lot of twists and turns. For Raise Green, those twists and turns were quite literal since our first business involved making air pollution sensors that live-tweeted from the handlebars of bikes.

Our earliest turn came in a press [interview](https://www.greenbiz.com/article/can-pollution-sniffing-sensors-drive-climate-action) after winning a Climate Change Solutions grant from Yale. We were in the middle of sharing how our mobile air sensor business raised public awareness about the challenges of public health and climate change when we realized we were focused on the wrong half of the problem.

Most people know that polluted air and greenhouse gasses are disrupting our planet. Air pollution is actually even more deadly than the current pandemic in many ways, [killing an estimated 8.8 million people annually](https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/air-pollution-may-be-a-leading-global-cause-of-death#Air-pollution-a-pandemic,-say-researchers) around the world. That’s nearly 6x the monthly death rate of COVID-19, which killed 125,966 people in its current deadliest month. All of these problems disproportionately impact the poorest and most vulnerable. And while we may not see the same response to climate change as we’re seeing for COVID-19, we now know that systemic and individual behavioral changes can happen very quickly. We also know that the more long-standing crisis of [climate change is disrupting lives and livelihoods, already displacing close to 70 million people](https://www.brookings.edu/research/the-climate-crisis-migration-and-refugees/).

As a community, many of us see these statistics and want to take action. We may protest, sign petitions and march in the streets, but it often feels like our efforts stop short of solving the problem. We need something to do after the march that affects meaningful change.

It was this realization that led us to the first big evolution of Raise Green, and after that interview we decided to grow Raise Green from a company that helped highlight the interrelated social injustices, climate and public health crises we are facing, to a company that solved the other half of the problem- providing everyone with **direct ways **to take climate action.

So, what does direct climate action look like?

First, we need to rebuild a clean energy and low-carbon climate resilient infrastructure, no small task. There needs to be [at least $1T](https://www.ceres.org/initiatives/clean-trillion) in global investment each year between now and 2050 into clean energy and climate solutions. In order for us to achieve this, we need affordable and reliable clean energy powering every block, and we need regular people literally buying-in to and benefiting from that infrastructure as a solution.

Community leaders taking direct action are the only ones that can ensure that we don’t just transition to a healthy and sustainable future, but that we have a just transition that we all own and benefit from. If we want to do something truly meaningful to counteract global problems that impact us everyday at the local scale, we need a lot more finance flowing to the technologies that need to be deployed to keep us safe and healthy, and we need a lot more local leaders taking responsibility to create, finance, build and run those projects. 

We believe Raise Green can help empower individuals and communities to rapidly shift to clean power in 2 key ways: 

1) Reduce barriers and complexity - We provide communities with the tools they need to create, finance, build and run their own clean energy projects or climate solution companies.

2) Fundamentally shift incentives- We give anyone the ability to invest directly in a climate action project with a chance to earn a return on their investment. 

Most people want the ability to take real action, but they need support, they need funding, and crucially, they need to feel empowered to know that if they act, and they get their friends and families and neighbors to join them, that it will have an impact. In these days of uncertainty surrounding the global pandemic and economic freeze, community resiliency and natural security in the face of immediate and long-standing crises is even more pressing, and we’re all stuck at home wondering what we can do.

[Sign up](/) now to create or invest in a project.


*Raise Green is the first marketplace in the U.S. for local and inclusive impact investment with verifiable and demonstrable environmental benefits. Up until 2016, most Americans were excluded from investing in private companies, but now participatory investment is possible for everyone.*

**#Give power back to the people. **


Raise Green founding story

Our founding story

Like many entrepreneurs before us, our early business plans had a lot of twists and turns. For Raise Green, those twists and turns were quite literal since our first business involved making air pollution sensors that live-tweeted from the handlebars of bikes...



Our progress

Raise Green Blog

Our Founding Story

Blog Posts