Who We Are
Washington Builds provides accessible and affordable financing for energy efficiency and renewable energy projects for Washington residents, businesses, and agriculture that reduce costs, lower greenhouse gas emissions, and create jobs statewide.
History of Green Banks
Green banks are mission-driven public or nonprofit financial institutions that use limited public dollars to unlock far greater private investment in clean energy. Rather than taking deposits, they offer low-interest loans, credit enhancements, and other tools that fill gaps in the market and make clean energy affordable and accessible.
2009
As the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act spurs new ways to mobilize private capital for clean energy, Michigan Saves launches as the nation's first independent nonprofit green bank.
2011
Connecticut establishes the Connecticut Green Bank, the first green bank in the United States.
2013
New York launches the NY Green Bank with an initial $210 million in capital — later growing to a full $1 billion — as the model spreads to cities and states across the country.
2022
The federal Inflation Reduction Act creates the $27 billion Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund, the largest single investment in green banking to date.
2024
The EPA awards the Coalition for Green Capital $5 billion to launch a national green bank and expand the network.
2024
Nearly 40 state and local green banks form the U.S. Green Bank 50 (GB50), a member-driven coalition spanning green banks in nearly every state, to share resources and accelerate clean energy investment nationwide.
History of Washington Builds
Washington Builds grew out of a statewide effort to bring the green bank model home to Washington. Originally chartered as the Washington State Green Bank, the organization took its current name in 2026.
October 2023
The Washington State Department of Commerce and the City of Seattle begin work to establish a state green bank, drawing on more than a decade of the green bank model nationwide.
November 2024
The Washington State Green Bank is founded as an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit financial institution, seated with a founding Board of Directors and initial capital from the state's Climate Commitment Act, following its selection under Section 130(19), Chapter 376, Laws of 2024 — the law authorizing the Department of Commerce to designate a nonprofit as Washington's state green bank.
May 2025
The Board of Directors names Eli Lieberman as the organization's first Executive Director.
March 2026
The Legislature passes SSB 6003, the 2026 supplemental capital budget (Chapter 259, Laws of 2026), signed into law by Governor Ferguson. It capitalizes the green bank with a $25 million appropriation to launch its financing programs and directs the organization to operate under the name Washington Builds.
June 2026
Washington Builds makes its first project investment: a loan guarantee that helps more than double a rooftop solar installation at Pullman High School — the first time the green bank deploys its own capital to support a clean energy project.
Our Goals and Values
Affordability
We use limited public dollars to unlock private capital, driving down the cost of clean energy financing so projects pencil out for families, businesses, and communities across Washington.
Access
We design financing to reach the Washingtonians too often left behind — low-income, rural, tribal, and energy-burdened households — so the benefits of clean energy are shared by all.
Impact
We measure success in real outcomes: lower utility bills, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, cleaner air, and quality jobs created across the state.
Transparency
We operate through public reporting, building a clean energy financing partner Washingtonians can trust for the long term.
Our Team
Eli Lieberman
Executive Director
LinkedInEli Lieberman is the founding Executive Director of Washington Builds. He previously served as director of clean energy financing and interim chief investment officer at Michigan Saves — the nation's first nonprofit green bank — and managed clean energy and energy efficiency lending at the Washington State Housing Finance Commission.
Cory James Clouse "CJ"
Chief Operating Officer
LinkedInCory James brings deep experience in banking and business lending. He holds an MBA in finance from Seattle Pacific University and has served as a relationship manager at Northwest Farm Credit Services and credit officer, credit analyst manager at Wells Fargo, and has advised small businesses across the Seattle region.
Board of Directors
Eileen Quigley
Secretary
Founder & Former Executive Director, Clean Energy Transition Institute
LinkedIn
Cheryl Chan-Hardee
Board Member
Deputy Assistant Director, Energy Division, Washington State Department of Commerce
LinkedIn
Edward Chu
Board Member
Deputy Director General, Julie Ann Wrigley Global Futures Laboratory, Arizona State University
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Representative Davina Duerr
Ex Officio Director
WA State House of Representatives District 1
Washington State Legislature
Representative Stephanie Barnard
Ex Officio Director
WA State House of Representatives District 8
Washington State Legislature
Get in touch
As Washington’s green bank, Washington Builds stretches every dollar of public and philanthropic capital into far greater private sector investment. Have a project, capital to put to work, or just a question? Tell us a bit and we’ll follow up.
Contact Us