October 22, 1999

The California Public Utilities Commission, through the Electric Education Trust Administrative Committee (EETAC), a advisory board of the CPUC, announced the issuance of a Request For Grant Proposal (RFGP). The CPUC/EETAC is seeking to award approximately $4.2 million to non-profit organizations throughout the state of California to conduct community education programs regarding electric industry restructuring to targeted populations.

To apply for a grant a community-based organization (CBO) must be a non-profit federally tax-exempt organization. A CBO must have a physical facility from which to operate and $500,000 indemnification which may be included as a budget line item. An organization unable to meet these requirements may submit a joint proposal in collaboration with a qualifying CBO.

The Electric Education Trust was created to help consumers benefit from the changes in California's electricity marketplace. Part of this process is to implement a community-based education and outreach effort for communities and populations where the level of reported consumer abuses is high and where traditional methods of communication have not penetrated. Populations targeted for consumer education outreach include low-income consumers, seniors, physically challenged, inner-city residents, rural residents, ethnic minorities, limited English-speaking citizens, and small business.

The program will be administered by the Consumer Services Division of the CPUC with the EETAC serving as advisor on the project. The RFGP application must be completed and submitted to the CPUC/EET by Monday, November 1, 1999. The RFGP may be downloaded from www.eet.org. For questions regarding the RFGP, contact Jeff Meloche at 916/327-3282.

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