Our Team
Joel Armin-Hoiland
FOUNDER & CEO Joel is a seasoned non-dilutive funding professional, having worked on both sides of the grantmaking process and engaged with the full range of non-dilutive funding entities. For example, at Inyenyeri, he secured over US$5.65 million in grant funding for clean cooking and deforestation projects in East Africa, while also leading strategic partnership development and cultivation with a wide variety of organizations, including multilateral institutions, DFIs, foundations, government agencies, private sector partners, and NGOs. At All Power Labs, he won over US$6.2 million in public funding, and helped service the awards by developing carbon-negative biomass gasification generator technology (which won the Water XPrize in 2018) and leading domestic and international project development and the company's public policy activities in California. On the Coastal Fund’s Board of Directors, Joel assessed, approved, and oversaw implementation of over $1 million in grants preserving, restoring, enhancing the California shoreline. His other work ranges from policy and science advising for environmental litigation, to working with a state environmental regulatory agency, to designing and undertaking academic climate research. Joel holds a Master of Environmental Law and Policy from Vermont Law School (summa cum laude), with a self-directed dual concentration in climate change and renewable energy, and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Studies from the University of California at Santa Barbara (magna cum laude). To date, CFS has raised over US$5.4 million for its clients, while also developing multiple projects, commercialization plans, and pathways to scaling. |
Anna Kulow
GRANTS MANAGER Anna Kulow brings over six years of experience in grant writing to Climate Finance Solutions, with expertise in renewable energy technologies and energy and climate policy. She worked with clean energy start-ups, non-profits and universities to secure over $5.5m in funding from the California Energy Commission, Shell/NREL GameChanger, Qualcomm, and the Maryland Water Resources Research Center. Anna holds a BA in Environmental Policy and Science from McDaniel College in Maryland and a Certificate in Sustainability from the University of California, Berkeley. She also completed graduate level studies in Environmental Science & Technology at the University of Maryland, College Park where she worked on waste-to-energy technologies. She is dedicated to advancing a just transition to clean energy and is specifically interested in promoting projects that benefit both people and the planet. |
Julie Saracino
GRANT WRITER Julie Saracino is a global health professional with several years' experience developing project proposals and implementing programs for small international non-profit organizations. She studied global health and environment at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and holds a Master's of Science degree in International Health Systems with a certificate in Health Financing and Management from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Julie's health policy and research background led her to most recently work in South Africa and Cameroon to startup and build capacity for NIH- and CDC-funded HIV treatment and adherence programs. She is passionate about elevating community voices to spark structural change for pressing social, health, and environmental issues. |
Amber Bloomer
CONTRACTOR & MANAGING DIRECTOR OF GRANTACCESS Amber Bloomer is an international development professional and the Managing Director of GrantAccess. She has years of experience in project/program design, program implementation, development, and management of donor relationships and fundraising strategies for non-profit organizations, SMEs, and social enterprises operating in resource-constrained environments. Amber has raised over $10.8M in non-dilutive funding for projects focused on energy, ICT, refugee livelihoods, women’s empowerment, and public health. She has also contributed to policy initiatives on clean energy in the developing and humanitarian context in several countries, including India, Kazakhstan, and Uganda, driving forward sustainable development solutions for people living in poverty. |
Nicole Kelner
CHIEF OF STAFF Nicole was the co-founder and COO at The Coding Space, an after school program to teach kids how to code and the Director of The GirlCode Program. She helped lead the company to acquisition in 2019. She first developed a passion for empowering young women to be leaders in the world of STEAM after her first company SmartPurse was acquired by BetaBrand. She was the winner of the Alibaba Women Empowerment Award, a finalist for Shark Tank, and a writer for The Huffington Post and Women 2.0. Nicole has worked at Popexpert, an education startup in San Francisco. In her free time, she leads Lemonaid.io, a community for women focused on mental health & human rights. |
Dusty Swartz
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD Dusty is a mover, shaker, and deal-maker. Living and traveling abroad at a young age gave Dusty an appreciation for nature, different cultures and types of people, and the connection between them. This led to studying how they were connected while earning a BS in Public and Environmental Affairs from the University of Indiana, Indianapolis, after which he embarked on a corporate career at large global enterprises. However, his parents were small business owners and they inspired him to deviate from the norm and take an entrepreneurial path. Dusty launched Pura Vida Ventures and dedicated the bulk of his career to introducing novel products and services that support environmental sustainability to markets around the world. As an entrepreneur and business development leader, he's created the strategies, tactics, and teams to scale across five global regions. Dusty has led business development and operations for a portfolio of ventures in biodiesel distribution, biomass gasification, energy efficiency, hospitality/recreation, and consumer products sectors. He has a knack for devising creative strategies and tactics that have generated tens of millions of dollars in revenue and hundreds of alliances and partnerships. |
OUR COMMITMENT TO INCLUSIVITY
CFS is an equal opportunity employer. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, or veteran status. Women, people of color, and indigenous people are especially encouraged to apply for positions with the company. CFS is a member company of Empowering Diversity in Clean Tech (EDICT).
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