Greetings PSEF Community,
I hope you are entering the new week feeling rested and in good health and spirits. I’m writing to share a personal update and note of gratitude.
After nearly five years serving as PSEF’s Executive Director, my time at PSEF will be coming to a close in August. My departure comes as part of a leadership transition emerging from the Board’s recent strategic planning process. The Board will be sharing more about the strategic direction and the Strategic Plan with members very soon.
While transitions always come with a range of emotions, what rises above for me is a sense of deep gratitude – for the trust you have placed in me, the relationships we’ve built and the opportunity to carry out the mission. It’s been a true privilege to serve our network over the last couple of years. When I joined PSEF, I was entrusted with helping build out our ambitious vision: to create a community-governed resource that would support frontline communities in not only accessing capital, but building power through collective ownership, shared learning, and mutual support. I never could have imagined the challenges our movement and communities would be facing today, but I’m proud that together, we’ve worked to turn that vision into something tangible. We have built a foundation to scale support for communities at a time when energy democracy – and the broader practice of democracy – calls on us to cultivate more spaces where communities can exercise power.
Over the last four years, PSEF has flourished and laid the foundation for an even more ambitious future. From a four-person team with limited resources, we have grown into a creative and deeply-committed team of twelve, stewarding a range of offerings designed to accelerate community-owned energy projects in rapidly shifting times. PSEF’s vibrant integrated capital fund has tripled in size and, with a 100% repayment rate, has demonstrated the power of non-extractive lending and wrap-around technical assistance to help community-led energy projects succeed. Our capacity building programs consistently generate positive feedback for their community-rooted approach and impact in moving community project plans forward.
These efforts have strengthened our membership. Our network has nearly doubled in size to a total of 38 members – a testament to the growing momentum behind locally led and community-owned energy solutions. Beyond the numbers, this growth strengthens our collective capacity, with members sharing knowledge, partnering on projects and continuously learning from one another to accelerate community-owned clean energy projects across the country.
What gives me the greatest sense of pride is not any single program or milestone, but the many ways in which PSEF as a network intentionally continues to build community, cultivate a culture of democracy and lean into collectivism – especially at a time when scarcity and fear so often shape our institutions. PSEF has always been more than a fund. It is a growing ecosystem of people committed to the belief that frontline communities – particularly Black, Indigenous and Communities of Color – deserve the trust, resources and power to shape their own energy futures. This commitment is visible in the many ways in which you show up for one another: sharing your expertise with fellow members, collaborating in working groups, celebrating each other’s wins in member meetings and actively participating in decisions on how the commons is built and governed – even when those conversations are difficult.
As PSEF enters its next chapter, I encourage you all to continue leaning into that collective culture, care and support for one anothers projects and championing the power of community-led solutions. The strength of PSEF (and our secret sauce) has always lived within the collective. Please continue sharing your knowledge generously, seeking support when needed and building the shared commons.
Personally, I plan to take a few weeks to rest and reflect after this chapter comes to a close. After that, I’ll spend some time listening, learning and having conversations to better understand what is needed in this moment, where I can be most useful, and how I might best contribute, before embarking on whatever comes next. Rest assured, my commitment to community-led ownership and building collective power remains as strong as ever.
I want to thank each of you for the trust you’ve placed in me over the years. It’s been a profound honor to help steward PSEF’s vision and by extension, support the aspirations of your organizations and the communities you serve. It’s a responsibility I have never taken lightly. I’m grateful for every conversation, every event, collaboration and every moment we’ve shared in service of our collective mission. I also want to acknowledge the vision, commitment and contributions of all the leaders who helped build PSEF before and alongside me, including my former Co-Director, Mitty. And finally, I am especially grateful for the incredible PSEF team, whose creativity, commitment and care bring the vision to life every day.
While my role is ending, the relationships we’ve built certainly don’t end here. Beyond this chapter, I hope our paths will continue to cross, and hopefully I’ll have the opportunity to build alongside many of you again some time in the future.
With gratitude and ever in community,
Mmakgantsi Mafojane