Looking Back: 2022-2023 Mid-Year Review

Dollar Energy Fund is halfway through its 2022-2023 program year. Let’s look back at what we have accomplished during the past six months, with the help of our staff, utility partners and supporters.

November

• Dollar Energy Fund announced a new partnership with Aqua to administer their Customer Assistance Program. The Aqua Customer Assistance Program (CAP) is a discount program designed to provide monthly financial assistance for residential water and/or wastewater customers.
• Dollar Energy Fund began administering the National Fuel Gas Low-Income Residential Assistance Program (LIRA) in November. The LIRA program is a discount program designed to provide utility assistance for residential gas customers.
• The Citizen’s Bank Foundation awarded Dollar Energy Fund with a $53,000 donation towards the Hardship Program and Cool Down for Warmth campaign.
• Dollar Energy Fund hosted its annual Winter Warm Up Request-A-Thon in partnership with iHeartMedia and 3WS Pittsburgh. The event raised $161,580 to provide utility assistance to approximately 449 Pittsburgh households (1,347 neighbors) who were struggling to stay warm.
• Dollar Energy Fund was a sponsor and benefiting charity of Shadrack’s Christmas Wonderland in Butler, PA and Johnson City, TN. Coupons were distributed to customers to receive $2 off admission and Dollar Energy Fund received a $1 donation for every coupon redeemed.
• Dollar Energy Fund participated in #GiveBigPittsburgh and #ShareOmaha on Giving Tuesday.

December

• Jason Furda Photography donated all proceeds from his 2023 calendar sales to Dollar Energy Fund to help Pittsburgh families in need.

January

• In January, Dollar Energy Fund raised more than $147,000 during its 9th annual Cool Down for Warmth event on Pittsburgh Today Live (KDKA-TV). The amount raised gave assistance to approximately 410 families in Western Pennsylvania who were struggling to afford safe utility service.

February

• In February, Dollar Energy Fund’s 15th annual Warmathon on KDKA Radio raised $162,416, which provided utility assistance grants to 450 additional Pittsburgh-area households.

March

• The Robert Morris University Department of Athletics partnered with Dollar Energy Fund once again this season to assist families in the Pittsburgh region struggling to afford heat. Through the “Points For Power” program, First Commonwealth Bank donated $1.00 for every point scored by RMU men’s and women’s basketball teams during the 2022-23 season. Each dollar donated was matched by Dollar Energy Fund’s utility partners. The total amount raised was $8,000.
• This year’s Heat the Streets Run & Walk for Warmth in Nebraska raised $138,000 to provide utility assistance to Omaha Public Power and Metropolitan Utilities District customers in need.
• Dollar Energy Fund partnered with the Pittsburgh Penguins to host two fundraising campaigns in March – the Fan Appreciation Night Raffle and Jerseys for Warmth Charitable Auction. With your help and a generous match from our utility partners, these campaigns raised a total of $74,620 to benefit an estimated 207 households in our community.

Most importantly, Dollar Energy Fund has already distributed 16,852 grants, totaling $5.3 across the country since October 1, 2022. Since 1983, we have assisted more than 811,500 households by distributing over $245 million in utility assistance nationwide.

With your help, we can continue to provide immediate and direct assistance during our 2022-2023 program year. Your contribution, no matter how big or small, can make an extraordinary impact by ensuring local, limited-income families maintain or restore safe utility service and get on a path to self-sufficiency. If you would like to get involved during this program year, subscribe to our email newsletters to stay up to date on our latest fundraising campaigns.

On behalf of the many individuals, seniors, and families we have helped, we thank you for your continued support!