PG&E is committed to delivering for people, the planet and California’s prosperity. The stories we tell reflect our belief that everyone matters in the communities we serve.
The future will be full of challenges, requiring innovation and action to address new energy demands, climate change and ensuring everyone can thrive. Our stories offer hope, as we spotlight where the future is bright, and the changemakers who are leading with love.
- Change the System: Building Black Wealth
- From Kitchen to Community
Economic inequality and the racial wealth gap
Growing up in America, youth do not have equitable access to resources and opportunities. Black youth in particular face historical and systemic disadvantages, leading to disparities in wealth creation later in life. “Change the System: Building Black Wealth” follows Oakland high-school senior Otis Ward IV as he attends financial education classes at UC Berkeley while grappling with the pressures of leaving his hometown and charting his own path.
Interviews
Press
Economic Equity and Financial Education program
In 2022, PG&E launched the Economic Equity and Financial Education Pilot Program to support African American wealth creation. The program is designed to help address the disparities in wealth disproportionately affecting African Americans. It is based on a survey conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve, “Disparities in Wealth by Race and Ethnicity in the 2019 Survey of Consumer Finances,” published in 2020.
Current and visiting professors from Haas Business School Executive Education at University of California at Berkeley provide instruction at the Haas Business School campus to a cohort of African American students attending high school around Oakland. The specially designed curriculum aims to give students a better understanding of the tools to build wealth. Those tools include, but are not limited to, personal finance, company valuation and portfolio theory and management. The educational content on equity investments provides students with real-life examples and up-to-date market trends.
Candidates for the program are recruited and selected by the Mills College at Northeastern University Trio Programs. PG&E worked with Jason Miles, Amenti Capital Group and Hass Business School Executive Education at UC Berkeley, to develop the instructor-led program. It is designed to serve college-bound high school students with a high aptitude for academic success and civic leadership. Students who successfully complete the program receive $7,000 scholarships to support their future college educations.
In May 2023, the first cohort of 24 students completed the program. The second cohort begins their classes in September 2023.
Partners
Film participants
Join us
Mills College Upward Bound. Spread the word! Mills College Upward Bound is a free college access program that supports high school students in Oakland and Richmond and prepares them to enter college.
Oakland School Volunteers. Support Oakland public schools by becoming a volunteer.
Partner with Us to Close the Racial Wealth Gap. Contact Joshua Reiman at PG&E about film screenings, events, and partnership opportunities.
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Every restaurant owner has a story
Local restaurants, owned and run by your friends and neighbors, are one of those things that make each community special. They are the places where people come together, share a meal and connect. These stories show the indomitable spirit of California small business owners and the vital role they play in every community.
Film series
Restaurants care
In 2021, PG&E and other California utility companies recognized the need to support small, local businesses hurting from the impact of the pandemic. In partnership with the California Restaurant Foundation’s Restaurants Care Resilience Fund, PG&E and The PG&E Corporation Foundation helped create a fund to help restaurants. The grants pay for equipment and technology upgrades, unforeseen hardships, employee retention and training to help restaurant owners invest in their business and people.
Grants are made available to California resident restaurant owners with fewer than five units and less than $3 million in revenue. The program prioritizes minority- and women-owned businesses.
Over the last three years, PG&E and The PG&E Corporation Foundation have contributed $2.3 million. The funds will support 521 restaurants across PG&E’s service territory in Northern and Central California. The grants, ranging from $3,000 to $5,000, have helped restaurants stay afloat, enabling them to purchase needed energy efficient equipment and retain their staff during challenging financial times.
Partners
Film participants
Join us
Receive alerts for new grants. Sign up for Restaurants Care email alerts so you know right when new grant opportunities are announced.
Go support a restaurant grantee’s business. Check out the list of restaurants who have received a Restaurants Care grant and have a meal with your friends or family. Your business goes a long way to support local restaurants.
Simplified Savings Program for Restaurants (PDF). If you are a small business owner, you can find no cost energy solutions through this PG&E program that helps reduce your energy costs.
Rebates for food service equipment. PG&E offers several rebate programs that will help you save money and improve productivity when you upgrade your food service equipment.
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