PEC community grant applications due by April 3
Community Resource Centers of Texas Site Director Dawn Capra (left) and Executive Director Lucy Murphy at the nonprofit's Marble Falls location. The CRC was one of six nonprofits to receive a total $30,000 in grant money from the Pedernales Electric Cooperative’s Power of Change program in the fall of 2022. Courtesy photo
The deadline to apply for a community grant of up to $5,000 from the Pedernales Electric Cooperative is one minute before noon on Monday, April 3. PEC awards community grants twice a year to help nonprofits fund technology, capital improvement, or energy-efficiency upgrades.
The second application opportunity is set for sometime in October.
“For the past 85 years, PEC has been rooted in caring for our members and the communities we serve,” said Caroline Tinsley Porter, Community Relations manager for PEC. “The beauty of this program is that together, with our members, we can help nonprofits bridge the gap and support their work to lift those in need.”
An organization must have a nonprofit status — either 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(4) — to be eligible. Additional rules are outlined in the Community Grants eligibility requirements. Organizations that have received a grant must sit out one application cycle before submitting another request.
All applications are vetted for eligibility. Those eligible are scored based on evaluation factors listed in the Community Grants eligibility requirements. A separate five-person committee of PEC employees reviews the scoring to ensure it is consistent. The highest-scoring applications are funded.
The money comes from PEC members enrolled in the cooperative’s Power of Change program, which allows them to round up their bills to the nearest dollar each month to donate to charity. Members can also make a one-time donation.
Since launching in 2016, the Power of Change program has provided over $300,000 in funding to more than 74 nonprofit organizations. In the fall of 2022, PEC awarded more than $30,000 to six nonprofits.
To submit an application for grant money, visit the PEC community grants webpage. For more information on the grant program, email communitysupport@peci.com.