In 2021, APS remained committed to providing community support to our nonprofit partners as they changed the way they delivered programs and services as a result of COVID-19. We partnered with nonprofits to expand heat relief during the summer months and we launched new programs to create inclusive opportunities for the community. Our community engagement highlights include:
Heat Relief. In partnership with The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, Salvation Army and 211 (Arizona’s information and referral services program), APS helped to expand heat-relief programs assisting Arizonans with eviction prevention, emergency shelter, hydration and cooling stations and transportation to access those services. Resources were provided to support 11 Metro Phoenix Cooling Center locations and 8 additional locations, across nine Arizona counties. We began a program to provide free transportation to those needing to get to a cooling center or hydration station. We provided heat relief and shelter to more than 55,200 people and distributed more than 124,000 bottles of water on 100 of the hottest days of the year.
Healthy Homes Pilot Program. In partnership with the Foundation for Senior Living, APS helped launch this innovative program to address heat-related health hazards during the summer months for vulnerable, limited-income households by providing emergency HVAC repair/replacement at no cost. In the program’s first cycle, 30 households in APS’s service area received help from this program.
Food Security. APS partnered with Yuma Community Food Bank to fund two cold-storage units for La Paz and Yuma counties. These units will support the distribution of perishable and non-perishable food to the community for the first time in La Paz County.

Small Business Support. In partnership with Compass CBS Foundation, APS’s Going Green & Going Smart program helped small businesses accelerate adoption of sustainability practices and gain valuable energy insights and access to programs to help them grow. In 2021, more than 118 businesses enrolled in the program and more than 35,000 individuals were engaged through expert sessions and digital outreach.
Northern Arizona Kiva Hub. APS partnered with the Better Business Bureau Serving the Pacific Southwest to launch the Northern Arizona Kiva Hub, which will provide no-interest loans to small businesses unable to access traditional capital in 2022. Kiva pioneered personal microlending for low-income entrepreneurs and underserved communities by using a blend of community partners, municipalities and individual funders to offer financing with no interest, no fees and technical assistance for small businesses. The Northern Arizona Kiva Hub will support entrepreneurs throughout Apache, Coconino, Mohave, Navajo and Yavapai counties.
Lineworker Scholarship Program. In partnership with Friendly House, we awarded four deserving individuals with needs-based tuition assistance and wraparound support services to enhance their capabilities through electric utility lineworker training at Yavapai College. The purpose of this program is to promote equality of opportunity, as well as increase in awareness and participation of underrepresented groups in the lineworker workforce.
Supply My Class. To help ease the burden on Title I schoolteachers, support teacher retention, and to provide students with the tools they need, APS provided 500 teachers with $500 gift cards through the Supply My Class program. Since the program’s start, 3,000 Title I schoolteachers in the APS service territory have received help from this program.
STEM Teacher Grants Program. In partnership with the Phoenix Suns, APS helped teachers across the state by funding innovative science, technology, engineering and math projects that inspire students and their love of learning. The program awarded 29 schools with grants of up $2,500 for hands-on projects that introduce STEM concepts to the classroom.
Diverse Workforce Initiative. APS helped establish the Diverse Workforce Initiative, led by the ASU Office of Educational Outreach and Support Services, with the shared goal of creating a stronger ecosystem of support for Black and underrepresented college students. The initiative aims to create a diverse workforce pipeline through intentional mentorship, internships, and by opening doors to career opportunities in high-wage sectors in Arizona. An APS Mentor Network helped to connect ASU students with APS employees who share their professional journey and insight on how to navigate internships and career opportunities in the energy sector.
Indigenous Leadership Academy (ILA). With seed funding from APS, the American Indian Policy Institute at ASU announced the creation of the ILA, the first of its kind in the country. The ILA supports emerging Indigenous leaders in expanding their knowledge, skills, and networks to address public-policy issues and engagement in the Tribal government, nonprofit and private sectors. The ILA will give program participants the opportunity to explore these issues and find ways to make a positive difference for Indigenous people in urban and reservation communities.
Supporting First Responders. We partnered with Firehouse Subs Foundation to provide $171,000 in grants to first responders in our service territory to buy lifesaving equipment. Ten fire stations and police departments in Arizona were able to access training, and buy medical bags, automated external defibrillators, two-way radios, self-contained breathing apparatuses and ballistic-safety gear through this program.
West Valley Grant Program. APS partnered with Arizona Community Foundation to provide funding to 39 nonprofits that support growth and community needs in the West Valley through a competitive grant process.
APS Garfield Station. The Garfield Substation boasts a beautiful, one-of-a-kind mural created by local artists. It features the downtown Phoenix skyline and late Phoenix City Councilman and educator Calvin Goode, who was dedicated to improving impoverished areas of the city, supporting disadvantaged youth and fighting discrimination.
APS Government Affairs Manager Kendra Lee says murals and similar artistic elements will be an important component of future downtown substation projects.
“Instead of building substations with 10-foot block walls that blend in with the surrounding architecture, these new projects create a vibrancy that showcases neighborhood character, while still providing safe, reliable electricity," Lee said. "It’s a win-win for APS, the community and our customers."
