The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), passed in 2022, represents the largest federal clean energy investment in history. IRA provides billions of dollars in funding through direct spending and tax credits that can be used to preserve and retrofit affordable housing, reduce energy costs, and increase community resilience. It will provide $369 billion for investments in climate resilience, energy security programs, and efficiency improvements and a total of $25 billion that is directly targeted to, or can be leveraged, for affordable housing.
What does this all mean for affordable housing developers and community-based organizations doing work on the ground? How can they best prepare and position themselves, their constituents, and their communities for these funding opportunities?
LISC Greater Kansas City was pleased to host this webinar, hearing from Mark Kudlowitz, Senior Policy Director with LISC, Quinn Biever, Policy Analyst with Elevate, and Leslie Zarker, Director of Sustainability Policy with National Housing Trust on the IRA’s:
Target audience: Affordable housing developers/providers, community-based organizations (CBOs), community development corporations (CDCs), Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI)
Facilitated by
Amanda Wilson, Senior Program Officer, LISC KC - Amanda joined LISC as a Program Officer in 2016. Her focus is on providing capacity building support and technical assistance to local community development corporations (CDCs), leading local affordable housing policy efforts, and leading our work to create safe and healthy neighborhoods. Amanda holds a Master’s in City and Regional Planning from Cornell University, and a B.S. in Biology from Missouri State University.
Speaker Bios
Mark Kudlowitz - Mark is a Senior Policy Director and advocates for federal policies that support LISC’s national priorities, including affordable housing, rural development, community development financial institutions, and sustainable development. Before LISC, Mark worked as the Policy Director of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Office of Multifamily Housing Programs and also worked for over seven years at the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. Mark managed affordable housing and community development programs at the District of Columbia’s Department of Housing and Community Development and held multiple positions at the Housing Assistance Council, a national rural affordable housing organization. Mark earned his B.A. from the University of Florida and master’s degree from the University of Michigan.
Quinn Biever - Quinn began his work at Elevate as an organizer on the outreach team, educating and promoting energy efficiency measures and programs to tenants and landlords on the west side of Chicago. Now as a Policy Analyst, Quinn conducts research on industry conditions and assists with the development of policy positions and advocacy materials while also tracking multi-party coalition decisions, state and federal legislation, and regulatory proceedings. He leads the Affordable Housing/QAP working group for the Midwest Building Decarbonization Coalition, is an active member of the Illinois and Missouri Energy Efficiency for All Coalitions, and maintains a working partnership with the Wisconsin Climate table through Elevates’ National Strategic Engagement Team. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy from Creighton University.
Leslie Zarker - As National Housing Trust's Director of Sustainability Policy, Leslie works to advance clean energy policies and supports Energy Efficiency for All’s (EEFA’s) midwestern state coalitions. Leslie has worked to scale energy efficiency and healthy home upgrades in homes for 15 years. Most recently she was ICF’s program manager for the Better Buildings Challenge multifamily housing sector, supporting HUD and the Department of Energy, providing program management, technical assistance, and training to 90+ participating affordable housing organizations. Prior to this, Leslie was with the Building Performance Institute and the Green & Healthy Homes Initiative. Leslie holds a master’s degree in public policy with a concentration in Environmental Policy from the University of Maryland.