Empowering Community Resiliency - PSE Competitive Grant Program

Empowering Community Resiliency - PSE Competitive Grant Program Main Photo

20 Apr 2023


Grants, Housing, food security, PSE

Puget Sound Energy Foundation Logo

 

 

PSE Foundation is dedicated to Empowering Community Resiliency. For our 2023 Competitive Grant Program, we want to hear what your nonprofit needs to help you expand impact and accomplish the important goals and objectives you’ve established to serve our shared communities.

Through this process, a team of PSE’s local employee volunteers will review applications, learn about your work and ensure your community voice is represented throughout our review process.


Funding Overview

Grant requests must demonstrate how funds will be used to develop or strengthen competencies, strategies, systems or structures to help improve organizational effectiveness within the funding areas below: 

Food Security


What we will fund: Projects that support existing community food and meal suppliers or foodbanks such as equipment or facility repairs, program expansion and beyond the shelf needs

What it is not: Direct food purchases or general operating support (separate charitable programs will focus on non-competitive direct food purchases)

Shelter


What we will fund: Rent assistance/subsidies, program administration or technology enhancement, community needs assessments or other efforts that enhance capacity of programming or clients served
What it is not: Direct material purchases or general operating support

Literacy


What we will fund: Training and certification for childcare or community educators, stabilization or expansion of existing literacy programs in all forms including language services or education assistance programs that provide upward mobility for community members or youth
What it is not: Scholarships for individuals or general operating support

Nonprofit Staff Training


What we will fund: Professional training and/or development for nonprofit staff and volunteers that enable them to effectively accomplish their work or nonprofit goals. Proposals should have specific goals with proposed and/or identified training resources.
What it is not: Personal development, individual tuition assistance, or general operating support 


Grant Awards

Applicants may request awards ranging from $5,000 up to $10,000 for grant requests. The program is funded at a total of $600,000.

Eligibility

An active IRS 501(C) 3 public charity or a tribal government designation. Additionally, community organizations that have an IRS fiscal sponsor may apply for funding utilizing the tax-ID associated with the sponsoring organization (please reference within the application the roles of each organization).

Must be located in and serving the public within Puget Sound Energy’s 10-county service area (Whatcom, Island, Skagit, Snohomish, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Pierce, Lewis and Thurston counties).

Cannot fund: Individual K-12 schools, youth groups, clubs, families or persons. Fundraisers or event sponsorships. Permanent staff payroll, wages or salaries. Cannot be classified as a religious or political organization unless charitably serving the public without discrimination (such as a food bank).

apply now

 

Need a little extra guidance? Check out our Grant-application Support:

PSE Foundation is proud to offer grant proposal support for nonprofit organizations that do not have access to a professional grant writer or certified fundraising expert (CFE). This support provides organizations an opportunity to receive consultation on their grant concept, application and project scope with a third-party professional grant writer.

We plan to offer a limited number of “awards” for grant support consultation. To apply for support, please reach out to psefoundation@pse.com by May 12 to learn more about the awards we can offer your organization with the subject line “grant support”.

Grant reviewers are not informed which organizations receive grant proposal support; this support is not considered an advantage in the grant selection determination process.