Through grants and investments, the Metropolitan Edison/Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund promotes the development and use of renewable energy and clean energy technologies, energy conservation and efficiency, sustainable energy businesses, and projects that improve the environment in the companies’ service territories.

In 2000, the Community Foundation received $6.8 million to establish the Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund as the result of the deregulation and subsequent settlement agreements by Pennsylvania Electric Utilities. At the same time, the Metropolitan Edison Company Sustainable Energy Fund was established and is managed by Berks County Community Foundation. The two funds, which share an advisory committee and are commonly referred to in the singular as the Met-Ed / Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund, marked their 20th anniversary in 2020. Since inception, the Met-Ed / Penelec SEF has approved 279 grants totaling $7,209,518; 51 loans totaling $25,161,087; and 3 equity investments totaling $1,600,000. Total funding since inception is more than $33.9 million.

The Met-Ed / Penelec Sustainable Energy Fund has already allocated all of the funding that it had available for 2022. They are currently in the process of strategic planning for 2023-25, and will soon be making announcements about funding priority areas and/or any grant opportunities later this year or early next year. Please stay tuned to the Met-Ed / Penelec SEF website for further announcements.

Questions should be addressed to Angie Berzonski, Associate Director of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, at aberzonski@cfalleghenies.org.