Serving Tribal Communities
SCE is honored to serve 13 tribal nations within our 50,000-square-mile service area on key electric utility issues. In addition, SCE interacts with more than 40 tribal communities, some federally recognized and others not federally recognized, with our transmission and distribution lines, hydroelectrical facilities, and other electrical infrastructure crossing into those tribal territories. SCE remains committed to safely providing our tribal nations (businesses and residential customers) with reliable, affordable, and clean energy. SCE partners with our tribal nations in these main areas:
- Reducing Wildfires
- Clean Energy
- Philanthropy
- Energy Efficiency
Our company also partners with the tribal nations on other energy-related issues, such as outage management, transportation electrification, aerial inspections of transmission lines, setting up new service accounts on reservation homes and businesses, and much more. We are proud to be your energy partner.
We are proud to serve 13 Federally recognized tribes
We also service over 20 state-recognized tribes in various capacities.
Partnership Areas
Reducing Wildfires
With about a quarter of SCE’s service area in high fire risk areas, addressing the threat of wildfires is one of our company’s top priorities.
Tribes that live in High Fire Risk Areas in SCE’s territory include:
- Benton Utu Utu Gwaitu Paiute Tribe
- Bishop Paiute Tribe
- Bridgeport Indian Colony
- Morongo Band of Mission Indians
- Pechanga Band of Luiseno Indians
- San Manuel Band of Mission Indians
- Soboba Band of Luiseno Indians
- Tule River Indian Tribe
Learn more about weather awareness during wildfire season and what SCE is doing to protect your community from wildfires.
Clean Energy
California is moving toward a clean energy future to address the impacts of climate change and to clean the air we all breathe. SCE wants our tribal nations to know how they can participate in this transition that can help improve the health of their communities, preserve the environment, and maintain economic competitiveness. SCE’s Pathway 2045 paper outlines our vision for how this clean energy transition can unfold in a way that is both practical and affordable.
To learn more about our path to a clean energy future, visit SCE Clean Energy
.
Philanthropy
Edison International, the parent company of SCE, is one of the largest corporate charitable contributors in Southern California. Our company supports programs that help our tribal communities, based on certain qualifications. Ask your SCE Government Relations Manager/Tribal Nations Liaison
for details.
Read more about our philanthropic giving.
SCE gives money to qualified Tribal Nation high school students. Congratulation s to our 2025 scholars!
SCE News, Media, and Events for Tribal Nations
See how SCE helps support tribal nations in our service areas.
News Publications and Documents
- Tribal Funding Available for Energy-Related Projects
- Tribal Funding Available for Clean Energy Projects
- Grants for Tribal Nations
Media Images
SCE Powers Tribes in Our Service Territory
Colorado River Indian Tribe Signage
The Colorado River Indian Tribes (CRIT) consist of the Mohave, Chemehuevi, Hopi, and Navajo tribes, with a population of around 4,277 active members. Their reservation, established in 1865, spans nearly 300,000 acres along the Colorado River in Arizona and California. The primary community is in Parker, Arizona, and includes Poston, a WWII Japanese internment camp site now a monument and museum. The economy is traditionally based on agriculture but has diversified into sand and gravel, real estate, retail, and tourism, including the BlueWater Resort and Casino. The tribal seal and flag symbolize the unity and heritage of the tribes.
Morongo and Soboba Among Tribal Communities
Morongo and Soboba are among the 13 Tribal Communities SCE serves.
Upcoming Events
No upcoming events at this time.
Past Events
2023
- 2023 PSPS Workshop: Date TBD.
- 2023 Tribal Leaders’ Clean Energy Summit, August 7-9th, 2023. Location TBD. Email aaron.m.thomas@sce.com if you would like to be a speaker and/or have a booth at the event.
