NonProfit NewsPod: SMUD Shine Awards 2026 - Application Window Now Open for Sacramento Nonprofits

Jeff: [00:00:00] Welcome to this Nonprofit Podcast NewsPod, where we amplify the voices of nonprofit leaders and their organizations making a difference in their communities. I'm joined by Kevin Burdick, Sustainable Community Partnership Specialist at SMUD, to talk about the application window now being open for SMUD Shine Awards.

Kevin: Kevin, welcome. Thanks, Jeff. Happy to be back. Kevin, if you would give us a high-level overview of what the Shine Awards are and how they benefit our Sacramento County nonprofits, that would be wonderful. Yeah, no problem. Uh, really excited again. Thank you, Jeff, for, uh, you know, kind of cultivating this audience of nonprofits for us.

Uh, so at SMUD, we have a, a very bold, uh, journey for us, uh, around the what's called the Zero Carbon Plan. It's our clean energy vision, and it's the plan to go 100% renewable energy by 2030. And the Shine Awards program is a program that exists to make sure that our nonprofit community doesn't get left behind in this effort.

So we're doing, uh, funding projects every single year for local [00:01:00] nonprofits, whether it's facility upgrades to make sure that they're as energy efficient as possible and that they are saving as much money on their SMUD and utility bills. Um, it might be a workforce development program that increases the number of future engineers and teaches young people about, uh, why clean energy is important and really making sure that we're meeting the gaps, uh, that are facing us in, in the Sacramento County.

Jeff: So an amazing program, happens every single year. Applications open in the summer. Lot of, uh, potential funding available, but an amazing program for our local nonprofits. And really what it is, it is a support mechanism in funding based on some tiers and, and proper application and all that, that can offset some of the expense for that nonprofit project, correct?

Kevin: Yeah. Yeah, totally. So, you know, it really just depends on, on what the needs are for the nonprofit, and we help them kind of every step of the way to figure out what type of projects, uh, are suitable for them, right? If, if they're a facility, they have a building, like there's some, there's some different conversations we might have [00:02:00] about, you know, what type of HVAC might work best or how we can turn off a gas source and move them onto a more energy efficient, uh, heat pump, for example.

But if they just do direct programming, um, we can help them with some of the, "Hey, this, this type of workforce development program might work best," um, or, "This STEM, hands-on STEM program will work best for your organization." So really, there's a lot of really, uh, amazing projects that we've supported over the last nine years, and we're heading into our tenth year, so this is a really exciting time.

Jeff: Tenth anniversary year. I love that. We did an episode, you and I, in May, where we really covered the nuts and bolts, the specific details, the opportunities, y- really from A to Z on the program, and I wanna make sure that anybody that is listening today recognizing that, "Oh my gosh, the application window is open, I need to know a little bit more," we will put that episode in the show notes so that they can learn more about everything that might be taking place.

But today is really about the awareness that June is the [00:03:00] opening of that application window. And if you could, give us a little bit of, uh, an indication of who should apply for these. Yeah. So any nonprofit in the region, any, you know, for us, our service territory is Sacramento County. So ideally, it's an organization that's based here in Sacramento County, or it's an organization that might be outside of the county but wants to do services in Sacramento County.

Kevin: So any, uh, 501[c][3], any, uh, chamber of commerce, a property-based improvement district, there's all kinds of nonprofits that are eligible for the program. And we walk through some examples too in our, um, on our website and in our webinars so that hopefully those organizations see, "Oh, I can do something like that, and I can get on board with the zero carbon plan and the clean energy vision, and hopefully be a Shine awardee as well."

Jeff: A- and you said something there, we help them, we walk them through. There's a tremendous amount of support. Let's, let's quickly address that because I know some people will get a little bit anxious about an application process. You know, they think grant funding and, "Oh my gosh, it's gonna be this much more difficult."

Kevin: It, it's [00:04:00] not as bad as it sounds, and for every little nuance, you're there to help. Yeah. Yeah, and of course, the applications can always be a little stressful, right? Uh, but we host, uh, about 14 different webinars throughout, uh, the early summer months to kind of address, you know, some of the, answer some of the questions that may, they may have ahead of time.

We'll provide some information on the program overall. Um, we'll actually walk them through the application and each specific question. Um, we'll tell them why we ask these questions and what the type of answers we're looking for, not to kinda tell them how to fill it out, but really to say like, "Hey, you're ama- you're an amazing nonprofit that's doing all this work in XYZ field.

Here's why we wanna, what we wanna learn about and why." Um, so really, we're just there to help. Um, and then our information we have up on our website so that if they're not available to attend a webinar, uh, we can meet directly or have a call, uh, to make sure that they get as much support as they need.

And the beauty of this is I don't speak English or my English isn't so [00:05:00] good. That's not a problem. Yep. Yeah, we have all of our resources available in eight different languages, and then our program staff here are bilingual in English and Spanish, as well, fluent. So it's, shouldn't be any barriers, um, uh, from a language capacity side.

Jeff: Boy, I just love that about SMUD. To, to really cater to the community, understand the community, recognize the differences that make our community great, but also can present some challenges. You're there to really alleviate some of those, those difficulties that could, could present themselves in so many different ways.

Kevin: Yeah, and, and you know, with the timing too, it's easier for us to say this in June, right? The applications are due at the end of July, so now is really the time to, you know, meet with us, talk to us, uh, listen to our webinars so that you can hear, you know, the, and maybe ask some questions ahead of time. Of course, we're here to support until the application closes, but, um, better now to talk than ever, right?

