Each March, the National Energy Improvement Fund (NEIF) joins more than 8,000 companies across the globe in celebration of B Corp Month.

The month-long initiative is hosted and supported by B Lab, the nonprofit network overseeing B Corps and the associated certification process. To appreciate the efforts and overarching purpose of B Corp Month — and the role that NEIF plays — is to first understand the B Corp movement: who they are, what they stand for, and how they live out their mission.

Who They Are

B Corps encompass businesses both small and large, and span various industries, countries, and employee types. Despite these differences, businesses that earn B Corp Certification unite on at least one achievement: balancing their profit with purpose.    

As described on B Lab’s web platform for U.S. and Canadian organizations, becoming a B Corp requires “more than a fee and a logo.” All businesses interested in being designated as such undergo an assessment to prove that they don’t just talk the talk — but walk the walk of meeting all necessary standards.

What They Stand For

The B Corp movement represents businesses who make concerted, active decisions to use their power as a business for good. Certified B Corporations meet high standards (as set and verified by B Lab) of social and economic performance, as well as transparency and accountability.

Together, the B Corp community is transforming traditional behaviors and structures found in the workplace, shifting to a much more inclusive and equitable society at large.

How The Mission is Put into Practice

Businesses initiate the B Corp Certification process by measuring their impact on the environment, communities, customers, stakeholders, etc. through the B Impact Assessment.  

Shortly after commencing operations in 2018, NEIF underwent the additional scrutiny needed to be certified as a B Corp in 2019. As required, NEIF later completed another round of technical review as part of the re-certification process in 2023.

The very nature of NEIF’s mission — to help residential and commercial borrowers Go Greener, Affordably — aligns with B Lab’s push to better both people and the planet. By working with NEIF, customers of all kinds, income levels, etc. are not only provided affordable options for their improvement project at-hand but are becoming more energy-efficient in doing so. 

In 2023, NEIF’s Benefit and Impact Report revealed that:

• Low-and-moderate income households accounted for over half (52%) of all loans serviced by NEIF.
• 88% of home upgrades financed through NEIF represented core upgrades — HVAC, insulation, roofing, and lighting.
• More than 1,700 like-minded contractors, committed to quality work and customer service, are approved to offer NEIF financing.

On an internal level, NEIF employees remain up to date with mandated compliance training, follow recycling protocols while in the office, and are encouraged to volunteer in various activities and initiatives throughout the year.

So while B Lab’s efforts culminate in a celebration lasting just one month out of the year, NEIF — along with the global community of B Corps — advance society toward a better future each and every day.

SOURCES: B Lab, B Lab United States & Canada