What’s the difference between donations, sponsorships, and BEC Foundation grants?
| BEC Foundation Grant | Donation | Sponsorship | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Amount | $2,500 up to $10,000 | Up to $5,000 | Any Amount |
| Purpose | Project specific (not general fundraising or sponsorships). | Falls into BEC giving guidelines, includes in-kind donations. | Advertising opportunity (i.e. yearbooks, banners, signs), sponsorship of community event and/or fundraiser, etc. |
| Eligible Recipients | Falls into BEC Foundation Giving Guidelines. | Falls into BEC giving guidelines. | Falls into BEC giving guidelines. |
BEC Foundation Grant Giving Guidelines
Guidelines for organizations submitting an application for a BEC Foundation Grant:
- Organizations must be a nonprofit organization recognized by the IRS.
- Organizations and groups must provide services to residents living within BEC service areas.
- Have a physical address in the BEC service area.
- Submit project-specific requests – not for general fundraising.
- Not use funds towards BEC Electric, Solar, or Fiber products or services.
Contributions are often given for the following:
- Community service programs and projects
- Education and youth programs and projects
- Community-based health programs and projects
- Social service programs/projects (food pantry, crisis centers, emergency and elderly assistance).
- Other nonprofits that improve BEC communities
The BEC Foundation generally will NOT approve requests for:
- Projects outside of the BEC service area
- Lobbying or political organizations
- Raffles or similar events
- Sponsorships
- On-going operational expenses and salaries
- Religious projects whose sole purpose is to further the membership and influence of that religion
- Scholarships – See our BEC Scholarship Application
BEC Giving Guidelines for Donation & Sponsorships
In general, contributions to any 501(c)(3) charity are eligible for donations, sponsorship, and in-kind donations from BEC. Select organizations that are not designated a 501(c)(3) may also be eligible. These organizations include schools and government organizations such as counties or municipalities and their agencies or departments, as long as the donation serves a public purpose and is consistent with BEC’s donation and sponsorship guidelines below.
BEC generally limits donations to a $5,000 maximum per organization per calendar year; an organization can submit requests more than once per calendar year, but generally will not receive more than the maximum contribution limit through combined donations and/or sponsorships. Sponsorships of more than $10,000 require review by BEC’s Donation Committee and Executive approval.
Donations and sponsorships aimed to purchase products and/or services from BEC (i.e. electric service construction, energy bills, solar arrays, or fiber optics) are not permitted.
Organizations that are political in nature, limit their activities based on religious affiliation, or discriminate do not qualify. BEC reserves the right to review and determine whether requests are eligible for a donation, sponsorship, or in-kind donation. In-kind donations are considered non-cash donations such as gift baskets, volunteers, volunteer hours, services, or goods.
BEC generally does not approve requests for projects outside of the BEC service area, lobbying or political organizations, on-going operational expenses and salaries, religious projects whose sole purpose is to further the membership and influence of that religion, or scholarship funds (BEC offers its own scholarship program annually).