NAME
Lynn von Koch-Liebert
TITLE
Head of Climate, Energy & Infrastructure, Lendistry
LOCATION
Sacramento, United States
ABOUT
Lynn is a leader in climate finance and community development, with a focus on ensuring underserved and frontline communities, businesses, organizations, and tribes have access to resources that support their vision for resilience, sustainability, and climate action. Lynn’s work spans policy creation, programme design, and fund administration, and now, in her role at Lendistry – a minority-led national Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) – she leads efforts to address one of the largest structural barriers faced by underserved communities seeking to participate in the climate transition: access to capital.
MOTIVATIONS
“I grew up in a part of the United States that was renowned for its natural beauty but was also exposed to long-standing pollution from uranium mining. Some of my earliest exposure to community engagement and environmental justice work stems back to watching our community successfully lobby for clean-up and remediation funding. The lived experience of the human impact, economic impact and environmental impact that can come from short-term planning or lack of community involvement from the onset launched me into a career focused on sustainable, responsible and community-driven development within the US and globally.
Over the last nine years I have had the unique opportunity to provide State of California public funding to finance community climate and resilience projects, learning a lot from the project sponsors along the way. However, through this work I have also seen how inequitable many of the systems are, and how each step is harder for certain communities. I continue to be focused on understanding where the roadblocks are and working actively to address the obstacles.
When the US made its largest investment in climate change through the Inflation Reduction Act, further committing 40% of the funds to underserved communities at the frontline of climate change, this seemed like the opportunity to be part of a national opportunity to help build up the systems, financial tools, and financial channels to help make this a success. Now at Lendistry I am part of a team working on solutions to provide catalytic capital to move clean-energy and climate projects and companies forward, as well as national efforts to crowd private funding into the market to ensure our transition is accelerated and equitable.”
IMPACT
Over the past nine years, Lynn has been involved in or led multiple initiatives designed to remove barriers and create systemic change for more equitable climate and resilience investments. Under her leadership, the following initiatives have had a significant impact:
CHALLENGES
While Lynn’s initiatives have been impactful, they have faced significant challenges:
GOALS
“The vision for Lendistry is to work quickly to help fill an existing market gap instrumental to the Inflation Reduction Act and Justice 40 goals – namely access to smaller and mid-size loans that are available at critical points in a project or business cycle, and that benefit underserved communities. By standardizing and getting to scale quickly, these resources can support businesses and communities in being able to participate in the rapidly growing and evolving climate and clean-energy space. The ultimate vision is that access to capital is not a major barrier for communities and companies building wealth, solving localized climate change challenges, and benefiting from the positive impacts this transition will bring.”
LYNN’S ADVICE
“It’s important to understand how all the pieces fit together. When looking at the bigger picture, don’t be intimidated by the terminology – it may seem complicated at first but becomes more straightforward as you learn the language. Partnerships are crucial; recognize your capabilities and know when to seek partners. Right now there is a lot of newness in this field, and no one has all the answers or can do everything alone. Working collaboratively will help us achieve our collective goals. Don’t hesitate to ask questions, seek help, or share your knowledge.”
HOW YOU CAN HELP
Lynn work with Lendistry and the Connecting Communities Initiative is paving the way for equitable climate finance. Here’s how you can support
CONTACT
Meet Khaled Noby Mohamed, Executive Director of Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE), where he’s working to balance renewable energy growth with biodiversity protection in Egypt. As renewable energy projects expand, Khaled is leading critical efforts to safeguard Egypt’s unique ecosystems, from migratory birds to vulnerable native species.
Meet Gilberto Ribeiro, Partner and CIO of VOX Capital, leading climate finance innovations for sustainable energy and land use in Brazil. Gilberto’s work mobilizes funds to address Brazil’s environmental challenges, from deforestation to sustainable agriculture.
Meet Ramil Azmammadov, CEO of Dr. Agro, who’s empowering Azerbaijani farmers to make data-driven decisions for sustainable yields. Dr. Agro’s platform equips farmers with tools for crop planning, budgeting, disease alerts, and climate insights – helping them navigate challenges and increase productivity.
Meet Sheela Bharat Patel – Founder & Director of SPARC and a champion for resilient, low-carbon housing solutions for communities in informal settlements across the Global South. Through her ROOH campaign (Roof Over Our Heads), Sheela is transforming vulnerable communities by empowering women and local networks to co-create housing solutions that withstand climate challenges
