Ten nonprofit organizations were chosen by Southern California Gas Co. to receive $50,000 grants for programs aimed at developing “climate solutions” and promoting a “clean energy future,” the utility announced Tuesday.
A total of $400,000 was awarded as part of the SoCal Climate Champions Grant program. According to SoCalGas, the funding will support the development of clean-energy technology and efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality.
“SoCalGas is very proud of our annual Climate Champions initiative,” Jawaad Malik, chief environmental officer at SoCalGas, said in a statement. “Each of these organizations is doing its part to reduce GHG emissions and improve the quality of air in our region. We look forward to seeing our champions’ projects grow and the impact they make in our communities.”
Among the grant recipients were the Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Foundation, which is working to develop low-cost energy storage using repurposed waste produced during desalination, and the Careers through Culinary Arts Program, which is developing video-based courses to teach students about sustainability and food waste. The Trust for Public Land, meanwhile, will use its grant to support its Transverse Range Climate Conservation program, an effort to develop “nature-based solutions” to climate change.
Since it began in 2015, the SoCal Climate Champions Initiative has provided more than 150 grants totaling nearly $2.5 million, according to the Gas Co.