Resources
Two decades of guides, reports, case studies and sample documents, shared freely. Start with the 2013 guide if you are setting up a fund, or the 2023 survey if you are making the case for one.
- ComingAsk to be told when it is out
Revolving fund implementation guide for local and county governments
Commissioned by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the U.S. Department of Energy. SEI is lead author.
- 2023Read
Greening the Bottom Line: Advancing Institutional Sustainability Goals with Green Revolving Funds
A survey of 66 institutions on how funds are set up and managed, their benefits and the barriers to them.
- 2019Read
Revolving Funds for Sustainability Projects at Airports
A comprehensive guide to planning and launching a fund, with case studies that also apply to universities and local governments. Funded by the Federal Aviation Administration and published by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine as ACRP Research Report 205. With RMI, Cadmus Group and Frasca & Associates.
- 2016Read
Exploring Energy Efficiency: Multi-Sector Survey on Energy Efficiency Tracking Platforms
How tracking tools perform across healthcare, higher education, K-12, municipalities and corporations.
- 2014Read
College Endowment Investment Trends and Best Practices: An Analysis of STARS Data
The first independent analysis of AASHE STARS endowment data, covering 178 institutions.
- 2013Read
Green Revolving Funds: A Guide to Implementation & Management
Ten steps to designing, launching and managing a fund, with case studies from Caltech, the University of Vermont and Arizona State. Co-published with AASHE and developed with ICF International.
- 2013Read
Green Revolving Funds: An Introductory Guide to Implementation & Management
The short version, for anyone new to revolving funds.
- 2012Read
Greening the Bottom Line 2012
Tracked green revolving fund growth from about 50 to about 80 campuses in under two years.
- 2012Read
Investment Primer
An introduction to the financial case for revolving fund investments.
- 2011Read
Greening the Bottom Line
Our first survey of campus revolving funds, which found a median annual return on investment of 32 percent among 52 campuses.
- 2010Request a copy
Minority-Serving Institutions Green Report
Sustainability practices at more than 50 tribal colleges, Hispanic-serving institutions and HBCUs. With UNCF's Building Green Initiative.
- 2007–11Request a copy
College Sustainability Report Card
Five editions of the first independent comparison of campus and endowment sustainability. The last covered 322 schools holding more than $325 billion in endowment assets.
Case studies and sample documents
The Billion Dollar Green Challenge site has case studies of funds at Harvard, Stanford, Caltech, Boston University, Western Michigan and others, along with real fund charters, applications and agreements you can adapt.