Tucson, Ariz. – Tucson Electric Power (TEP) contributed nearly $870,000 to 78 nonprofit groups during the first half of 2022, with a focus on low-income community assistance, anti-domestic violence efforts and environmental stewardship.

We funded a range of organizations and programs, with a focus on basic needs and wildlife protection. We contributed to groups that provide housing stabilization to keep residents safely in their homes, while also assisting many environmental nonprofit groups with their goals for clean air, water and land resources.

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.

Among our investments during the first six months of the year:

• $300,000 to Wildfire, a statewide nonprofit organization that provides utility bill-payment assistance to low-income residents.
• $50,000 to the University of Arizona for its expertise in taking a proactive approach for TEP’s Raptor Protection Program, which safeguards raptors and other wildlife from electric hazards.
• $15,000 to Old Pueblo Community Services for housing support, including bridge, shelter, transitional and permanent arrangements.
• $10,000 to Habitat for Humanity Tucson to bring affordable housing to Tucson and Southern Arizona through funding and volunteerism.

“Helping low-income seniors and families secure housing and satisfy other basic needs are top philanthropic priorities for TEP,” said Chris Norman, Vice President of Public Policy and Corporate Strategy. “We’re also committed to supporting environmental protection efforts that help improve the quality of life in our region.”

Wildfire Executive Director Cynthia Zwick said TEP’s contribution helps support those who are struggling to make ends meet.

“This helps us work toward our mission to end poverty in Arizona,” Zwick said. “TEP is a critical partner in our collective effort to help families in Tucson and Pima County work through the financial challenges they are facing.”

TEP customers also supported our community through TEP Gives. Every time customers signed up for Budget Billing, e-Bill or Auto Pay in the first half of the year, we donated to Emerge Center Against Domestic Abuse, topping out at $20,000. The Arizona Trail is our TEP Gives partner for the second half of the calendar year.

Our company focuses on low-income community support in the first and fourth quarters of the year, environment and sustainability in the second quarter, and education in the third quarter, with a focus on social equity throughout the year.

In 2021, we assisted 176 charities through financial donations, in-kind support and the contributions of employee volunteers. Although the pandemic limited our ability to attend in-person events last year, our volunteers contributed more than 9,971 hours to support important causes. In a typical year, about 25 percent of our employees volunteer in our community, often while wearing our trademark blue TEP volunteer shirts.

Some of 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. Also, our employees can earn donations to their favorite nonprofit organizations by tracking their volunteer hours through our Dollars for Doers program.

Organizations that meet one of our focus area requirements and may be interested in funding, in-kind assistance and volunteers are encouraged to review details at tep.com/community. However, donations are made primarily through an invitation by TEP to apply.

TEP provides safe, reliable electric service to more than 438,000 customers in Southern Arizona. For more information, visit tep.com. TEP and its parent company, UNS Energy, are subsidiaries of Fortis Inc. (TSX/NYSE: FTS), which owns utilities that serve more than 3 million customers across Canada and in the United States and the Caribbean. For more information, visit fortisinc.com.

News Media Contact:
Sarah Tully Lev
(520) 305-6130 (cell)
stullylev@tep.com