SOCIAL JUSTICE

California Restaurant Foundation

SoCalGas was a founding partner and lead sponsor of the Restaurants Care Resilience Fund in 2021. This fund provides critically needed grants to small business restaurants owned by women and people of color struggling since the start of the pandemic. In 2021, the fund supported 318 small restaurants. In 2022, SoCalGas provided additional funding that focused on the two things that keep a restaurant running - kitchens and crews. Grants of $3,000 could be used for retention bonuses or new kitchen equipment. With collective support from SoCalGas, San Diego Gas and Electric, Pacific Gas and Electric and Wells Fargo, 162 independently owned restaurants across Central and South California received grants in 2022 and year-long support services from Wells Fargo which provided restaurant owners with resources to enhance and streamline their business.

Gas Assistance Fund

SoCalGas provided $300,000 to United Way of Greater Los Angeles’ Gas Assistance Fund, a program that helps income-qualified customers pay their natural gas bills. United Way works with various nonprofit organizations throughout SoCalGas’ service territory, and helps customers pay their gas bill with a one-time grant of up to $100 per household. The program helps low-income customers avoid disconnections due to financial burden, ensuring that they can maintain utility which are critical to a livable environment for families to survive and thrive in. Additionally, by alleviating utility bill challenges early, we can ensure that arrears do not impact future connection services and impact debt and other opportunities for continued financial stability.

SoCalGas Scholarship Program

In 2022, SoCalGas awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships to 25 students studying STEM, accounting, finance, and various trades. $1,000 awards were provided to students planning to attend a community college or trade school and $5,000 awards were provided to students planning to attend a fouryear university. Recipients attending a four-year university can renew their scholarship for an additional three years to receive a total of $20,000 over the course of four years of study. Recipients were evaluated on their academic achievements, community involvement and personal statement regarding California’s clean energy future. Eighty-seven percent of the scholarship recipients identified as students of color. Since the program’s inception in 2001, SoCalGas has awarded over $3.2 million in scholarships to more than 2,290 students.

STEAM: CODERS

SoCalGas provided financial support to STEAM: CODERS 2022 Summer of STEAM camp and the MathPods program. The weekly summer camp uses age and grade-appropriate curricula to introduce a variety of activities and classes in coding, game and web development, robotics, art, design, and music. The MathPods program is designed for students who are performing below grade level in mathematics. Sessions are developed and based upon a student’s need. Students work together in small pods (typically 4-6 students), using the same learning materials to broaden their foundational knowledge, apply problem-solving and critical thinking skills, and learn to solve complex math problems as they progress. These small groups allow for students to collaborate, as well as receive personalized assistance from instructors.

Workforce Development

Creating pipelines to employment, SoCalGas invested $328,000, in 18 workforce development programs throughout Los Angeles and the Inland Empire. Our program support provided youth, women, veterans and other underserved populations with customer service and technical skills training to ready them for viable employment. The Los Angeles Urban League’s Construction Career Academy is one of our key partner programs. To date, we have hired 11 individuals from their program.