The criteria below outlines how PSE will evaluate and prioritize grant applications. We understand that not every project will address all criteria – rather, these guidelines help PSE identify and support initiatives that best match the program objectives.

1. Customer Served (70% of total score)

• Serve low-income customers and residents in PSE Named Communities *
• Benefit renters and rental properties
• Demonstrate clear positive impacts on customer’s energy costs
• Show substantial, direct benefits to communities with the greatest needs
• Include protections for renters, such as rent stability agreements

2. Project Funding (20% of total score)

• Evidence of pursuing or securing additional funding sources
• Clear demonstration of funding gaps that our grant would help address
• Strong commitment to leveraging multiple funding resources

3. Community Benefits (10% of total score)

• Address needs of underserved communities, including:
  • Seniors
  • Disabled individuals
  • Transitional housing residents
  • Tribal communities
• Partner with minority, women, and veteran-owned business (MWBE)
• Incorporate workforce development initiatives
• Serve areas with significant health disparities as identified by Washington State

Highest-Scoring projects will typically include:

• Direct benefits to both low-income customers and PSE Named Communities*
• Focus on rental properties with tenant protections
• Secured additional funding sources
• Strong partnerships with underserved communities
• Collaboration with MWBE contractors
• Clear paths for positive community impact

*Named Communities is being used as PSE’s umbrella term that includes Highly Impacted Communities and Vulnerable Populations. Highly Impacted Communities means a community designated by the Washington State Department of Health based on cumulative impact analysis or a community located in census tracts that are fully or partially on tribal land. Vulnerable Populations means communities that experience a disproportionate cumulative risk from environmental burdens due to adverse socioeconomic factors, such as unemployment, access to food and health care, etc., and sensitivity factors such as low birth rate, and higher rates of hospitalization. View PSE’s map of Named Communities here.