Concentrating on the single-family residential sector, this section looks at the organizations and groups that influence financing programs. They typically fall into three general categories:

• Financing Partners/Agents: Organizations with direct involvement in the lending and financing process. Those are the people who touch the money as it flows through the process.
• Advisors and Enablers: Organizations that provide direct technical assistance, financial planning, and management assistance services to state and local governments. They may help design and support the process, but do not directly handle the money.
• Other Interested Parties: Organizations that have an interest in or are affected by the loan programs, but are not necessarily directly involved in implementation. They may be people who are not paid for their opinions/advice and do not touch the money; nevertheless, they can have a major impact on how the money flows.

Moving a clean energy loan program successfully from concept to design to implementation involves state and local governments working with and understanding the perspectives of a wide variety of organizations. Some of those groups will play essential implementation roles, while others may simply have valuable information, interest, or contacts that help state and local governments come up with an appropriate design likely to succeed given local conditions. Knowing how to work with different partners and stakeholders requires an understanding of what motivates their actions. In other words, "What's in it for them?"

Learn more about:

• Financing Partners
• Assessing the Partnership and Stakeholder Landscape