Help Fund the Clean Energy Movement

ASES serves as the 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor for Clean Energy Credit Union and also as our founding “field of membership” organization. Click here to learn more about our field of membership.

Established in 1954, ASES is one of the nation’s leading associations of solar advocates and professionals and is the U.S. section of the International Solar Energy Society (ISES). Its mission is to “to enable a 100% renewable energy society.” In addition to publishing Solar Today Magazine, ASES organizes a national conference and a national solar home tour each year. ASES has regional chapters in 41 states throughout the U.S., seven student chapters, and nine technical divisions for shared technical research among solar professionals and academics. For more information, visit ases.org

First, please consider joining the Credit Union and making a deposit via a checking account, savings account, money market account, CD, and/or IRA. Your money will only be used to provide clean energy loans to other members, and we need all of the deposits we can get in order to continue meeting our ever-growing loan demand. Your deposits will be federally insured (up to $250k per person or organization), promote clean energy, and protect the environment. You’ll also be able to easily transfer funds between your accounts in Clean Energy Credit Union and your other financial institution via a free ACH transfer on your computer or mobile device. Learn more about ACH transfers. Join Clean Energy Credit Union.

Second, please consider applying for a loan for a clean energy product or service. Learn more about our loan products.

Lastly, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support the Credit Union’s growth via our 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsor, the American Solar Energy Society (ASES). Learn more about ASES. While Clean Energy Credit Union is a self-sustaining 501(c)(1) organization, with the help of donations, our credit union will expand its operations, positive impact, and clean energy lending faster than otherwise. Since credit unions can’t have stockholders, we therefore can’t raise money in that way. So, credit unions can only fund themselves with either donations or retained earnings (i.e. profit). Furthermore, due to federal regulations, credit unions must maintain a certain amount of capital reserves at all times. The end result of this regulation is that for every $1 in donations our credit unions receive, it allows us to accept $14 of federally insured member deposits and then lend out the combined $15 for clean energy loans. Your donation would therefore be leveraged by 14-to-1 to help us fulfill our mission, and your donation essentially becomes part of a revolving loan fund whereby we can reuse it to make clean energy loans again and again in perpetuity. Make a donation.

Donations can be made in one of the following two ways:

1. By entering your credit card or PayPal information on our donation page (enter “Clean Energy Credit Union” in the comments/memo section); or

2. By mailing a check with “Clean Energy Credit Union” in the memo line, payable to:

American Solar Energy Society
2525 Arapahoe Ave, Ste E4-253
Boulder, CO 80302

By donating to the Credit Union via the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), which is our 501(c)(3) “fiscal sponsor,” your donations can be tax-deductible. Upon receiving donations of $250 or more, ASES will provide a receipt for your records.  To learn more about ASES, click here.

While Clean Energy Credit Union is a self-sustaining 501(c)(1) organization, with the help of donations, our credit union will expand its operations, positive impact, and clean energy lending fasterthan otherwise. Since credit unions can’t have stockholders, we therefore can’t raise money in that way. So, credit unions can only fund themselves with either donations or retained earnings (i.e. profit). Furthermore, due to federal regulations, credit unions must maintain a certain amount of capital reserves at all times. The end result of this regulation is that for every $1 in donations our credit unions receive, it allows us to accept $14 of federally insured member deposits and then lend out the combined $15 for clean energy loans. Your donation would therefore be leveraged by 14-to-1 to help us fulfill our mission, and your donation essentially becomes part of a revolving loan fund whereby we can reuse it to make clean energy loans again and again in perpetuity.

Yes. All donations to Clean Energy Credit Union can be made via the American Solar Energy Society (ASES), which is our 501(c)(3) “fiscal sponsor.” This means that our credit union is a project that ASES supports and which is aligned with its charitable purpose as a 501(c)(3). So, any donation to ASES can be designated to support Clean Energy Credit Union project and 98-99% of your donation will be transferred within the same month. Why only 98%-99%? This is because ASES keeps an administrative fee, which goes towards the staff and infrastructure required to support the Credit Union, which equals 1%-2% (depending on the volume of donations that they process on our behalf). A 1%-2% administrative fee is a very good rate when it comes to 501(c)(3) fiscal sponsorships, and we are grateful to ASES for all of their support, encouragement, and assistance in pursuing our shared missions. Click here to learn more about ASES.

For each $1 in donations that the Credit Union receives, we can accept $14 in deposits from other members. This can be combined into $15 worth of clean energy loans. If, for example, we raise $1,000 in donations, this could allow – and be combined with – $14,000 in deposits. In turn, this combined amount could translate into a $15,000 loan for an approximately 6,000-watt solar electric system (assuming a 30% solar tax credit that results in a 70% loan-to-value) that would generate over 8,000 kWh of solar electricity and prevent over 12,000 pounds of CO2 per year. And as this loan is paid off, the money can be reused and loaned out again and again like a revolving loan fund.