Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Electric Power (TEP) contributed more than $935,000 to 65 nonprofit organizations during the first half of 2024, with an emphasis on community vitality and environmental protection.

TEP supported housing stability with counseling services, as well as rent and mortgage assistance, through Old Pueblo Community Services and other groups. Volunteers helped with construction and renovations on dwellings for low-income residents through Habitat for Humanity.

The company’s environmental sustainability efforts included trail enhancements, educational programs for youth and enhancements to Tohono Chul Park and other local venues. Funding for Sky Island Alliance is helping to reclaim watershed areas and springs after recent wildfires on Mount Lemmon.

TEP’s philanthropic contributions come from corporate resources and are not recovered through customers’ rates. Our community partners use our contributions to sustain programs with measurable success built over many years.

Recipients of our largest donations during the first half of 2024 included:

• Wildfire, a nonprofit community action group – $350,000 for low-income utility bill assistance and HVAC system upgrades
• Interfaith Community Services – $40,000 for programs serving low-income residents
• Social Venture Partners Tucson – $30,000 for the Fast Pitch event that benefits local nonprofit organization leaders
• African American Museum of Southern Arizona – $25,000 to support programming at the museum that opened in 2023 in the University of Arizona Student Union
• Cooper Center for Environmental Learning – $15,000 for facility enhancements and programs.

“We know that a vibrant quality of life and a robust economy rely on clean air, a strong environment and stable households,” said Wendy Erica Werden, TEP’s Manager of Community Investment.

“As a company, we’re focused on accelerating the transition to cleaner energy for a brighter future for all of us. But as an energy provider that has served this community for more than 130 years, we’re also invested in supporting our partners in their efforts to work toward a more sustainable environment and protect the place we all live,” she said. “We also give assistance to organizations that help local residents remain in their homes or transition to their next residence safely and securely.”

Part of the donation to Wildfire will provide repairs and replacements of non-functioning air conditioning units to combat the rising number of heat-related deaths and illnesses. This year, TEP contributed the first of three planned $30,000 annual donations to fund these efforts.

The Heat Relief Initiative is a collaboration with other utilities statewide, including Arizona Public Service, Salt River Project and Southwest Gas.

“Without their contributions, we couldn’t do this. This initiative will undoubtedly save lives,” said Kelly McGowan, Wildfire’s executive director. Wildfire is starting the initiative by addressing a waitlist of 250 applicants before considering new requests.

TEP focuses on supporting low-income communities and other causes that contribute to community vitality during the first and fourth quarters of the year. Donations supporting environmental protection and sustainability are highlighted in the second quarter, while  we focus on education in the third quarter. Throughout the year, we fund organizations and activities that support racial and social equity.

In 2023, we provided financial donations, in-kind contributions and volunteer support to 216 local charities. Nearly 300 employee volunteers donated nearly 8,500 hours to causes they care about last year. Read more about our 2023 community impact.

Some of the organizations and community projects we support are chosen by TEP’s Community Action Team, an employee-led committee that organizes volunteer and donation activities to benefit the causes closest to their hearts. In the first half of this year, some of those organizations included Friends of Pima Animal Care Center, Girl Scouts of Southern Arizona and Ronald McDonald House Charities.

On Arizona Gives Day, we matched our employees’ contributions to the causes that they value. Together, TEP and our employees dedicated nearly $10,000 to local nonprofit organizations and schools.

Groups seeking financial support, in-kind assistance and volunteers are encouraged to review details on at tep.com/community. Be aware that most donations are made to groups invited by TEP to apply. Learn more about our community involvement and donations.

Our team is committed to customer satisfaction. See how we performed in the J.D. Power 2023 Electric Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. Learn more