About Us

We are committed to helping our neighbors in need.

For more than 40 years, Dollar Energy Fund has been serving the limited-income community by providing utility assistance grants and other services.

Mission & Vision

Our Approach

Mission & Vision

501(c)(3) organization

Dollar Energy Fund’s mission is to improve the quality of life for households experiencing hardships by providing utility assistance and other services that lead to self-sufficiency.

Direct Assistance

Utility assistance grants in the exact amount needed to restore service or prevent a termination are applied directly to a customer’s account.

Fund of Last Resort

Many who receive a grant from our program have nowhere else to turn because they are not eligible for federal, state or other assistance programs.

Partnerships with Community-Based Agencies

Through connecting utility customers with community-based agencies for application intake, they are introduced to additional resources that may benefit their households.

Unique Funding Model

Most donations receive a dollar-for-dollar match from our partnering utility companies.

Utility Support

Our utility partners provide a donation to cover our administrative costs, allowing 100 percent of all donations to be used for utility assistance grants.

Social Enterprise

In addition to collecting donations, we utilize social enterprise initiatives, such as call center services and software solutions, to provide revenue to fund our programs and organizational expenses.

Dollar Energy Fund, Inc. has grown to become one of the largest hardship funds in the country.

Founded in 1983 in Western Pennsylvania by a coalition of concerned community and business leaders, the organization expanded beyond Pennsylvania in 2008 with the addition of a Hardship Program in West Virginia. Since then, we’ve extended our reach into Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee and Maryland in 2009; Texas and Louisiana in 2011; Arkansas in 2013; California in 2014; Connecticut in 2016; Indiana in 2019; Nebraska in 2020; and most recently, Illinois, Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington in 2023. We currently administer Hardship Programs for 50 utility companies. Dollar Energy Fund partners with 600 community-based organizations throughout our service territory.

These organizations handle application intake for our programs while also connecting those in need with other forms of assistance. The demand for assistance from our program has grown significantly due to increased costs of everyday living expenses and severe weather conditions. To meet the need, we rely on the generosity of individual donors. Our unique funding model provides a dollar-for-dollar match from our partnering utility companies for almost every donation we receive. The utility companies also make a separate donation to cover our administrative fees, so 100 percent of all individual donations are used to provide utility assistance grants to limited-income households.

Leadership

Board of Directors

Dollar Energy Fund’s Board of Directors is comprised of business and community leaders who are dedicated to upholding the mission of the organization and serving the limited-income community.

Ron Giulianelli

Board President

Dollar Bank

Doug Papa

Board Vice President

CNX Resources

Nick Meddis

Board Treasurer

Retired, Finance and Accounting Professional

Rachel Romito

Board Secretary

Urban Grid

Joseph Ott

Board Past President

BNY Mellon

Justin Good

Utility Company Representative

FirstEnergy

Paul Atencio

Atencio Hall, PLLC

Amanda Cole

Wesco International, Inc.

John Markwell

Exus Renewables North America

Reed Natali

Shore Bridge Wealth Management

Kyle O’Connor

TriState Capital Bank

Ellen Rossi

EQT Foundation

Elizabeth Saraceno

Leadership Akron

Valerie Wieloch

Dollar Bank

Paul Wood

UPMC

Michael Zanic

K&L Gates

Leadership

Leadership Team

Dollar Energy Fund’s leadership team is dedicated to fulfilling the organization’s mission and serving its clients. Their combined experience and vision has fueled the growth and continued success of the organization.

Chad Quinn

Chief Executive Officer

Dan Caponi

Chief Financial Officer

Lisa Stoebener

Chief Human Resources Officer

Sean Smiles

Chief Information Officer

Alan Michel

Chief Operations Officer

Jody Robertson

Director of Communications

Jessica Gunjak

Senior Director of Business Strategy

Documents & Financials

Dollar Energy Fund values the trust of our donors, clients and partners, therefore we believe it is important to maintain a level of transparency with regards to our financial standing and program operations.

View Financials