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Corporate Philanthropy By being active members of our
communities and supporting organizations and initiatives that create
neighborhoods with robust businesses, plentiful jobs, vibrant schools,
great parks and a healthy citizenry, we are contributing to a more
sustainable society. We give money, time, advice—and technology—to make
a difference and improve the quality of life.
In 2006, PG&E increased its shareholder-funded charitable
contributions to nearly $14.7 million from approximately $12 million in
2005, achieving our goal of contributing 1 percent of pre-tax earnings
from operations. And we did it in a way that was responsive to the needs
of both the communities and constituencies we serve and provides support
for a better environment and more sustainable future. PG&E provided
cash grants, in-kind contributions, and other forms of support to
nonprofit organizations and government agencies throughout northern and
central California; we also contributed to statewide and national
organizations. To do this, we worked with communities and local
organizations to identify community needs and develop programs that
delivered targeted contributions. In 2007, PG&E plans to make
charitable contributions of $18.3 million or 1.2 percent of pre-tax
earnings. In 2006, we targeted five broad areas for charitable
giving: education, environment and energy, emergency preparedness,
economic development, and civic and community. The chart above provides
an overview of the percentage of contributions in each area in 2006.
| Within these categories, we directed a significant portion of the
contributions to support organizations working in underserved
communities. For example, in 2006,
approximately 71 percent of our corporate contributions
went to organizations supporting low-income communities, people of
color, senior citizens, the disabled, the homeless, the working poor and
unemployed and the GLBT community. This is an increase of 6
percentage points from 2005. In addition, 21 percent of our corporate
contributions went to organizations with minority leadership, up from 17
percent in 2005. Going forward, we intend to increase the contributions
directed toward assisting the most vulnerable members of our
communities. |
Examples of PG&E's 2006 contributions
include:  Helping California's Schools Use Technology to Reduce
Their Environmental
Impact and Save Money.
California's schools face unprecedented challenges— including
increasing operating costs, reduced funding and pressures to improve the overall educational
environment for students. Recognizing this challenge, we launched
the Solar Schools Program in 2004; this is a shareholder-funded
initiative that reinforces PG&E's commitment to renewable
energy, education and the need to address climate change in a way that
benefits underserved schools, students and the community at large. The largest program of its
kind, Solar Schools provides participating schools throughout northern
and central California with a free 1.3-kW solar energy installation and
supporting educational materials that help each participating school
meet the California Department of Education's standards for science,
social studies, math and English. In 2006, we facilitated the
installation of solar arrays in 30 schools, trained more than 600
teachers in a solar sciences curriculum, and made grants of $225,000 in
support of these efforts. As a result, more than 77,000 students will
gain first-hand knowledge of the potential of solar energy and,
hopefully, be inspired to pursue educational opportunities in science.
In recognition of the success of this program, in 2006, PG&E
received the prestigious California Governor's Environmental and
Economic Leadership Award.
Contributing Our Expertise and Deploying Advanced
Technologies to Help Make Energy More Affordable.
PG&E's Solar Habitat Program, a partnership between PG&E and
Habitat for Humanity, is helping to reduce energy bills for low-income
homeowners and making a real contribution to improving air quality and
mitigating climate change. Through this program, PG&E is providing
expertise, volunteers, and charitable grants to help build
energy-efficient homes and install roof-top solar-powered systems. This
means that these homeowners need to buy less power to meet their basic
energy needs, which saves them money and protects the environment.
In 2006, PG&E supported solar installations on 51 homes
throughout our service area. These solar panels will each generate
nearly 300 kWh of clean, renewable energy from sunlight each month,
saving the families approximately $500 a year; each panel will also help
avoid the release of more than 132,000 pounds of carbon dioxide
(CO2) to the atmosphere over the 30-year life of the system.
In 2007, this program will be expanded to at least 18 Habitat for
Humanity chapters in our service area in northern and central
California.