2021
Event: Tribal Leaders Summit
Date: Tuesday, November 9th
Time: 10 AM - 11:30 AM
Details: Southern CA Edison is hosting a workshop/summit for all our tribal nation elected leaders on Tuesday, November 9th, from 10 AM - 11:30 AM. The purpose of the summit is to share information on SCE programs and services as it relates to tribal community resiliency and get tribal elected leader feedback about the content.
This summit will help answer the question: How can my tribal community better prepare for extreme weather, emergencies, save money on their bill, etc.
Event: SCE All-Tribal Community Resiliency and Preparedness Workshop
Date: Wednesday, December 1, 2021
Time: 6 PM
Agenda includes:
SCE Resiliency and Preparedness Workshop Topics
- Welcome, Safety & Objective
- How to Save on Your Bill and Other Financial Assistance Programs
- Discounts for Customers with Medical Needs, and Information on the New 211 Partnership
- What Customer Programs Does SCE Offer to Help Prepare for Emergencies?
- What are the Different Types of Outages and Resources Available?
- We Would Like To Hear From You: Open Forum for Questions and Feedback
- Closing Remarks & Wrap Up
Please email Aaron Thomas, SCE Tribal Liaison at aaron.m.thomas@sce.com to register for this workshop.
SCE will be hosting a subsequent meeting with all-tribal community members on Wednesday, December 1st at 6 PM. We’ve hosted similar workshops for cities and counties but this will be the first time we will be inviting tribal community members to attend. The tribal community workshop material will be similar, but the information will be targeted at your residential community members; this meeting will take place in the early evening, 6 - 7 PM to accommodate work schedules. We would like to get your feedback on workshop material to ensure that what we share with your community members is relevant and useful. If there are additional topics you would like information on, either during the November 9th meeting or for the December meeting, do not hesitate to send me the information.
2022
Event: Grant Making Webinar
Date: Tuesday, April 5, 2022
Time: 11 am PT/2 pm ET/2 pm ET
Agenda includes:
Every year, millions of dollars in public EV grant funding are available to California fleets. These funding opportunities greatly reduce EV purchase costs, but funding programs are complex and the application process is time-intensive and highly competitive.
Southern California Edison’s newly launched Transportation Electrification Advisory Services Grant Assistance Program helps medium- and heavy-duty fleet owners apply for local and state EV grant funding opportunities—at no cost to the fleet. With dedicated step-by-step grant writing assistance available for small and mid-sized fleets, this brand-new program connects fleets with free grant funding that can greatly reduce their EV purchase costs. Funding experts are here to help you identify the right funding program for your fleet, prepare a competitive application, and apply for EV funding today!
Join this 1-hour webinar to:
- Hear more about SCE’s free Grant Assistance program and how to apply
- Learn what funding resources are available specifically to small and mid-sized fleets
- Listen in as funding experts walk you through the EV grant application process
- Prepare to apply for South Coast Air Quality Management District’s popular Carl Moyer Program, opening soon
This year will see multiple grants and funding opportunities that Tribal Nations can take advantage of and skills learned in this Grant Writing program can help increase your tribe’s chances of being awarded funding. As a reminder, this opportunity pairs well with SCE Charge Ready programs that offer free to low-cost EV Charging Infrastructure! Learn more at: www.sce.com/chargeready (or call or email me for more information!)
2022 PSPS Tribal Nation Workshop
Tribal Nations in high fire risk areas are invited to attend the 2022 Tribal Nation Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) Workshop. During our workshop, we will discuss updates to SCE’s PSPS protocols and wildfire mitigation plans, tools and resources available for your community, and information on best practices from other tribal nations. These workshops are intended to be an interactive space where we welcome your questions and feedback. Please come to the workshop ready for discussion.
Click to attend: Virtual Meeting
Date: Wednesday, June 1, 2022
Time: 10:30 am – 12:00 pm
This virtual workshop will be hosted on MS Teams. In order to register, please click on the link below; the Microsoft Teams information will be emailed to everyone in advance of the meeting. This is an open forum, please invite others from your organization so that they can register individually.
