How to Apply for Operation Round Up assistance programs – Operation Round Up is a popular charitable program that is offered by a lot of electric and utility companies throughout the United States of America including small cooperatives across the nation. Almost all states in the United States are represented by Operation Round Up assistance programs. It is important to note that the program may have different names depending on the utility company of your state, however the concept is similar for all that pay utility assistance to low-income individuals and families. This guide will throw light on how you can find Operation Round Up assistance programs.
Highlights of this Post
What Is Operation Round Up?
A program of voluntary contribution made by rounding up electric bills to the next dollar and adopted by a lot of utility and electric companies to provide a means of support in the service area is called Operation Round Up. If you are participating in the Operation Round Up program your electric bill will get rounded up to the next dollar each month.
For instance, if your calculated utility or electric bill is around $75.42 then the total will be rounded off to $76 and the additional $0.58 that you pay each month will be matched by the electric company and a total amount of $1.16 will go into an Operation Round Up designated fund account. An average person contributes an estimated average of $6 or more per year.
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What Are The Charitable Funds From Operation Round Up?
The Operation Round Up Assistance Program has been designed to provide much-needed support to needy families and individuals who are going through financial crises. It is a volunteer charity-driven assistance program in which low-income customers agree to get their utility bill rounded off to the next whole dollar amount.
The extra amount that they pay on the utility bill acts as a donation and goes towards needy and less fortunate individuals who are struggling to pay their electric and utility bills.
An average contribution of $0.50 a month is made by individuals who opt for donations.
Even though it may not seem like a lot of money for charity aid to individuals who are struggling with utility bills it comprises a significant amount when $0.50 is multiplied by hundreds or thousands of people across the nation who decide to contribute to the less fortunate individuals.
The generous contributions and donations from businesses and the public enabled Operation Round Up to provide assistance to needy families. The resulting funds or contributions raised from customers are supplemented by contributions or donations from utility companies including local businesses and put into separate amounts that are used for assisting nonprofit organizations and local individuals with critical needs across the country.
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Who Is Eligible For Operation Round Up Assistance Program?
Thousands of low-income American families including nonprofit organizations going through a financial crisis are eligible to receive financial assistance from the Operation Round Up Assistance program every year. A lot of individuals have received financial assistance demonstrating robust financial need.
Operation Round Up Assistance Programs generally cover the following group of people
- Low-income senior citizens and the elderly population
- Individuals who are facing a short-term crisis
- Low-income families with children
In some cases, the foundation or charity that runs the Operation Round Up assistance program also provides cash assistance to local nonprofit organizations and community projects for instance Fire departments, food, shelters, rural ambulance services etc.
Direct assistance can also be provided to needy individuals in America. Operation Round Up helps people with utility bills, shelter, food, rent, clothing, health care, education, emergency services, heating bills, charitable foundation causes and job training purposes. It is important to note that the funds are not provided for political reasons and the donated amount will not cover the administrative cost of the program.
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How to apply for Operation Round Up?
Firstly, the person or the group needs to send a request for help to the charitable organization or the program. They will have to complete a grants application form. After that, the Operation Round Up program or any program name according to your state will review every case.
Plus, the financial aid will vary according to the programs and companies. It can range from a few dollars up to $20,000 for some programs or organizations or NPOs. Apart from that, one of the important things that people should know is that the funding of this program is limited, so people should apply ASAP.
If you want any kind of referrals or financial help or looking for any other services then look no further than Non-profit community action agencies. But for that, you will have to make local contacts. Also, people should know that in your State the name Operation Round Up may differ and may be different, but the objective of the program is the same. So, you should research and find out about the same. You should also find out about the energy companies. In addition, if you can contact the case managers who have in-depth knowledge about the energy aid programs and local programs of such companies it will be very useful.
You can call your utility company directly & enquire about the programs, its benefits, mode of application, selection and need for qualification for the same. Also, you should note that not every utility company will offer help. But it’s worth it if you enquire about it. You can also enquire about any charitable organization or local foundation company or program. Some States in the United States may have different names for the Charitable Programs like Free Foods Organization, Pay Your Bills Here, Aid for Bills, Project Share, or Neighbor-to-Neighbor, etc. You can get aid for cash grants, weatherization, etc.
You can check online for details on energy bill assistance. Plus, if you check online you can get details about Operation Round Up services, its types, and other charitable programs under that with different names in your state. Also, the gas company, energy company, or local utility has much information that can directly help the people through the state charitable programs or federal government help programs.
Conclusion
Operation Round Up is a charitable program adopted by electric cooperatives to assist community members who are struggling to make ends meet and need assistance in the form of food, education, clothing, shelter, health care and education to get back on their feet. If you’re facing a crisis and live within the service area of your electric cooperative that has taken part in the Operation Round Up program then you can receive assistance for your catastrophic situation. This catastrophic situation can result from an accident, illness, disability or death of an immediate family member that prevents them from working or contributing to their family income. The program is managed by an Operation Round Up trust board for people who are facing unexpected crises.
Read our blog post about the Energy Savings Assistance Program to Reduce Bill Cost. If you are interested in other grants and assistance programs to help improve your living situation, check out our other blogs at Get Government Grants.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Does the Operation Round Up Program Help?
Operation Round Up program provides the following types of help like paying for the energy bills, shelter, food, health care, Free clothes, emergency, education, job training, etc. Also, there are many good causes for which the program helps. Apart from that, people should also note that the funds accumulated are never misused or paid towards any political intention or administrative costs, etc.
What Is The Objective Of The Operation Round Up Program?
In the local places in the United States, this program is known as Operation Round-Up. One of the major objectives behind these charitable programs is that it helps the families in need financially. Under this program, the consumers who are in need of finance for paying up their utility bills agree to round up their bills to the next full dollar amount. And, from this program the extra money that is generated after paying the utility bills of some families, then the money is used to help another less fortunate family.