PG&E Funds Personal Finance Program, Awards $7,000 Scholarships to Oakland High School Seniors

Community finance push ties to PG&E’s community resilience work

SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is marking a milestone in its community education efforts as 25 high school seniors from underserved Oakland neighborhoods graduate from the PG&E Community Financial Education Program and each receive $7,000 scholarships. The company and The PG&E Corporation Foundation run the six‑month program at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business, where Haas faculty, financial‑industry professionals and undergraduate mentors deliver a curriculum intended to strengthen personal finance knowledge, budgeting and long‑term wealth planning.

A focused model for utility-led community investment

PG&E is positioning the program as part of its broader resilience and community engagement strategy, arguing that financial stability helps households better withstand emergencies and long‑term economic shocks tied to utility service interruptions or disaster recovery. Participants say the course improves budgeting, college decision‑making and aspirations — with some students now considering applications to Haas — which PG&E frames as strengthening the social fabric around its service territory and supporting a future workforce familiar with business and technical subjects relevant to the energy sector.

Program leaders also emphasize partnership and experiential learning as central to the initiative’s success. The program runs Saturday classes over six months and pairs high school seniors with Haas undergraduates for mentorship, while outside partners such as Berkeley Executive Education, The Mills Institute at Northeastern University and Amenti Capital Group contribute curriculum and instruction. PG&E funds the scholarships and the program operations through its foundation, presenting the effort as a replicable template for other districts and community partners in the utilities industry.

Program scale, funding and measurable outputs

Since launching in 2022, the program has served 96 Oakland‑area seniors and this year’s cohort of 25 adds to $800,000 in total scholarships funded by PG&E Corporation. The 25 awards represent a significant annual investment and are intended to lower financial barriers to postsecondary education while delivering practical money‑management skills.

Policy alignment and potential for wider adoption

The initiative coincides with California legislation passed in 2024 that requires access to a personal finance course by 2027 and makes personal finance a graduation requirement by 2031. PG&E and its partners say the program could inform district‑level curriculum adoption and demonstrate how utilities can contribute to community preparedness and economic resilience beyond traditional infrastructure investments.