NYSERDA Small Business / NY Green Bank Energy Financing Program
New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) / NY Green Bank
Up to $100,000+
Below-market loans for NY energy upgrades
NYSERDA's Small Business Financing Program is a participation-loan facility — capitalized in part through NY Green Bank, NYSERDA's clean-energy investment fund — that makes energy-efficiency and renewable-energy upgrades affordable for New York small businesses, multifamily building owners, and nonprofits. NYSERDA finances 50% of the loan principal (up to $50,000) at a below-market rate of Wall Street Journal Prime + 2% fixed at closing, while a participating lender finances the rest at market rate, enabling total loans of up to $100,000 or more with terms up to 10 years. Borrowers qualify by obtaining a NYSERDA-approved Request for Financing package or eligibility letter for an energy project. Behind it, NY Green Bank (a division of NYSERDA) has committed over $2.6 billion to larger clean-energy and decarbonization projects across the state, including the $250 million Community Decarbonization Fund. The program is state-administered and active in 2026.
- Funding type
- Loan
- Level
- State
- Amount range
- Up to $100,000+
- Realistic amount
- Most small-business participation loans land in the $20,000–$100,000 range — a lighting, HVA…
- Deadline
- Rolling — financing available year-round through participating lenders, contingent on a NYSERDA-approved energy project.
- Status
- active
- States
- New York
- Payment model
- loan
Who qualifies
- New York small business with 100 or fewer employees (or not-for-profit / multifamily building owner) that owns, leases, or manages its building (or has a building-owner release to apply)
- Must obtain a NYSERDA-approved Request for Financing package or eligibility letter (a qualified energy assessment, e.g., via NYSERDA FlexTech, a utility program, or a qualified energy consultant)
- Project must be an eligible energy-efficiency or renewable-energy improvement
- Loan obtained through a participating lender
- Borrower must meet the lender's credit underwriting
Hard requirements
- No more than 100 employees
What it covers
Eligible expenses
- Energy-efficiency equipment (HVAC, lighting, controls, building envelope)
- Renewable-energy systems (solar PV and others) per NYSERDA-approved scope
- Installation and related soft costs within the approved project
- Multifamily building energy retrofits
- Other measures covered by the NYSERDA Request for Financing package
Ineligible expenses
- Projects without a NYSERDA-approved Request for Financing package or eligibility letter
- Non-energy business expenses
- The portion of a loan exceeding the lender's approved amount or the 10-year term
- Measures outside the approved energy scope
How to apply
-
1
Get a NYSERDA-approved energy project
Complete a NYSERDA energy assessment or program path so the efficiency/renewable project is approved — you'll receive a Request for Financing package or eligibility letter.
~5 hrs
-
2
Apply through a participating lender
Take the NYSERDA eligibility documentation to a participating lender. NYSERDA finances 50% (up to $50,000) at Prime + 2%; the lender funds the balance at market rate.
~3 hrs
-
3
Close the participation loan
Close the blended loan (NYSERDA + lender tranches) with a term up to 10 years and complete the energy improvement.
~2 hrs
The leverage here is NYSERDA's 50% tranche at Prime + 2% — meaningfully below a standard commercial loan. Sequence matters: get the NYSERDA-approved Request for Financing package or eligibility letter for your energy project BEFORE you approach the lender, or you can't access the below-market tranche. For projects too big for the $100K retail loan, ask about NY Green Bank's wholesale facilities and the Community Decarbonization Fund.
Deadline & timing
No application window. Borrowers first secure a NYSERDA-approved Request for Financing package or eligibility letter for the energy project, then apply through a participating lender.
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Last reviewed 2026. GrantCompass is an independent funding-discovery tool and is not affiliated with any government agency. Always confirm details on the official program page.