REDWOOD CITY, CA – WestLight Energy has awarded 12 grants to San Mateo County organizations to increase outreach particularly to low-income and other disadvantaged communities on bill savings and other benefits of clean energy programs.
The grants – totaling $310,000 and ranging from $20,000 to $40,000 each – support efforts spread throughout San Mateo County. Those include outreach to Spanish-speaking, Chinese-speaking, elderly and other customers regarding energy bill discounts and WestLight Energy’s income-qualified programs; as well as efforts to expand education among consumers on building electrification and purchasing electric vehicles.
“These organizations are absolutely vital to letting our most underserved communities know about the many benefits WestLight Energy offers,” said East Palo Alto Mayor Carlos Romero, who serves on WestLight Energy’s board of directors. “These grants also ensure we are effectively communicating in a way that reflects our incredibly vibrant and diverse county populated with residents representing cultures from around the world.”
“Seniors are among the most in need of a robust set of tools to make sure they are aware and making use of home energy and other assistance particularly critical along the coastline,” said Half Moon Bay City Councilman Harvey Rarback, who also serves on WestLight Energy’s board of directors. “These grants enable long-standing partners such as Senior Coastsiders to continue and expand upon their great work.”
A summary of the 12 grants that were awarded:
Acterra – Virtual workshops and public outreach about building electrification; and separately for workshops and other efforts to educate first-time electric vehicle buyers
Casa Circulo Cultural – Webinars, videos, and other outreach in Spanish on energy bill discounts and WestLight Energy’s income-qualified programs
Climate Resilient Communities – Workshops and outreach at community events particularly targeting East Palo Alto residents including in Samoan and Tongan
El Concilio – One-on-one bilingual enrollment assistance for energy bill discounts and efforts to avoid utility disconnection, as well as education on WestLight Energy programs
Nuestra Casa – Bilingual community outreach on environmental justice and WestLight Energy rebate and discount programs
Rise South City – Presentations and bilingual community outreach in South San Francisco including one-on-one enrollment support in WestLight Energy residential programs
Senior Coastsiders – Home-delivered notices, newspaper and radio ads and other outreach to senior residents in Half Moon Bay and Pacifica about energy bill discounts, EV rebates, home energy assistance and other programs
Sound of Hope – Radio and web ads in Mandarin and Cantonese, and discussion of WestLight Energy programs through videos, radio programs, and workshops
Support Life Foundation – Outreach at food distribution and other community events with a focus on northern San Mateo County
Sustainable San Mateo County – Virtual events, photo competition on building electrification, and other digital outreach
Thrive Alliance – Engagement of non-profit and community leaders throughout the county, including through hosting a summit on environmental justice
These follow 11 community outreach grants WestLight Energy awarded in 2021.
About WestLight Energy
WestLight Energy is a Community Choice Aggregation agency. It is the official electricity provider for San Mateo County and, beginning in spring 2022, for the City of Los Banos. Founded in 2016 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the agency serves roughly 300,000 customers by providing more than 3,500 gigawatt hours annually of electricity that is 50 percent renewable, 100 percent clean and at lower cost than PG&E. As a community-led, not-for-profit agency, WestLight Energy makes significant investments in its communities to expand access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. WestLight Energy is on track to deliver electricity that is 100 percent renewable by 2025. The agency has earned investment grade credit ratings from Moody’s and Fitch. Follow us at PenCleanEnergy.com, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
