Dollar Energy Fund Reaches Milestone of Providing Utility Assistance Grants to One Million Households Across the USA

440,000 Pennsylvania Residents Helped with more than $140 Million

PITTSBURGH, PA, UNITED STATES, November 18, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Dollar Energy Fund, a nonprofit organization whose mission is focused on helping limited-income households maintain basic gas, electric, water and wastewater utility service, today announced a significant milestone of one million households within 18 states receiving utility assistance grants through its hardship programs since the organization was founded in 1983.

In Pennsylvania, Dollar Energy Fund has provided 440,141 grants totaling $141.3 million in utility assistance since 1983 to help households maintain critical utility services during times of crisis. The program, which started with three utility companies and 24 community-based agency partners in western Pennsylvania, has grown to include 20 utility companies across the state and more than 200 community agency partner locations.

This achievement represents Dollar Energy Fund’s efforts throughout four decades of partnership with utility companies, community-based organizations and donors—all committed to providing our neighbors in need with utility assistance and other services that support self-sufficiency.

“For the last 42 years, we've remained committed to fulfilling the mission of helping our neighbors in need by providing utility assistance and giving hope to the some of the most vulnerable members in the communities we serve,” said Chad Quinn, Dollar Energy Fund’s CEO. “Each grant represents an individual or family who saw an improvement in their situation. They didn’t have to choose between providing necessary food and prescriptions or paying their electric bill, were able to keep the water running in their homes, or didn’t have to face a winter in the cold. We’re proud of what we’ve accomplished and look forward to continuing our work to help the next million households in need.”

Dollar Energy Fund’s assistance programs operate in 18 states, serving customers of 54 utility partners, and are administered through a partnership with more than more than 550 community-based organizations. The Hardship Program provides grants that are directly applied to the utility accounts of households facing a financial difficulty, with many recipients experiencing a temporary crisis such as a job loss, injury or unexpected emergency expense.

Since 1983, Dollar Energy Fund’s Hardship Program has benefited more than 1,021,448 households—and counting—by providing $344 million in assistance grants. During the 2024-2025 program year, more than 81,500 households across the organization’s multi-state service territory received a combined $24.2 million in assistance.

Of those who received a grant, half have children under the age of 18 in the household, approximately 20 percent have senior citizens ages 62 and older, and one in 10 households were without utility service and required a grant to restore their service.

Hardship Program guidelines and program details vary by partnering utility companies and are subject to change throughout the program year. The most up-to-date information can be found at www.dollarenergy.org/need-help.

Those seeking assistance should first contact their utility provider to be screened for eligibility and to receive a referral to one of Dollar Energy Fund’s community-based organization partners to complete their application. This process not only provides local, in-person options when applying for utility assistance, but also connects families with a network of agencies that offer additional resources, such as financial counseling, transportation aid, childcare assistance, and housing resources. Additionally, customers of select utility companies may be able to use Dollar Energy Fund’s MyApp portal to complete all or a portion of their application online.

Dollar Energy Fund relies on public contributions, with most utility partners providing dollar-for-dollar matching funds to maximize the impact of each dollar donated. Contributions can be made online at www.dollarenergy.org/donate or by sending a check to Box 42329, Pittsburgh, PA 15203. Customers can also opt in to donate directly through their monthly utility bills, and all donations are tax-deductible. Every effort is made to ensure donations from a specific state are used to benefit households in that same area.

For more information about Dollar Energy Fund, how to apply for utility assistance, or to make a donation, please visit www.dollarenergy.org.

About Dollar Energy Fund, Inc.
Dollar Energy Fund was founded in 1983 and has grown to become the largest hardship fund in Pennsylvania and one of the largest programs of its kind in the United States. Dollar Energy Fund is a 501(c)3 organization in the state of Pennsylvania. Since 1983, the organization has provided $344 million in utility assistance grants to more than 1 million limited-income families and individuals. The organization also assists limited-income households in West Virginia, Ohio, Virginia, Tennessee, Maryland, Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Indiana, Nebraska, Illinois, Hawaii, New Mexico and Washington and Massachusetts. Individuals interested in contributing to Dollar Energy Fund can do so through their utility bills, by sending donations directly to Box 42329, Pittsburgh, PA 15203 or through the organization’s website. Additional information can be found on Dollar Energy Fund’s website, www.dollarenergy.org.

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Jody Robertson
Dollar Energy Fund
4124275762 ext.
jrobertson@dollarenergy.org

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