Barnard is also the founder, chairman, and CEO of GivePower, a nonprofit that facilitates solar powered projects to provide clean water and energy systems to underserved communities.

[1][2][3] Barnard was born and raised by a single mother in Creve Coeur, Missouri, a suburb of St.

[7] In September 2003, Barnard founded Paramount Equity Mortgage (later renamed to Loanpal and subsequently rebranded to GoodLeap),[8] one of the first to provide online[6] residential home loans.

[15][16] GivePower has developed water and energy systems in 17 countries,[15] including communities in Africa, Asia, and Latin America.

[11][3] In 2018, Barnard's non-profit organization built a solar-powered desalination system in Kiunga, Kenya that produces 19,800 gallons of fresh drinking water a day.

[3][18] In 2016, Barnard left SolarCity and took on the role of chairman and CEO of Loanpal, a financial technology platform that provides financing for clean energy products.