SALT LAKE CITY — Utah Power’s charitable arm, the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning, has awarded $102,500 to Utah nonprofit groups, to help support educational programs throughout the state. The grants are part of more than $300,000 awarded by the PacifiCorp Foundation in June 2005, for learning initiatives across the electric utility’s six-state service area.

“This infusion of funding will provide needed support for programs that benefit Utah students of all ages,” said Rich Walje, president of Utah Power and chair of the PacifiCorp Foundation’s evaluation committee. “The Foundation awards four cycles of grants annually in the areas of education, health and welfare, community and the arts.”

The largest grants in Utah will go to Guadalupe Center Educational Programs, Inc. and Junior Achievement of Utah, both based in Salt Lake City. The Guadalupe Center will receive $25,000 for this year’s Summer Institute, a four-week course for at-risk and low income students in kindergarten thru third grade, designed to help reinforce learning in math, science and other subjects. Junior Achievement will receive $18,000 to help support business, economics and ethics education for students in kindergarten thru twelfth grade. PacifiCorp Foundation support will ensure that all students in three elementary schools will be able to take part in the Junior Achievement experience. 

Additional Utah organizations to receive funding from the PacifiCorp Foundation include:

National Energy Foundation (Salt Lake City) – Support for safety and security training for teachers in Utah schools

University of Utah College of Nursing (Salt Lake City) – Support for the Student Outreach Program’s Navajo Cultural Immersion Experience

Utah Museum of Natural History/University of Utah (Salt Lake City) – Support for Youth Teaching Youth, a program for at-risk junior high and high school students

Westminster College (Salt Lake City) – Support for enhanced service-learning programs

Jordan Education Foundation, Inc. (Sandy) – Support for Mini-Grants program to fund innovative classroom projects

Davis Education Foundation (Farmington) – Support for Fall 2005 reading program class projects

Davis Arts Council (Layton) – Support for Blues in Schools music history and improvisation program for fourth grade students

Utah State University (Logan) – Support for Engineering State, a summer program to encourage high school juniors and seniors to pursue careers in engineering, science, math and technology

Utah State University: College of Engineering (Logan) – Support will provide scholarships for engineering students

Weber State University (Ogden) – Support for LIFT program to help provide free literacy training for low-income and minority families with preschool aged children, where one or more parent has not completed high school

Southern Utah University (Cedar City) – Support for First-Generation Scholarships will provide the opportunity for three to five SUU students to become the first in their family to obtain a college degree

College of Eastern Utah (Price) – Support will help provide education and engineering scholarships

Alpine School District Foundation (American Fork) – Support for STARS Summer Reading Program will help provide additional reading instruction for struggling first and second grade students

The PacifiCorp Foundation also approved a $50,000 challenge grant for the Utah Humanities Council’s Motheread/Fatheread early childhood literacy program. The Foundation has provided $300,000 in funding for the program over the past three years.

Additionally, two small community capital projects in Utah were awarded PacifiCorp Foundation funding. The Emery County EMT Association received $5,000 to help purchase a PDA STAT Simulator Manikin Advanced Life Support portable training device, and Fountain Green City received $5,000 to assist with the restoration of the Fountain Green Theater/Dance Hall.

Since its establishment, the PacifiCorp Foundation has awarded more than 6,500 grants totaling more than $38.4 million to communities served by Utah Power, Pacific Power and PacifiCorp. For additional information, visit www.pacificorpfoundation.org .

About the PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning

The PacifiCorp Foundation for Learning  was created and incorporated as a corporate foundation in 1988 in order to become the major channel of philanthropy for PacifiCorp, Utah Power and Pacific Power. PacifiCorp and its employees have a long tradition of active involvement in the communities served by Utah Power, including charitable contributions, sponsorships of community events and in-kind donations.
Media inquiries: newsdesk@pacificorp.com