Helping Those In Need

Sangre de Cristo Electric Association looks forward to partnering with our regional communities to aid in the recovery effort from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Matching Grant Program and Power of Change program are two ways in which our consumers can help SDCEA help those in need.

SDCEA’s Community Grant Program will also be accepting applications in the near future. Please follow our Facebook or Twitter pages for up-to-date information on when applications for grants will be made available or check our website, under the Community tab for updated information on the program.

Sdcea Matching Grant Program

If you are a member or an employee of SDCEA, when you support local charitable, civic and educational organizations through financial contributions, SDCEA will match your donation, based on the criteria outlined below, to qualifying organizations.

For the near future, the Sangre de Cristo Electric Association Matching Grant program will prioritize issuing grant money to community-based organizations that offer support to those affected by the coronavirus crisis.

Program Guidelines

To receive a matching grant for an organization you support:

• Donations must come from a member or employee of SDCEA. Please make sure the application comes from the member named on the account. Family members, including spouses, are not always named as members on the account—it depends how it was set up by the member at the time of service. Applications cannot be processed for a family member—only the person named on the account. Any accounts or status associated with the member or employee must be in good standing.
• Donations must be made in the calendar year in which you are submitting the request (2020) to be considered for the Matching Grant program.
• Donations must be made to:
  • A 501(c)(3) organization providing services in Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Saguache or Lake counties.
  • An accredited, non-profit educational or civic organization providing services in Chaffee, Custer, Fremont, Lake or Saguache counties. Matching grants may not be used to offset tuition or other school expenses.
  • A 501(c)(4) organization that can demonstrate it is not engaged in direct political activity.
  • Donations that do not specifically meet the above criteria may receive a matching grant with approval by the chief executive officer.
  • Donations must be in the form of cash, check, credit or debit. Gifts of in-kind, dues, membership fees and pledges will not be matched.
• Donations will be matched in an amount not less than $25 and not more than $200 in aggregate, per membership, per calendar year.
• Donations will be matched in an amount not more than $1,000 in aggregate per qualifying organization, per calendar year.
• A charitable organization for this program’s purposes is solely deter¬mined by SDCEA and Chaffee County Community Foundation based on giving priorities and may change periodically.

Matching grants are awarded on a first-come, first-served basis from a limited pool of funds established annually by the SDCEA Board of Directors and administered through the Chaffee County Community Foundation. The SDCEA Board of Directors reserves the right to suspend, amend or terminate the grant program at any time without notice. SDCEA and the Chaffee County Community Foundation do not support organizations that engage in discriminatory practices.

Proof of the member or employee donation must be submitted by the matching grant applicant or the organization to which the donation was made. This can be in the form of a copy of your receipt or canceled check if you have one. If you do not have proof of the donation, the organization for whom the matching grant is requested will need to provide that proof when they submit their information for the matching grant.

To apply for matching funds, please visit our website, click on the Community tab from the drop-down menu and select Matching Grant Program.

Participate In Sdcea’s Power Of Change Program
(Formerly named Operation Round Up)

An easy way for you to help those in need is by agreeing to round up your electric bills to the next dollar — you can work together with other consumers to change lives.

• For example, a monthly bill of $72.74 would be rounded up to $73.00.
• The extra 26 cents would be placed in an account, along with the pennies rounded up by all other participating consumers.
• Consumers who sign up to participate will notice their electric bills include a line item showing the amount that has been rounded up.
• All donations are tax-deductible, and every January and February a summary of yearly contributions will be included on each participating consumer’s bill.

How are the funds used?

• Funds raised by the Power of Change program are added to funds allocated by SDCEA to the Community Grant program.
• Organizations in Chaffee, Fremont, Custer and Lake counties are eligible to apply for funding from the Community Grant program.
• Funds are disbursed to organizations for charitable purposes such as food, clothing, shelter and health needs.
• Power of Change funds may not be used for political purposes or to pay your electric bill.

Power of Change extends our commitment to the people and the communities that make up our cooperative. It’s a way for a few cents to make lots of sense.

If you haven’t already signed up to contribute, contact us at (719) 395-2412, toll-free at (844) 395-2412 or email info@myelectric.coop with “Power of Change” in the subject line.

Community Grant Funding Requests

The Sangre de Cristo Community Grant program is undergoing a reorganization process, after which requests will be processed by the Chaffee County Community Foundation. At this time, applications are projected to be available for the grant program in early spring or summer 2020.

A link to the grant program application will be posted here when available. Look for updates on our website, our Facebook and Twitter pages and our newsletter in Colorado Country Life magazine as to when the application process will open.

In the meantime, please check CCCF’s website, for SDCEA’s information, as well information on other charitable organizations in the area.

Sdcea’s Shine Your Light Program

As some in our mountain valleys may be financially affected by the current COVID-19 epidemic, did you know Sangre de Cristo Electric Association’s Shine Your Light Program is in place to help those truly in need pay their electric bills?

For more information or to donate to the fund, please contact SDCEA toll-free at (844) 395-2412. As members of a community electric cooperative, we’re all in this together.