PG&E Helps
Establish Northern California as a Leader in
Energy Efficiency Research
and Technology
Ensuring Our Customers and Communities Are Prepared for
Disasters. As an outgrowth of the commemoration of the 1906
San Francisco earthquake, PG&E partnered with the U.S. Geological
Survey (USGS), New American Media, the Asian Pacific Fund, and the
California Earthquake Authority to translate and distribute culturally
appropriate non-English versions of the USGS document "Putting Down
Roots in Earthquake Country"—a primer on how to prepare your family and
your home for the next big Bay Area earthquake. In addition, PG&E is
hosting a series of town hall meetings with our partners to provide
enhanced emergency preparedness information for community-based
organizations whose clients are primarily from underserved populations.
PG&E is also hosting and contributing its expertise to a series of
training sessions for ethnic media outlets so that they are better
informed about both how to prepare for an earthquake and how to
communicate to their audiences after one strikes. This
effort is an extension of our three-year commitment of over $1 million
to Red Cross Chapters in Northern California to support their
preparedness activities for vulnerable populations.
Supporting Our Communities So They Can Build for the
Future. For the fifth consecutive year, PG&E sponsored
its Local Economic Development (LED) grants program, which distributed
almost $400,000 in grants to 62 community-based and governmental
organizations to assist in their efforts to build more economically
viable communities. These grants were used for a variety of economic and
community development initiatives, including business retention,
business recruitment, infrastructure planning, downtown improvement,
training, web sites, marketing materials and green business development.
Over the past five years of this program, PG&E has provided more
than $1.3 million to 248 LED projects.
Partnering to Educate Tomorrow's Leaders about the
Importance of a Healthy Environment. In partnership with
the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (NFWF), PG&E formed the
Nature Restoration Trust (NRT) in 1999 to provide grants to
community-based organizations and schools for high school environmental
education projects. As part of the program, students from participating
schools perform hands-on habitat restoration around their communities.
In 2006, PG&E and NFWF held the first NRT Conference, which brought
together grantees for a series of seminars, panel discussions and "best
practices" discussions. California Secretary for Resources Mike
Chrisman opened the conference and reinforced that hands-on
environmental education at the K-12 level is critical to ensuring a
healthy environment for the future.
Partnering with Our Employees to Provide Educational Opportunities for
Underserved Youth. PG&E partners with its seven Employee Associations
to provide opportunities to underserved youth from diverse
communities so they can further their education. In 2006, these associations awarded a total of $136,750 in scholarships, an increase of more than 25 percent from 2005. These scholarships enabled more than 100 youth from throughout our service area to pursue educational opportunities at the college level.
Providing Seed Funding to Audubon California to Support
Educational
Programs and Habitat Restoration at the 6,800-acre Bobcat
Ranch. Home to
important blue oak, chaparral and riparian
habitat, the Bobcat Ranch also connects
to the 750,000-acre Blue-Ridge Berryessa Natural Area, a large area of
oak woodland and grassland habitat unique to Northern California. In 2007, PG&E will be participating with Audubon's Landowner Stewardship Program to enhance native riparian vegetation at the company's natural gas storage facility, located in close
proximity to Bobcat Ranch.
Supporting
the Center for Advanced Research and Technology. We have
helped in efforts to equip high school juniors and seniors from the
Fresno and Clovis Unified school districts with the tools necessary to
solve local environmental problems. Students collaborated with research
and regulatory organizations to restore native habitat, research the
effects of temperature and chemical fluctuations on coral, and collect
and analyze water quality samples to assess the health of local water
bodies.
Expanding Employee Giving to More Community
Organizations. In addition to the nearly $14.7 million in
shareholder-funded contributions granted in 2006, PG&E's employees
again demonstrated a great commitment to nonprofit organizations in
their communities through the company's Campaign for the Community.
PG&E expanded its campaign effort with new incentives for employees
and increased support from senior management. Donations pledged in 2006
exceeded $3.2 million, compared with $2.7 million in 2005. These
donations, made by nearly 7,150 employees and retirees, will help
support more than 3,000 organizations throughout our service area and
beyond.
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Students at Evergreen 6th Grade Academy in Paradise, Calif., celebrate their participation in PG&E's Solar Schools program.