Operation Round Up Grant

Operation Round Up Grant is sponsored by Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation. Provides grants to local nonprofits within the cooperative's nine-county service area, including Wood County, to support community initiatives.

Operation Round Up Grant Request – Wood County Electric Cooperative Home Community Operation Round Up Grant Request reset to default font size Operation Round Up Offers Powerful Community Help Operation Round Up (ORU) is a well-known program. Palmetto Electric Cooperative in South Carolina, implemented the program over 30 years ago, and since then hundreds of co-ops have followed suit.

Electric co-ops follow the seven cooperative principles , particularly focusing on “Concern for Community. ” Operation Round Up perfectly embodies this principle. Members’ monthly bills are rounded up to the next dollar.

Example: If a member’s bill is $185. 43, it would be rounded up to $186, and the extra $0. 57 The rounded-up money is used for charitable community endeavors.

Small individual donations accumulate to create a significant positive impact on communities. On average, a co-op member contributes approximately $6 per annually. The money is sent to the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation which distributes local grants.

The maximum annual contribution a member can make is $11. 88. The program is voluntary, allowing members to opt-out at any time.

Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation Money collected from ORU goes directly to a separate non-profit foundation, Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation (WCECF). The WCECF ensures that grant decisions will be made in the best interest of the communities WCEC serves, and that funds are distributed fairly and used appropriately. Grants are made twice a year in the spring and fall.

Applications received by March 15 will be considered in the Spring review. Applications received by August 15 will be considered in the Fall review. Any applications received after those dates will be held until the following scheduled review.

Please read the guidelines and requirements for legibility thoroughly before applying. For example, the foundation does not provide money for scholarship programs, as WCEC already has a very robust scholarship program. Required Documents for Consideration Completed official application.

Copy of your organization’s tax exempt 501 (C) (3) letter. Copies of last 2 IRS Form 990’s. Pertinent brochures/documents/project descriptions, to help the board consider your request.

Budget data and/or quotes for supplies/materials/items to be purchased. Signature of authorized representative(s) of your organization. Copy of your organizations Non-discrimination policy.

(*) Requests without a clear definition of purpose, financial data to validate a project (budgets/vendor quotes and the like) will not be considered. Application Guidelines, Purpose & Scope Organizations must serve communities and citizens within WCEC’s 9-county service territory (Camp, Franklin, Hopkins, Smith, Rains, Titus, Upshur, Wood, Van Zandt). Only 1 application per organization will be considered annually.

Funds will only be awarded for future projects or events and not for debt retirement or to pay down debt, endowments, capital projects, or for retroactive funding. Organizations must have a current 501 (c) (3) status with the IRS, and if not, must serve the public in a non-discriminatory fashion in a not-for-profit fashion.

The WCECF will consider, but not limit to, grant requests from these types of organizations: Volunteer Fire Departments, Food Banks, Civic Organizations, Child Welfare Groups, Economic Development Organizations, Health & Wellness Foundations, Animal Rescues, Museums & Libraries, Performing Arts Centers and Parks & Recreation Facilities.

Grants, and grant denials, are at the sole discretion of the WCECF Board, For profit entities are excluded.

Others excluded include, but are not limited to: Individual or group registration fees (field trips, camp, etc.); salaries; scholarship programs or individual scholarships; political causes or lobbying; advertising; projects of religious denominations, unless regardless of religion for the benefit of the community at large (all youth, all elderly, etc.); repairs/improvements to private property or religious orders; organizations outside of WCEC service territory, unless a direct benefit is provided to a significant number of WCEC members; uniforms, personal athletic equipment, or general sponsorship for little leagues, dance teams, youth clubs, and the like; and requests that do not clearly define a specific project or purpose.

The granting process relies on many factors including budget, number of requests, and WCECF board meeting schedules. It is expected that grant reviews will take place biannually and the timing of notification of grants can take up to 4 months from time of request.

Successful grant applicants will include, as attached back-up material, quotes from vendors, project budgets, and any other financial data which validates the project that funding is being requested for. Please download and complete the Application for Funding and return it with all supporting documentation by one of the following methods.

Operation Round Up Application (PDF) Operation Round Up Application (Docx) Hand Deliver: 501 South Main Street. Quitman, TX Mail: Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation Wood County Electric Cooperative Video For details on ORU please watch this short 2-minute video. September 15, 2025 at 8:04 a.

m. $36k in Grants Given by Wood County Charitable Foundation to Local Charities East Texas communities are stronger thanks to the generosity of Wood County Electric Co-op (WCEC) members. In the latest funding cycle, $36,600 in grants were awarded to six local nonprofits through the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation (WCECF).

April 15, 2025 at 10:22 a. m. $86K in Grants Given to Fuel Local Charitable Endeavors Many local non-profits were the beneficiaries of monetary grants to help them serve East Texans.

Biannually, the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation board considers grant requests from charities within the co-op’s nine-county service territory. Fifteen deserving organizations that applied were granted over $86K November 1, 2024 at 11:33 a. m.

Eight Hundred and Forty-Four Thousand Reasons to Love Operation Round Up Biannually, the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation board considers grant requests from charities within the co-op’s nine-county service territory. In this latest giving round, they handed out checks totaling $53,000. May 28, 2024 at 8:47 a.

m. Funding $64K Worth of Progress, Pennies at a Time Twice a year, in the spring and the fall, the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation board members meet to consider grant requests from charities within the co-op’s 9-county service territory. In this latest giving round, they wrote $64,000 worth of checks to 11 organizations.

September 25, 2023 at 10:28 a. m. News, Operation Round Up News The Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation (WCECF), through donations to Operation Round Up (ORU), recently granted a total of $65,573 to 7 deserving non-profit organizations.

October 24, 2022 at 10:23 a. m. Pocket Change Can Make A Change Pocket change can change lives.

September 24, 2021 at 10:28 a. m. Local Non-Profits to Receive $63K in Grants The board of directors of the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation recently awarded $63,050 to 5 organizations that serve the citizens of WCEC’s 9-county service territory.

May 24, 2021 at 10:25 a. m. “Find a penny, pick it up.

All day long, you’ll have good luck. ” April 24, 2021 at 10:33 a. m.

$45K in Grants Poured into 4 Local Non-Profits The board of directors of the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation recently awarded $45,000 to 4 organizations that serve the citizens of Wood County Electric Cooperative’s 9-county service territory. December 24, 2020 at 10:47 a. m.

$54K in Grants Awarded to Local Non-profits The board of directors of the Wood County Electric Charitable Foundation recently reviewed grant requests and awarded $54K to 5 organizations that serve the citizens of Wood County Electric Cooperative’s 9-county service territory. July 24, 2020 at 10:47 a. m.

Virtual Meeting Sets Stage for $73K in Actual Grants In Japanese culture the word “crisis” also means “opportunity”. November 24, 2019 at 10:49 a. m.

230,890 Reasons To Be Thankful WCEC Member Generosity Strikes Again! Power Cost Recovery Factor Move/Transfer/Disconnect Service Steps to New Construction Report a Security Light/Service Concern Speaker/Demonstration Program Operation Round Up Grant Request Co-op Donation/Sponsorship Request WCEC’s Board of Directors