Pacific Power Foundation

New applicants: Applicants for foundation grant support should create an account on the online grant application portal. The account will be reviewed for eligibility and you will receive login credentials within two business days via email. (Most are approved the same day, especially as an application deadline approaches.)

Previous applicants: If you have previously applied for a foundation grant, your login username is your email address and you should click on “Reset or create password”. If that doesn't work, please create an account.

You may create multiple individual user accounts for each organization. Typically, there will be an application contact (Grant Writer) and an application signatory (Executive Director). The contact and signatory may also be the same person.

All applicants should submit an application using the online grant application portal. To access the application, login to the portal and click on the link in the navigation column to the left titled “Apply for a Grant”. Then click on the application link for the cycle that most closely matches your organization, not the project. An organization may also submit a request for small capital funding during any of the four cycles. The maximum amount available for small capital grants is $5,000.

Please complete and submit your application on or before the cycle deadline. The proposal may be saved in draft form for you to return and finish later. Specific documents or letters are NO LONGER REQUIRED. You may attach any documents, reports, brochures, videos or other files that support your application. Those may include documents such as Financial Statements, Recommendation or Reference Letters, Annual Reports and Collateral materials. To attach the document, click on the plus sign to the right, click on add files, select the file, click start upload and X out when complete.

Please be prepared to provide the following information:  

• Program Title;
• Summary for how the funds will be used (very brief description – 150 words or less);
• Amount requested (typical grants are between $2,000 and $5,000);
• Overall Project Cost;
• Estimated number of people benefitting from the requested funding;
• STEM related? (Yes/No) This is primarily for education related requests which focus on Science, Technology, Engineering & Math related education programs;
• Benefits Veterans? (Yes/No);
• Communities served by the requested funding (cities/counties must be located within the utility service territory);
• View service area map
• Project/Program Request in Detail (Examples: How does the project align with your organization’s mission? How will the requested funds be used? What challenges does this project face and what mitigation steps are being taken?);
• Measuring results (Describe your overall goals, expected impact and specific, measurable objectives. How do you plan to track, measure and evaluate the results?);
• Other contributors; (Please provide a list of other contributors and/or potential contributors in the community);
• How will your organization recognize the Foundation?
• Is there a utility employee affiliated with your organization, such as a board member?
• Does this organization receive funding from any other PacifiCorp sources outside of the Foundation?
• Documents; (Please attach relevant documents that support your application (ie: Financial Statements, Recommendation or Reference Letters, Annual Reports and Collateral Materials).

Nonprofit status — In general, grants from the Foundation are limited to charitable nonprofit, tax-exempt organizations that have obtained a determination letter from the IRS under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, and are not classified as private foundations. Proof of the exemption must be submitted with each request for funding. Grants may sometimes be made for charitable purposes to government entities.

Eligible candidates — Organizations and activities eligible for Foundation support include:

• Nonprofit groups that have 501(c)(3) designation from the Internal Revenue Service;
• Educational and research institutions, both public and private, from early childhood through university level;
•  Youth organizations;
• Cultural enrichment organizations dedicated to the performing arts, the visual arts, historic preservation, cross-cultural education and other such activities;
• Health and human services organizations including chemical dependency treatment and prevention programs, senior citizen centers, runaway youth services and domestic violence treatment and prevention programs, safety programs, and wellness programs; and
• Projects that have a bearing on communities that are served by Pacific Power and Rocky Mountain Power:
  • Pacific Power — Oregon, Central/Southeastern Washington and Northern California.
  • Rocky Mountain Power — Utah, Wyoming and Southeastern Idaho.
  • View service area map

Ineligible candidates — Organizations and activities not eligible for foundation support include:

•  Organizations that discriminate against individuals on the basis of religion, race, color, sex, age, national origin or veteran status;
•  Individuals;
•  Political organizations, ballot measure campaigns or candidates for public office;
•  Contributions to or memberships in chambers of commerce, service clubs, taxpayer associations and other similar bodies;
•  Religious groups for religious purposes;
•  Any non-charitable purpose; and/or
•  Organizations outside the PacifiCorp service territory.

As a general rule, the Foundation also will not support:

• Establishment or support of endowments;
• Coverage of operating deficits;
• Capital campaigns; 
• Computers, software or related items;
• Marketing and advertising;
• Maintenance of existing facilities;
• Conferences, conventions and events; and
• Projects that do not have a bearing on Pacific Power or Rocky Mountain Power's geographic service area.

In keeping with its mission, the Foundation will be more inclined to support projects that have following characteristics:

• Close alignment of the project's objectives with the Foundation's support for education; civic and community betterment; culture and arts; and health, welfare and social services.
• A strategic, long-term orientation.
• A clear explanation of why the proposed approach to the problem addressed by the project is superior to other options and why it is more likely to achieve desired outcomes.
• Probability that the project will deliver high impact and sustainable benefit in terms of learning outcomes, both in communities directly served and in the project field of interest.
• Probability that the project will attract continued support from a variety of sources, and the extent to which likely sources are identified.
• Level of project innovation, in particular, whether it breaks new ground and uses new methods for optimizing resources.
• Likelihood of the project developing leadership skills and capacity.
• Potential of the project for successful replication in other settings.
• The project applicant's record of success as an organization, and the past success of its key project personnel.
• The overall leadership and staff talent of the applicant organization.
• Feasibility and quality of the application proposal, and the plan in that proposal to accomplish project objectives.
• Flexibility of the project plan to deal with possible contingencies.
• Applicant provisions for sharing information about the project, successes and failures.
• Project methodology for capturing and implementing lessons learned and determining project successes and failures.
• Project provisions for self-sufficiency, including a credible independence strategy.
• Potential of the project to create and strengthen alliances and networks of organizations working to solve the same problem.
• Potential of the project to enhance the Foundation's expertise and its ability to knowledgeably support related efforts.
• Opportunity for the Foundation to assume a unique supportive role.

The Foundation Board classifies and reviews grant proposals according to the nature of recipient organizations (rather than according to the purpose of each grant). Requests for funding should be received by the Foundation office by the following submission deadlines:

March 15 – Education/STEM
Electrical safety, energy efficiency education, higher education institutions, K-12, literacy and reading programs, STEM education initiatives, teacher/professional educator development, workforce development/careers and employability, and youth development.

June 15 – Community Enhancement
Affordable housing, community resilience, community and recreation centers, economic development, libraries, monuments, memorials and science centers.

June 15 – Environmental Respect
Animal and wildlife biodiversity; carbon and methane emissions; conservation of natural resources; environmental management systems; parks, trails and gardens; resource stewardship; waste management reduction, and water usage management.

September 15 – Arts/Culture
Arts festivals, cultural heritage, museums, music, theater/drama and visual arts.

December 15 – Safety/Wellness
Addiction, disability resources, disaster relief, domestic violence, first responders, food insecurity, healthcare accessibility, homeless support, mental health, public safety initiatives, veteran organizations, wellness and preventative care.

Email: pacificorpfoundation@pacificorp.com (email preferred)

Phone: (503) 813-7257 (please leave a message and allow up to 2 business days for a return call)

LeAnn Singleton, Foundation Administrator
1407 West North Temple, Suite 310
Salt Lake City, UT 84116

Jessica Augustus, Community Partnerships