SoCalGas to Award $500,000 to Nonprofit Organizations through its Environmental Champions Initiative

LOS ANGELES, July 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Southern California Gas Co. (SoCalGas) has kicked off its second annual Environmental Champions Initiative, a $500,000 charitable giving campaign that funds nonprofit organizations with programs dedicated to cleaner air, energy and/or water conservation. The initiative is part of the company's commitment to a cleaner and healthier future for California. SoCalGas will award one-year grants in the amounts of $10,000, $15,000, $20,000 and $25,000 to nonprofit groups in the following 12 counties: Los Angeles; Orange; San Bernardino; Riverside; Imperial; Kern; Kings; Ventura; Tulare; Santa Barbara; Fresno and San Luis Obispo.

"SoCalGas is committed to making a real impact in the communities we serve because we live and work here too and all want cleaner air, water and energy," said George Minter, regional vice president of SoCalGas' External Affairs and Environmental Strategy. "We have consistently supported the work of environmental nonprofit groups in our service territory and we have long-standing relationships with those organizations. We welcome applications from a variety of groups making a difference in our communities."

In order to be considered to receive a grant, programs need to:

• Address clean air, energy and/or water conservation issues
• Support low-income communities of color with limited resources
• Impact multiple communities or the region as a whole
• Be easily replicated in other areas
• Have other partial funding
• Minimize administrative costs
• Have measurable outcomes within 12 months
• Involve large groups of diverse volunteers
• Have significant outreach opportunities

Last year, SoCalGas awarded 37 grants to nonprofit organizations across its service territory. Those groups focused on everything from harvesting rainwater at a community garden, to providing green space to neighborhoods to making areas more accessible by bicycles and foot traffic. Across all of its charitable giving programs last year, SoCalGas awarded $1.07 million to various environmental groups.

Nonprofit organizations need to submit their applications by 5 p.m. on Aug. 8, 2016.  Guidelines and the link to the online application are available at: https://www.socalgas.com/our-community/protecting-preserving-the-environment.  Applicants will receive a confirmation email once the application is submitted. Organizations receiving grants will be notified by Nov. 14, 2016.

About Southern California Gas Co.
Southern California Gas Co. has been delivering clean, safe and reliable natural gas to its customers for more than 145 years. It is the nation's largest natural gas distribution utility, providing service to 21.6 million consumers connected through 5.9 million meters in more than 500 communities. The company's service territory encompasses approximately 20,000 square miles throughout central and Southern California, from Visalia to the Mexican border. Southern California Gas Co. is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company based in San Diego. 

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SOURCE Southern California Gas Co.