Environmental Champions

San Diego Gas & Electric Company (SDG&E) is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to 3.5 million consumers through 1.4 million electric meters and more than 850,000 natural gas meters in San Diego County and southern Orange County. 

SDG&E is a wholly-owned subsidiary of (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego.  SDG&E is committed to improving the quality of life in the communities that it serves by providing support to partnerships that help to address community needs in the areas of environmental stewardship, emergency preparedness and safety, youth development, and economic development. 
 
On May 1, 2013, SDG&E launched the Environmental Champions Awards to provide grant funding to organizations that are helping to improve both the environment and environmental awareness in the SDG&E service territory.

Through this 2013 Environmental Champions Awards Request for Proposals (RFP), SDG&E invites 501(c)3 organizations to apply for funding that specifically support:

• Environmental educational and youth programs for students in grades K – 12
• Environmental community engagement programs.

Preference will be given to environmental programs that target one or more of the following focus areas:

• Natural Resource Conservation and Protection
• Habitat Preservation and Restoration
• Waste/Recycling

Section III provides additional detail on these funding areas. 

Individual 501(c)3 organizations may apply for grants up to $25,000.  Organizations jointly applying for funding of collaborative programs or projects may apply for grant awards up to $50,000.

Organizations that meet all the following criteria are eligible to apply:

• The organization must be a qualified 501(c)(3) non-profit organization in good standing with the Internal Revenue Service.

• The primary mission or focus of the organization must have a direct correlation to the monies being requested.

• The primary organization applying must have proven experience in delivering successful environmental programs to the community.

• Programs must benefit communities in SDG&E’s service territory, including the communities of San Diego County and south Orange County (San Clemente, Dana Point, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Niguel, Laguna Beach, Mission Viejo, Aliso Viejo, Rancho Santa Margarita, and Laguna Hills).  

All submitted grant applications that meet the eligibility criteria, program criteria, and the exclusions and restrictions as described in this RFP will be evaluated by an SDG&E review committee.  Additional consideration will be given to organizations that innovate to create new programs that serve underserved and diverse youth populations. Grant applicants will be notified of grant awards in July 2013, via electronic mail or telephone.
 

The proposal addresses one or both of the following program areas:

• Environmental Educational and Youth Programs that involve and educate students grades K-12 as stewards of the environment; that enhance the understanding and awareness of ecosystem and environmental sciences; and that include outreach activities that connect the program and its participants to the greater local community.  For example, a candidate program may include a hands-on project that applies learned curriculum to a local or regional environmental quality issue.

• Environmental Community Engagement Programs that improve community engagement environmental quality within the SDG&E service territory. SDG&E endeavors to support programs that reach a large and diverse number of participants through educational, conservation, and restoration projects. 

The environmental program must target one or more of the following focus areas:

• Natural Resource Conservation and Protection programs that directly support environmental efforts in the SDG&E service territory by protecting natural resources in meaningful ways. These programs may include, but are not limited to, energy efficiency, water conservation, and air quality improvements.

• Habitat Preservation and Restoration programs that restore or enhance natural habitat for wildlife and fauna conservation

• Waste/Recycling includes programs that reduce, reuse and recycle waste products, as well as contributing to overall waste reduction. This could include but is not limited to, recycling education and waste-to-energy activities.

SDG&E strongly encourages proposals to have the following components:

• Innovative, creative, and demonstrates transformation potential

• Demonstrates creative use of social and other innovative media that improves the reach of environmental programs to diverse communities.

• Collaborative and demonstrates partnership with other community groups (i.e. other non-profit, private, and educational organizations)

• Includes the participation of organized volunteers

• Has the opportunity to be replicated as a successful model program in other geographic areas, regionally and nationally

• Minimizes or eliminates administrative costs

• Defines successful outcomes clearly and has, where possible, quantifiable results

• Demonstrates measurable outcomes within 6 to 12 months of the award.

Special consideration will be given to programs that also:

• Support underserved and diverse communities

• Are effectively promoted to participants and external audiences in partnership with SDG&E and other community partners using earned and social media mediums

• Positively impact multiple schools, communities or the region as a whole.

The following exclusions and restrictions apply to the 2011 Environmental Champions Awards Initiative. Applications made by the following are ineligible to receive grant funding from SDG&E:

• Individuals

• Groups that practice discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disabilities, race, color, religion, national origin or ancestry

• Sectarian or denominational religious groups, except for programs that are broadly promoted, available to anyone and free from religious preference

• Organizations whose primary mission is not environmental or who do not have substantial prior experience in delivering environmental education programs. This includes organizations such as higher education, arts and culture, or health and human service organizations that are pursuing funding for a conservation or environmental program.  These organizations may participate, however, in this initiative in collaboration with an environmental organization serving as the lead applicant.

Awarded funds are prohibited from being used for the following:

• General operating expenses that are unrelated to the execution of the proposed program or project

• Equipment purchases not primarily related to the intended purpose of the specified program

• Advocacy initiatives/programs that are political in nature

• Land acquisitions

• Research-related projects

• Capital campaigns

• Travel expenses

• Loans or loan guarantees

• Debt reduction or to satisfy past operating deficits

• Liquidation of an organization.

The online application for the Environmental Champions Awards initiative is available from May 1, 2013, through May 31, 2013. The deadline for submission of applications is Friday, May 31, 2013 at 5 p.m (PST). Late submissions will not be accepted.

Upon award notification, applicants will be also be notified of program evaluation, financial and non-profit information, and results reporting requirements. SDG&E is committed to ensuring that its grant-making contributes to and improves the communities that SDG&E serves. 

Initial benchmarking and final reporting on the results achieved from the awarded grant will help better inform future community-based SDG&E grant-making. SDG&E Community Relations will work with Environmental Champions award grantees to help benchmark and report on progress made with awarded funds.

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