Jeff: A- and that's really the premise of this news pod is to say now is better than later, and [00:06:00] you're there. You have the time. You can address some of the issues, the questions, the, the, the, uh, the uncertainties as they fill out that application. Uh, how long would you suspect it takes somebody to do an application, Kevin?

Kevin: Yeah, we've s- we've seen, uh, you know, very different examples for different nonprofits. Some, you know, start their application on June 1st, as soon as it opens, wants to see all the questions, and then they slowly chip away at each, uh, question on the application and then, you know, turn it in at the end of July.

Uh, we have seen some successful applications that'll also started it on the last day, uh, and submitted it. Uh, we of course- We don't encourage that. Don't encourage that ... you know, encourage, yeah, we of course encourage people to start a little, little sooner than that, but, you know, definitely I would recommend, um, it just depends if, if they're working on a facility upgrade, of course, there's some time that you need to build in for getting a quote from a contractor or, you know, of course, reaching out to SMUD.

Um, but if you're designing a program, I always recommend a couple days for you just to really ideate what, what type of program you're applying for and how that can be successful with [00:07:00] SMUD. So, um, with an application, I would say probably two to three days, um, but you can, of course, do it in a shorter timeframe if you need to, but we don't always recommend it.

Jeff: Yeah, and that's not two or three days of eight hours a day working on the application. Right. It's just coming in and out of it to, to give yourself the time to really think about what you want to say because it is a competitive process, and you wanna put your best foot forward for your project. Yeah.

Kevin: Yeah, and we have a lot of, um, amazing people here at SMUD who help us review applications, uh, different subject matter experts across different fields. So we, the application will, will be read and received by a lot of different folks here at SMUD. So we just wanna make sure the organization's applying, you know, answer all the questions thoroughly and effectively and, um, leave our reviewers with fewer questions, um, after the fact.

Jeff Holden: And let's, let's before we wrap, give everybody a reason to apply, because last year I think there was what, maybe 100 or one hundred five applications? Mm-hmm. Just about. Which, that's a small number of people [00:08:00] competing for a fairly large sum of money. It's definitely worth the time and energy to put into the application process, no matter what it is that you get out of it.

You're certainly gonna get a return on your investment of time into the project, and that doesn't equate anywhere near to the savings that you're going to have as a result of your project and the beneficial part of it that really goes to the long-term sustainability of, you know, green and, and, uh, carbon-free for, for SMUD's energy program.

Kevin: Yeah. I'll, I'll say that, you know, with our applications that come in, we review every single one, and even like you mentioned, the, you know, I'll, I'll just use some examples, a little over 100 applications last year, and we have 25 Shine partners this year. So in theory, that's a 25% acceptance rate. 25%, right.

Right? That sounds, that sounds pretty, pretty significant. Um- That's one out of four. But in... Yeah. And in reality, you know, we review every single application, and even those ones that weren't [00:09:00] approved, we still, it's very likely we can find another funding source here at SMUD, uh, that could support their project.

Now, of course, we don't do that for everybody. There are some applications that come in that just aren't quite up to cue, and those organizations we'll offer a meeting to, to say, "Hey, let's work on this so we can talk about this for next year and make sure that this is a very tantalizing, uh, project for us to approve in the future."

Um, because every nonprofit that applies, uh, clearly they do amazing work in Sacramento to help the community, so we wanna be a part of that with those organizations. So no matter what, if you apply, we will of course read your application and make sure that we can make some sort of referral, uh, for something that you're looking for.

Jeff: And Kevin, if you would give us the application process again, meaning where to go to, where do they find it? Yeah, totally. Everything will be found on, uh, www.smud.org/shine. And on that page, you'll find, uh, you know, a variety of things. You're gonna see the details of the program, who's eligible, the funding [00:10:00] levels.

Kevin: You'll see a schedule for our webinars that I mentioned earlier, uh, that are happening in June and July. And then you'll see the application as well. So I recommend, you know, everyone kinda go through, read the, you know, kinda terms and conditions of the program, uh, attend a webinar, and then start their application so you can see what, what type of questions we ask and why.

Jeff: Um, and then, uh, hopefully submit before July 31st, hopefully before midnight. And, uh, we're looking forward to some really good applications this year. A-a-as are we. So what I will do is I will make sure that the link to the May episode is in these show notes, as well as the application link. So it's really simple if you happen to be driving and hearing this and going, "Oh my gosh, I've gotta get that application in.

I forgot all about it." Sure. Uh, everything will be in the show notes so that you can just get back to wherever you're going and click right on, and you're in the process. Kevin, thank you so much for helping us get the word out there and bringing attention to the fact that the SMUD Shine Awards window for applications is now open, and we are really looking forward to a, uh, [00:11:00] a robust and, and very comprehensive, you know, applicant pool this year.

Kevin: Yeah, absolutely. And Jeff, we always appreciate your help and, uh, us getting the word out and, uh, you know, I would... Maybe if someone does apply while they're driving, that would be a first for us. But we're just really excited, uh, that you continue to let us use this platform that you've created, um, in getting the word out, and we're looking forward to a lot of new applications this year.

Jeff: It's our pleasure. Thanks for listening. If you like our program, please subscribe, give us a positive review, and share with someone you know.

This nonprofit podcast news pod is a production of Hear Me Now Studio