John Moon named president of LISC Green LLC to lead deployment of GGRF funds, deepen LISC's impact in sustainable community development

NEW YORK, Oct. 17, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) has named John Moon, a national expert in climate finance and social investing, as its first president of LISC Green, LLC, the implementing entity for its funding from the federal Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF).

LISC is one of five partners in Power Forward Communities (PFC), a coalition that was awarded $2 billion as part of GGRF's $14 billion National Clean Investment Fund. The other PFC partners include Enterprise Community Partners, Habitat for Humanity, Rewiring America and United Way Worldwide. LISC will use its share of the funding to finance energy-efficient affordable housing, fuel green jobs and provide technical assistance to help local organizations advance healthy, resilient community development projects.

Moon's experience in both the public and private sectors directly connects with this transformative opportunity to deliver the benefits of a green economy to disinvested communities, noted Michael T. Pugh, LISC president and CEO. Most recently, Moon served as senior vice president/sustainability philanthropy leader at Wells Fargo, where he focused on grants and investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, support racial equity and advance economic opportunity. He previously helped drive community affairs strategies at both the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) and Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco.

"John has spent his career working to build a more inclusive economy, one in which the built environment underpins better health and financial stability for residents who might otherwise not have access to either," said Pugh. He pointed to Moon's long history of leading cross-sector coalitions that include impact investors, philanthropy, community-based organizations and government. "His success in connecting climate finance to social impact demonstrates what is possible—better health for residents, growing incomes for families and vibrant local economies, all while contributing to stronger environmental outlook."

Those attributes date back to the earliest days of Moon's career. He helped to mobilize social investment capital for the nonprofit Living Cities; led community development efforts at the Federal Reserve Board; and helped launch the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) program at the U.S. Department of Treasury. He also worked in municipal public finance and community development for the cities of Seattle and Washington, D.C. as well as in other private-sector banking roles.

Moon said that fueling economic opportunity requires a creative mix of financing and local strategies, just as decarbonization is complex multi-faceted effort that directly connects to the well-being of residents. "These are not separate challenges. Creating a healthier environment and supporting economic resiliency at the community level are part of the same whole. That's why I'm so excited to get started at LISC. We have a rich network of experienced people on the ground all over the country helping connect the dots from capital to local impact, and we have the national resources to support those efforts."

Moon and Pugh both reiterated the importance of GGRF and the federal government's commitment to green housing, businesses and jobs, especially in low-income areas.

"GGRF is a remarkable opportunity to leverage significant public resources to attract corporate, philanthropic and institutional capital to this work," Moon said. "These resources will help expand affordable housing to address our national housing crisis, expand income and wealth-building to offset local economic challenges, and make our communities healthier and more resilient."

For more on LISC's efforts to support an inclusive green economy, visit https://www.lisc.org/special-initiatives/power-forward-communities.

For more on Power Forward Communities, visit https://powerforwardcommunities.org.

About LISC

LISC is one of the country's largest community development organizations, helping forge vibrant, resilient communities across America. LISC works with residents and partners to close systemic gaps in health, wealth, and opportunity and advance racial equity so that people and places can thrive. Since its founding in 1979, LISC has invested $32 billion to create more than 506,000 affordable homes and apartments, develop 82.5 million square feet of retail, community, and educational space, and help tens of thousands of people find employment and improve their finances. For more, visit www.lisc.org.

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SOURCE Local Initiatives Support Corporation