News Release
Sacramento Municipal Utility District- (916) 732-5111 or media@smud.org
For Immediate Release: December 14, 2017
SMUD today announced the recipients of its inaugural Shine community-sponsorship program. Shine is a new program designed to improve and revitalize neighborhoods in the Sacramento region. Shine awards range from $5,000 to $100,000 and all 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(6) organizations within SMUD’s service territory were eligible to apply. Awards this year totaled $400,000.
“We’re passionate about helping improve the neighborhoods in our region,” said SMUD CEO and General Manager Arlen Orchard. “Because we’re community-owned and not-for-profit, everything we do is for the benefit of our customers. Shine has given us the chance to learn what our neighborhoods need most, so we can work with other local nonprofits to make positive, lasting changes in ways that our customers will see and experience every day.”
SMUD received a wide range of applications and the selected projects were able to successfully demonstrate collaboration and the potential for broad neighborhood impact. Winners are located all over Sacramento County and most of the proposals fit within the following categories:
• Neighborhood revitalization or cleanup
• STEM education (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)
• Environment, energy-efficiency and energy conservation
• General beautification
Winners include:
- Wind Youth Services; $100,000 for facility improvements to support homeless youth
- Sacramento Native American Health Center, Inc.; $39,490 for facility improvements and energy efficiency upgrades
- Health Education Council; $30,000 for park improvement projects
- Square Root Academy; $30,750 for expansion of STEM education program
- Fairytale Town; $25,000 for development of free after-school youth program
- Sierra Nevada Journeys; $24,958 for STEM and outdoor science program
- Crocker Art Museum; $20,000 for arts engagement initiative
- My Sister’s House; $20,000 for facility improvements
- Sacramento Parks Foundation, $12,500 for park improvement projects
- California FFA Foundation; $11,500 for career pathways video development
- NeighborWorks Sacramento; $10,000 for neighborhood improvement
- Del Paso Boulevard Partnership; $10,000 for facility improvements with STEM component
- Greater Broadway Partnership; $10,000 for neighborhood cleanup initiative
- Stockton Boulevard Partnership; $10,000 for facility improvements and neighborhood cleanup
- Common Ground Community Development Corporation; $10,000 for community garden and educational initiative
- Rosemont Community Foundation; $10,000 for neighborhood cleanup initiative
- CLARA; $9,500 for community garden development
- Center for Land-Based Learning; $9,384 for habitat restoration and educational project
- Sunrise Little League; $6,067 for park and sports field improvement
- William Land Elementary; $4,927 for facility improvement
- Watt Avenue Partnership; $4,910 for lighting improvements
Each year SMUD contributes approximately $2 million in cash and in-kind services to community based organizations. SMUD’s year-round community sponsorship program will continue to fund small events and programs throughout the year. Applications for the 2018 Shine program are expected to open in May.
For more information about SMUD’s corporate citizenship programs, visit smud.org/Community. For more information about the Shine program, visit smud.org/Shine.
