New grant program to fund community-based organizations providing essential services in areas of food security and housing stability
SAN DIEGO, April 3, 2023 – Beginning today, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) invites community-based organizations to submit proposals for grant consideration from the SDG&E Community Assistance Fund, a new $10M shareholder-funded charitable effort. This two-phase grant program seeks to provide roughly 20 nonprofits with a transformational level of support ranging from $250,000 to $1 million. Recognizing the financial hardship many in the community are facing as a result of inflation and an unstable economy, the SDG&E Community Assistance Fund will focus its resources on expanding the reach and impact of critical services.
“It’s simple for all of us at SDG&E, when you have the power to help, you do it. We are a part of this community – we not only work here, but we also live here, send our children to school here and volunteer our time here. We want to make lives better for those who need it,” said SDG&E CEO Caroline Winn. “This new Community Assistance Fund is designed to help expand essential services to struggling individuals and families who live in SDG&E’s service area.”
Nonprofit organizations delivering services in the areas of food security and housing stability, are encouraged to submit a brief letter of intent online by April 14. Funding is intended to support this region’s most vulnerable populations, including the elderly, low-income individuals and families, and communities of concern. SDG&E has joined with San Diego Foundation (SDF) to administer the fund. SDG&E has a long history of collaborating with the San Diego Foundation to address community needs and tackle social inequities, including recent success in seeding the SDF San Diego COVID-19 Community Response Fund.
“From the Community Response Fund to the Black Community Investment Fund, SDG&E has stepped up when our community has needed it most and today is no different,” said Mark Stuart, president and CEO of San Diego Foundation. “The $10 million investment by SDG&E will go far in supporting local nonprofits to sustain or expand their services to meet growing needs.”
While the SDG&E Community Assistance Fund is a new effort, the company has a long history of leveraging shareholder funds to advance social progress in the region. Over the past 12 years, SDG&E has provided roughly $100 million in shareholder dollars for various initiatives around economic prosperity and workforce development, public safety and emergency preparedness, environmental stewardship and STEM education.
SDG&E is an innovative San Diego-based energy company that provides clean, safe and reliable energy to better the lives of the people it serves in San Diego and southern Orange counties. The company is committed to creating a sustainable future by providing its electricity from renewable sources; modernizing natural gas pipelines; accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles; supporting numerous non-profit partners; and, investing in innovative technologies to ensure the reliable operation of the region’s infrastructure for generations to come. SDG&E is a subsidiary of Sempra (NYSE: SRE). For more information, visit SDGEnews.com or connect with SDG&E on Twitter (@SDGE), Instagram (@SDGE) and Facebook.
San Diego Foundation inspires enduring philanthropy and enables community solutions to improve the quality of life in our region. Our strategic priorities include advancing racial and social justice, fostering equity of opportunity, building resilient communities, and delivering world-class philanthropy to realize our vision of just, equitable and resilient communities. Our custom corporate giving programs simplify and enhance mission- and workforce-aligned philanthropy while making the most impact in the San Diego region. For more than 47 years, SDF and its donors have granted more than $1.4 billion to support nonprofit organizations strengthening our community. Learn more at SDFoundation.org.