PSE Foundation Announces Grant Funding Priorities for Safety, Emergency Preparedness; Launches New Website

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Puget Sound Energy Foundation, an organization committed to supporting charitable organizations within the 17 counties where Puget Sound Energy has service and operations, announces a new funding direction and the launch of its new website.

“We’re focusing our grant funding on organizations which support programs that help community members stay safe and help them prepare for emergencies”

The 2012 funding priority will focus on safety and emergency preparedness, which open the funding door to charitable organizations which may have never before sought funding from PSE Foundation.

“We’re focusing our grant funding on organizations which support programs that help community members stay safe and help them prepare for emergencies,” said Andy Wappler, Foundation chair.

Though priority funding will be for safety and emergency preparedness programs, the Foundation will consider funding applications to programs that: respond to the needs of our most vulnerable neighbors; encourage energy conservation and environmental stewardship; and promote workforce development at universities and community and technical colleges.

For more information about Foundation funding priorities and opportunities, go to the newly launched website, PSEFoundation.org.

Last year, the Foundation granted a total of $670,000 to organizations within the following counties: Island, Chelan, Cowlitz, Jefferson, King, Kitsap, Kittitas, Lewis, Pierce, Snohomish, Thurston, Skagit, Walla Walla, and Whatcom.

The Puget Sound Energy Foundation has two funding rounds per year, accepting both programmatic and capital requests with grant application deadlines on April 1 and Oct. 1*. Programmatic grant applications are now being accepted for the April 1 funding round, with awards being announced in June. Charitable organizations can apply online via the Puget Sound Energy Foundation website: PSEFoundation.org. For additional information on PSE’s community investment and programs, visit PSE.com.

Puget Energy, the parent company of PSE, created the foundation in 2006. Now, with a $15 million endowment, the foundation is positioned to ensure that support of community initiatives remains strong in the utility’s service and operations area regardless of business or economic conditions, and that PSE’s history of community involvement will continue for generations. None of the foundation’s funds will ever come from PSE’s utility customers.

* Capital requests are reviewed once a year and due at the Oct. 1 application deadline.

About Puget Sound Energy Foundation

Puget Energy, the parent company of Puget Sound Energy, created the Puget Sound Energy Foundation in 2006 to continue its legacy of leadership and support of worthy, community-based programs. The foundation makes charitable contributions to qualifying 501(c) (3) nonprofits to help support a broad range of community programs, with a special focus on initiatives that promote economic and environmental sustainability within PSE’s service territory and in other areas where the utility produces or purchases energy in the Pacific Northwest. None of the Puget Sound Energy Foundation funds come from utility customers. Visit PSEFoundation.org for more information.

About Puget Sound Energy

Washington state’s oldest local energy utility, Puget Sound Energy serves more than 1 million electric customers and 750,000 natural gas customers in 11 counties. A subsidiary of Puget Energy, PSE meets the energy needs of its growing customer base through incremental, cost-effective energy efficiency, procurement of sustainable energy resources, and far-sighted investment in the energy-delivery infrastructure. PSE employees are dedicated to providing great customer service and delivering energy that is safe, dependable, and efficient. For more information, visit www.PSE.com.