Edison International
OVERVIEW: Edison International makes grants for STEM education, the environment, disaster relief, and civic engagement. Its grants work to benefit dedicated to helping underserved populations including diverse ethnic groups, seniors, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ populations, and low-income families.
IP TAKE: The majority of Edison’s grants fund STEM education, which center on underserved populations. While it maintains a wide variety of grantmaking interests, its commitment to improving education remains paramount.
Though its grants are typically smaller, organizations may be eligible for larger grants down the road. Creating a connection through their $5,000 community grants is a viable and accessible way to start. Note that while the foundation makes some grants across the United States, its work tends to cluster in Southern California, where it has a main office in Rosemead, California.
Additionally, Edison International offers grants from May through September through its employees, who team up to take part in the foundation’s annual Season of Service volunteer campaign. This initiative supports employee volunteering. After volunteering with a nonprofit partner, the team presents a $5,000 grant to help the nonprofit continue its good work. This initiative is another way to get on the foundation’s radar, potentially securing more funding down the road.
PROFILE: Edison International has a 130-year history of conducting philanthropy, which now focuses on “ways that address important issues like education, the environment, public safety & emergency preparedness, and civic engagement.” More than two-thirds of its giving priorities are dedicated to helping underserved populations including diverse ethnic groups, seniors, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ populations, and low-income families.
Edison International’s philanthropic giving has established it as one of the largest corporate charitable funders in Southern California. The foundation has several individual programs it runs, but organizations can also locate funding through Edison’s employee-giving program, which empowers its employees to choose how funding dollars are spent.
Grants for STEM K-12 Education and Arts Education
In keeping with its corporate sister’s history as an energy company, both K-12 and college-related grants focus on advancing STEM education. Education is one of Edison’s main priorities and accounts for about half of its funding. Edison invests in programs “designed to help keep youth in school while opening the doors to secondary education.” Across its education funding, Edison seeks programs that emphasize science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM). Edison International supports graduating high school seniors with college scholarships through its Edison Scholars program, which offers $40,000 to 30 high school seniors focused on pursuing STEM majors and careers. Eligible students must live in one of Edison’s service areas.
Past STEM education grantees, which range from benefitting elementary students to college, include California State University, Fullerton, which received a grant for its Project Mathematics Intensive Summer Session (MISS) and the African American Male Achievement Network, which was awarded a grant for its Project STEM Discovery program. To learn more about select Edison grantees, explore its Philanthropy in Action page.
However, Edison also offers some support for arts education programs, tutoring, college scholarships for underserved populations, and college access programs.
Grants for the Environment and Climate Change
Edison International’s commitment to conservation flows through its broad Environment focus area, which is centered on climate change and clean energy, but also addresses Southern California’s air quality, green conservation, marine and freshwater conservation, and animals and wildlife conservation. Quite a bit of its environmental giving focuses on educating the public on how to better apply conservation or climate change resilience principles to ensuring a more sustainable future. Clean energy grants tend to address education, so if you’re seeking an Edison grant here, your proposal will be more successful if it has an education component.
Grants for Marine and Freshwater Conservation
Past marine and freshwater conservation grantees include 50,000 to a partnership between the Frontier Project Foundation and the Cucamunga Valley Water District for environmental sustainability projects, education, and training. Edison International also awarded $35,000 to the Friends of the Ballona Wetlands in Playa del Rey, CA, to be used for restoration and education. Another recent grantee is the Conservation Lands Foundation for the repair of mountain trails near Palm Desert, CA.
Grants for Animals and Wildlife
Edison International’s commitment to animals and wildlife habitats also flows through its Environment focus area, which has given $35,000 to the Friends of the Ballona Wetlands in Playa del Rey, CA, to be used for restoration and education. Another recent grantee is the Ojai Raptor Center for its Aviary Housing Program, where the organization rehabilitates raptors. There’s also the National Forest Foundation, which Edison International supported for its restoration efforts after the Station Fire in the Angeles National Forest.
Grants for Economic Development and Civic Engagement
Edison International views workforce development through the lens of its Civic Engagement program, an area of giving that is also committed to mentorship, leadership development, and access to technology. Economic Development giving prioritizes veterans, but is also committed to underserved populations, which it defines as including women, people with low incomes, “diverse ethnic groups,” people with special needs, and LGBTQ populations.
One recent workforce development grantee, in an example of granting synergy, is the Conservation Lands Foundation. They were granted funds to repair mountain trails near Palm Desert, California, using a workforce made up of veterans trained for the job. Edison International also funded Verbum Dei High School in the Watts community of Los Angeles for its Corporate Work Study Program.
Grants for Los Angeles
Edison International supports grantmaking in Los Angeles across all of its giving areas, benefitting underserved populations. Edison International’s examples are women, people with low incomes, “diverse ethnic groups,” senior citizens, people with special needs, and LGBTQ populations. The foundation has also given several Emergency Preparedness awards to organizations that are committed to protecting SoCal communities against the threats of earthquakes and wildfires.
Edison International’s Community Giving program prioritizes Southern and Central California grantmaking, including Los Angeles County. Grantseekers can see the full scope of counties via the application’s Eligibility Tool. In past years, grants totaled more than $20 million to almost 1,300 different organizations.
Grantmaking Insights
Edison typically limits its grants to $5,000 to nonprofit, community-based organizations. The $5,000 grants provide an open, online process, with two deadlines each calendar year. However, Edison International does state: “organizations that have demonstrated success in making a difference in our priority areas may be invited to apply for larger grants.”
Edison accepts unsolicited grant applications twice per year, generally in March and June. Applications are invitation only; however, the organization encourages new grant seekers to email a program description to Edison.gifts@sce.com.
Either get on this funder’s radar by networking with an employee to secure funding through its employee-led giving program or send a project proposal for a small grant. High school students concentrated on a career in STEM have the potential for some of the foundation’s largest grants.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only.)
LINKS: