Staff Report

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) recently announced that scholarship applications are now being accepted for college-bound high schoolers as well as current college and continuing education students with a primary residence that’s a PG&E customer in Northern and Central California.

More than 120 awards totaling nearly $300,000 are being made available through PG&E’s employee resource group (ERG) and engineering network group (ENG) scholarships.

These scholarships are awarded annually to help offset the cost of higher education. ERG and ENG scholarship winners will receive awards ranging from $1,000 to $6,000 for exemplary scholastic achievement and community leadership.  

PG&E ERG and ENG scholarship information, including criteria and applications, is available on PG&E’s website. To be considered for a scholarship, all applications must be submitted by Feb. 12, 2021.

“Many of our ERG scholarship recipients are the first in their families to attend college. They will be tomorrow’s leaders and innovators. Our ERG scholarships take on even more importance this year because some of our applicants could’ve experienced financial challenges due to COVID-19. We’re proud to invest in these promising young people,” said Mary King, PG&E vice president of human resources and chief diversity officer.

“It’s more than just funds for tuition. Many of our applicants are looking to ensure their families wouldn’t have to make significant financial sacrifices so they could pursue college,” said Alyssa Piring, a PG&E gas program manager who previously received an ERG scholarship. “These students are more than just straight A’s and perfect test scores. They’re inspiring members of our community destined to accomplish great things.” 

Since 1989, PG&E’s ERGs and ENGs have awarded more than $5 million in scholarships to thousands of recipients. The funds are raised totally through employee donations, employee fundraising events and Campaign for the Community, the company’s employee giving program.

Nearly 6,000 PG&E employees belong to the ERGs and ENGs. Each group helps further the company’s commitment to serving its communities and growing employee engagement. 

PG&E’s ERG and ENG scholarships are available through these 13 groups:

  • Access Network (individuals with disabilities)
  • Asian
  • Black
  • Latino
  • Legacy (tenured employees)
  • MEENA (Middle East, Europe and North Africa)
  • National Society of Black Engineers (STEM career employees)
  • NuEnergy (newer employees)
  • PrideNetwork (LGBT employees)
  • Samahan (Filipino)
  • Society for Hispanic Professional Engineers (STEM career employees)
  • Veterans
  • Women’s Network

In addition to the PG&E scholarships, the Pacific Service Employees Association (PSEA), a nonprofit mutual benefit organization serving PG&E employees and retirees, also provides scholarships for dependents of company employees.