Pepco and Sustainable Maryland Invest nearly $125,000 in Nine District of Columbia and Maryland Communities, Municipalities and Nonprofits to Bolster Open Space and Resiliency[...]

Pepco and Sustainable Maryland announced the nine recipients of the 2025 Sustainable Communities Grant program, a key initiative dedicated to investing in the region's future. With a total of nearly $125,000 in one-time grants, this program supports grassroots initiatives that help to strengthen the fabric of communities by turning vacant spaces into thriving green hubs, expanding access to fresh, locally grown food, improving emergency preparedness infrastructure, and creating educational spaces that bring residents together.

"When communities are given the tools and support they need, great ideas can take root and transform neighborhoods," said Amber Perry, Pepco's region president. "Over the past five years, the Sustainable Communities Grant Program has grown into a powerful partnership that's restoring natural habitats, improving green spaces, and building resilience across the region. This year's grantees truly showcase local leadership at its best. For example, My Senior's Keeper Foundation, is converting an underutilized site in Ward 7 into a vibrant, solar-powered community green space. These projects reflect how creativity, commitment, and deep community knowledge are tackling real-world challenges and making a meaningful impact."

Since launching the program in 2020, Pepco has awarded more than $620,000 in funding to nonprofit organizations and municipalities. This year's cycle includes two funding tracks: $58,700,000 in environmental stewardship grants to support projects that restore ecosystems, expand green spaces, and promote environmental education, and $66,000 in resiliency grants to fund community-based initiatives that improve emergency preparedness and strengthen local infrastructure in the face of extreme weather and other climate-related events.

This year's environmental stewardship grant recipients include:

• Friends of the National Arboretum ($8,700) - Washington, D.C.For improvements to the Washington Youth Garden, including the restoration of garden infrastructure and the addition of new picnic tables and seating to expand the garden's educational capacity.
• Dreaming Out Loud ($10,000) - Washington, D.C.To support The Farm at Kelly Miller Open Space Improvement Project in Ward 7 by installing and upgrading key infrastructure to strengthen local food production.
• Town of University Park ($10,000) - Prince George's County, Md.For the Community Meadow Project, transforming a grass lot into a native pollinator meadow with walking paths and interpretive signage that support biodiversity and community engagement.
• Community Native Planting Project ($10,000) - Prince George's County, Md.To expand demonstration gardens and incubator plots at Eco City Farms, featuring native plant landscapes and pollinator-friendly gardens that promote environmental education and enhance the ecological resilience of the farm.
• Live Peace Tech Corporation ($10,000) - Montgomery County, Md.To engage middle and high school students in creating a South Asian American Youth "Peace Forest" at the Nepal Education and Culture Center, promoting environmental stewardship and cultural exchange through hands-on activities.
• Living Classrooms of the National Capital Region ($10,000) - Washington, D.C.For the Kingman Rangers Program, a workforce development initiative focused on environmental restoration and green job training on Kingman and Heritage Islands, advancing pathways to sustainable employment.

This year's resiliency grant recipients include:

• Takoma Park ($16,000) - Montgomery County, Md.To support the development of the Takoma Park Resilience Hub, which will include coordinated planting and preparation tracks, resident input, and programming that enhances resiliency, sustainability, and emergency preparedness.
• City of Greenbelt ($25,000) - Prince George's County, Md.For the purchase of a mobile cold storage trailer to strengthen local food access and distribution, supporting the Greenbelt Farmers Market and food assistance partners by preserving and transporting fresh, locally grown produce for residents experiencing food insecurity.
• My Senior's Keeper Foundation ($25,000) - Washington, D.C.For Blight 2 Bloom, a transformative environmental restoration project converting an underutilized site in Ward 7 into a community-centered green space featuring solar-powered energy systems, stormwater management solutions, and workforce development opportunities.

"Partnerships like this one with Pepco allow us to amplify the incredible work happening at the local level," said Mike Hunninghake, Director of Sustainable Maryland. "When municipalities and nonprofits have the resources they need, they can turn great ideas into lasting impact."

The Sustainable Communities Grant Program complements Pepco's broader initiatives to advance cleaner energy solutions and support local infrastructure needs. In addition to funding local projects, the company provides customers with tools and programs to reduce energy consumption and emissions, supporting Exelon's Path to Clean initiative to cut operations-driven emissions 50 percent by 2030 and reach net-zero by 2050.

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