Shine recently welcomed SunFunder, responsAbility and Bidhaa Sasa to the campaign. Each of our three new partners have made notable commitments to providing universal access to clean, affordable and reliable energy.
SunFunder is a pioneer in the solar energy finance business. Their financing for solar assets in emerging economies focuses on scaling up clean energy access in Africa and Asia by solving the debt financing bottleneck for off-grid and grid-deficit solar companies. SunFunder’s new $85m Solar Energy Transformation (SET) fund will provide critical access to renewable energy to off-grid communities in East and West Africa. They have also committed to working with early-stage solar companies that have the fewest funding options, offering smaller loans that allow regional companies to grow.
As one of the world’s leading asset managers for impact investments, responsAbility Investments AG funds renewable energy production, energy access providers and energy efficiency projects in Sub-Sahara Africa and South and Southeast Asia. responsAbility has pledged to further grow its renewable energy portfolio in Africa and Asia over the next five years, by providing private debt and equity to companies and projects that generate clean, affordable energy to underserved communities and offering technical assistance to strengthen the operations of investee companies.
Bidhaa Sasa finances and distributes household goods to rural communities in Kenya that are often unserved by conventional businesses. They make clean lighting, clean cooking, agricultural and water innovations accessible and affordable to low-income rural families by directly serving women and their networks in their own villages. Bidhaa Sasa has committed to scale up its finance and distribution business in rural Kenya and other Eastern African countries, while continuing to offer a range of affordable and accessible clean energy solutions to women in rural communities.
The Shine Campaign is building a robust community of philanthropic, development and faith partners to champion clean energy solutions that benefit education, health and local last mile economies. In partnership with dedicated organizations like SunFunder, responsAbility and Bidhaa Sasa, we can close the investment gap and access to energy for all.