OPPD, United Way & Google announce new $6 million contribution to strengthen community resilience

A new $6 million contribution from Google will support a community collaboration led by Omaha Public Power District (OPPD), working alongside United Way of the Midlands (UWM) and other community partners to support households, organizations and strengthen community resilience. This energy impact funding will help reduce energy costs for families, improve energy efficiency and expand workforce pathways across the region.

The announcement was made during a press conference today at OPPD’s administrative offices, 1919 Aksarben Dr., Omaha. 

“Together, our organizations bring complementary strengths to address both immediate needs and long-term opportunities,” said OPPD President and CEO Javier Fernandez. “We are working in collaboration with our community partners to improve energy efficiency, strengthen housing stability, and prepare the next generation of skilled workers — all essential to meeting our region’s growing energy demands.” 

Google is helping to meet its growing demand by adding more clean energy capacity throughout the region, and with this funding initiative, helping to make a direct impact on household savings. 

“Google has a long-term commitment to Nebraska, and we believe it is our responsibility to ensure local communities share in the upside of our energy growth,” said Chris Matos, energy market development lead, central U.S., at Google. “Google is committed to not only paying for 100% of the power we use, but also to making investments in new clean energy generation and energy efficiency initiatives that benefit all community members. 

“We are proud to build on our partnership with both OPPD and United Way to help Omaha families save on their monthly electricity bill and also build a more resilient energy grid for everyone.” 

Google’s commitment supports weatherization and energy efficiency programs, as well as workforce development, community-resiliency projects, and direct support to bring immediate relief to individuals and families experiencing high energy burden. The weatherization services can reduce monthly utility bills by an estimated 20 to 30%, translating into savings of $70 to $105 per household.  

"This investment reaches across our community in meaningful ways,” said Shawna Forsberg, president and CEO, United Way of the Midlands. “It will provide important support for hardworking families, strengthen nonprofits serving our community and give more people opportunities to explore and build pathways to careers in the energy sector. We’re grateful to bring our expertise and community focus to this collaborative effort.” 

OPPD and UWM have a long history of working together in service of our communities. With Google’s support, the scale and outreach of community-focused initiatives is expanding significantly.  

Some investments reinforce trusted programs already showing strong results, while others introduce new, innovative approaches to emerging energy and resilience needs. Over the next 12 months, the investments will include: 

• Community Resilience Hubs: $1.875 million
• Weatherization and Home Energy Efficiency: $1.75 million
• Direct bill assistance and community resource fairs: $1.25 million
• OPPD's Greener Together Program (energy efficiency and renewable energy projects): $875,000
• Workforce Development: $250,000 

 Customers interested in learning about bill assistance and weatherization programs, and other help for which they may qualify, should attend the next Community Resource Fair co-hosted by OPPD and Metropolitan Utilities District. It will be held tomorrow, Oct. 20, from 3 to 7 p.m. at Liberty First Credit Union Arena, 7300 Q St., Omaha.  

 Starting Nov. 1, customers behind on their electric bill can contact 211 or apply for assistance online at myappconnect.com/. Funding is first come, first served. To quality, a customer’s household income must be at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. Eligible customers will receive up to a maximum of $500. The funding follows the guidelines of OPPD’s Energy Assistance Program.