PG&E and The PG&E Corporation
Foundation Grant Programs Support Climate Action Key Investments
for Local Communities
OAKLAND,
Calif., Nov. 10, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Building
upon a long history of climate action and environmental
stewardship, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and The
PG&E Corporation Foundation (PG&E Foundation) have awarded
$900,000 through two grant programs
to support climate resilience efforts in PG&E's hometowns,
while also protecting and restoring land, water, and air in
habitats and communities across California. Both grant programs prioritize
projects that address the needs of disadvantaged and/or vulnerable
communities.
- Through the Better Together Nature Positive Innovation grant
program, the PG&E Foundation has awarded
$500,000 to five grantees — one in
each of PG&E's five regions — that preserve California's unique biodiversity, focusing on
land, air quality and water stewardship.
- Separately, through the Resilience Hubs grant
program, PG&E is providing $400,000 to seven grantees to support communities
in building a network of local climate resilience hubs.
"At PG&E, we're committed to partnering in new and creative
ways to build resilience to the impacts of a changing climate, as
outlined in our Climate Strategy Report. We're excited to work with
these leading organizations to increase climate resilience, while
also supporting equity within the hometowns we are privileged to
serve," said Carla Peterman,
Executive Vice President, Corporate Affairs and Chief
Sustainability Officer for PG&E Corporation and Chair of the
Board for The PG&E Corporation Foundation.
Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grants
As one of the largest landowners in California, PG&E has a long history of
responsible stewardship of the natural environment. Through the
Better Together Nature Positive Innovation grant program, the
PG&E Foundation is reinforcing its focus on environmental
stewardship and investing in partnerships that will protect and
restore land, water, and air in habitats and communities across its
service area.
For 2023, the Better Together Nature Positive Innovation grant
program has awarded five $100,000
grants. These grants are funded by The PG&E Corporation
Foundation, charitable donations come from PG&E shareholders
and other sources, not PG&E customers.
The following organizations are this year's Better Together
Nature Positive Innovation grant recipients:
- Middletown Rancheria of Pomo Indians – developing and
implementing a project to protect native plants and animals on
tribal land in Lake County.
- Maidu Summit Consortium – focusing on management,
education and outreach related to gathering materials for native
Maidu basket-weaving, including promoting, protecting, and
preserving sacred plants in Plumas
County.
- Marine Science Institute – working with underserved
students through the Discover Our Bay program to learn about the
San Francisco Bay Area's watershed
connection to the ocean and possible impacts of climate
change.
- Farm Discovery at Live Earth – advocating for
regenerative farming supporting biodiversity, water conservation
and regenerative farming practices through student and
community-based collaboration in Santa
Cruz County.
- Little Manila Foundation – promoting awareness in
South Stockton of pollution
impacts on health and creating sustainable community
solutions.
"Receiving the Better Together Nature Positive Innovation Grant
represents a crucial step in empowering our organization to educate
residents about pertinent air quality concerns and equipping them
with mitigation tactics in an engaging and culturally sensitive
manner, ultimately contributing to the protection of public health
and the well-being of the South
Stockton community," said Dillon
Delvo, Executive Director, Little Manilla Rising.
Resilience Hubs Grants
Recognizing that communities across California face growing threats from extreme
weather events such as coastal and inland flooding, heat waves,
wildfires, and more powerful storms, the Resilience Hubs grant
program seeks to fund and establish physical spaces, or a set of
resources, that support community resilience in the face of these
climate-driven events. Once developed, these hubs can also be
accessed year-round to build and sustain community-adaptive
capacity in a trusted location.
For 2023, the Resilience Hubs grant program has awarded
$400,000 to the seven organizations
listed below. These grants will be funded by PG&E shareholders
as part of the company's investments in statewide wildfire
resiliency and response, in accordance with a mandate from the
California Public Utilities Commission.
The program awarded $25,000
each to four Feasibility Projects to fund an assessment of
resilience hub needs and/or conceptual ideas for a resilience
hub:
- African American Network of Kern
County – building a comprehensive disaster preparedness
plan, conducting risk assessments, and establishing communication
systems to ensure the timely dissemination of information and
instructions during emergencies.
- California State Parks Foundation – studying the
feasibility of establishing a resilience hub in Candlestick Point
State Recreation Area and building a methodology for establishing
resilience hubs at parks statewide.
- City of Oakland –
conducting community engagement around developing a resilience hub
in East Oakland.
- Willow Creek Youth Partnership (DBA Dream Quest) –
assessing the resilience needs and partners for a future community
youth center.
Additionally, the program awarded $100,000 each to three Design and Build
Projects toward the design and/or creation of a resilience hub.
Through these projects, the organizations will either plan and
design new physical spaces or mobile resources, or retrofit
existing buildings or structures to support community
resilience:
- Community Organized Relief Effort – collaborating with
Allen Temple Baptist Church in
Oakland to further develop a
resilience hub for vulnerable communities.
- Mariposa County –
designing and conducting site development of a community resilience
hub that simultaneously supports local climate change adaptation,
recreation, and economic development objectives.
- Playhouse Arts/CUNA (Communidad Unida del Norte de Arcata/Community United of North Arcata) – designing and building a
resilience hub including backup power, filtered air, coordinated
communication, food and water distribution, and disaster
preparedness training.
"Dream Quest is thrilled to have PG&E's support in helping
to plan for the new Community Youth Center's emergency response
capacity and development of community resiliency. Multiple
disasters have highlighted and compounded the Greater Willow Creek area's vulnerability to
climate hazards, resulting in emotional and socioeconomic impacts.
The Community Youth Center is an opportunity for community members
to turn their shared trauma into action towards community
resilience," said Trish Oakes,
Executive Director, Willow Creek Youth Partnership (DBA Dream
Quest).
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a
subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined
natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million
people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
About The PG&E Corporation Foundation
The PG&E
Corporation Foundation is an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit
organization, separate from PG&E and sponsored by PG&E
Corporation.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company