Charge Ready Workshop (Pre-2022 Tribal Leaders' Clean Energy Summit event)
This workshop will delve directly into SCE's Charge Ready program and will serve as a pre-2022 Tribal Leaders' Clean Energy Summit event. Get a jump-start before others do in getting their Charge Ready plans in place. Please see the below agenda (times and presenters may change).
Date: Tuesday, June 14, 2022
Time: 10 am - 11:30 am
- Welcome/Safety Moment
- Objectives of this Workshop
- Overview of Charge Ready Programs (Speaker: Ailsa)
- Charge Ready Transport
- TEAS
- Why is Charge Ready valuable for the tribal nation and its citizens?
- Tribal Community Guest Speaker
- Grant Opportunities
- Q&A
2022 TRIBAL LEADERS' CLEAN ENERGY SUMMIT AGENDA
RECORDED VIDEO LINKS
LINKS SHARED DURING THE SUMMIT
- https://www.sce.com/partners/partnerships/Tribal-Communities
- https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-launches-bipartisan-infrastructure-laws-8-billion-program-clean-hydrogen-hubs-across
- https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/request-technical-assistance
- https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/office-indian-energy-policy-and-programs
- https://www.energy.gov/lpo/loan-programs-office
- https://www.energy.gov/indianenergy/request-technical-assistance
- https://www.energy.gov/CleanEnergyCorps
- https://www.energy.gov/bil/bipartisan-infrastructure-law-homepage
- https://www.energy.gov/articles/doe-optimizes-structure-implement-62-billion-clean-energy-investments-bipartisan#:~:text=%E2%80%94%20The%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20Energy%20%28DOE%29%20today,Infrastructure%20Law%20and%20the%20Energy%20Act%20of%202020
- https://www.epa.gov/cleanschoolbus
- https://afdc.energy.gov/laws/12744#:~:text=The%20U.S.%20Department%20of%20Transportation%E2%80%99s%20%28DOT%29%20Federal%20Highway,network%20to%20facilitate%20data%20collection%2C%20access%2C%20and%20reliability
- https://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-releases-formalized-process-determinations-cost-share-reduction-requests
SCE Tribal Nations Contacts
| SCE Representative | Tribal Nations Serving |
|---|---|
| Tribal Nations Liaison/Government Relations Manager, Local Public Affairs: Aaron Thomas Email: Aaron.M.Thomas@sce.com Phone: (760) 423-2392 | Eastern Region - Tribal nations liaison for all 13 tribes; focused tribes include:
|
| Government Relations Manager, Local Public Affairs: Matthew Paruolo Email: matthew.paruolo@sce.com Phone: 760-851-4031 | Northern Region - Focused tribes include:
|
| Government Relations Manager, Local Public Affairs: Brian Thoburn Email: Brian.Thoburn@sce.com Phone: (559) 341-8334 | Northern Region - Focused tribe includes:
|
| Business Customer Division Account Advisor: Amy Olson Email: Amy.Olson@sce.com Phone: (909) 942-8238 | Local Government and Native American Tribes:
|
Additional Resources
- Tribal Nation Land Transfer Notifications
- Tribal Reliability Reports by City and County - Click and scroll down to City/County/Tribal Reliability Reports. Search tribes by selecting the county.
- State Tax Exemption for Tribal Customers- Qualified customers can complete this state tax exempt self-certification form either online or via hardcopy.
DocuSign for Tribal Customers PDF for Tribal Customers Native American Alliance
Supporting Native American communities in our service area is a continuing priority for SCE. The Native American Alliance (NAA), SCE’s official Native American business resource group, promotes Native American culture internally while advancing company objectives. It serves as a link between our Native American community and the company through educational opportunities, cultural events, and community outreach. Through NAA, our company aims to attract, recruit, and retain Native American employees as part of our overall diversity and inclusion strategy.
For more information on potential partnerships, email Aaron.M.Thomas@sce.com.