Operation Round Up: How Co-Op Utility Grants Work
Learn how pennies from co-op bills become local grants and how to apply through your own utility.
Operation Round Up turns spare change on electric bills into local charity grants. Participating co-op members let the utility round their bill up to the next whole dollar, and the pooled pennies fund grants in the co-op service area. Kootenai Electric Cooperative explains that a $52.73 bill becomes $53, with 27 cents going to a separate charitable fund Kootenai Electric's Operation Round Up description.
Operation Round Up means that rounding program, not a sweepstakes or rebate.
Verification note: Program terms and availability can change. This page was checked against linked sources on November 03, 2026.
How does spare change add up?
The donation ranges from 1 to 99 cents per month. It depends only on the cents left on that month's bill. Polk-Burnett Electric Cooperative puts the average gift at about 50 cents per month, or $6 per year Polk-Burnett's Operation Round Up overview.
The highest possible gift is 99 cents per month, or $11.88 per year. Members pay nothing extra beyond that rounding amount.
Where does the money go?
Donations do not stay in the utility's operating account. Flint Energies and Pioneer Electric reporting describe the money as held in a separate nonprofit entity, often a community trust or foundation. That separation matters for two reasons.
Annual totals can appear on bills, and individual gifts can qualify as tax-deductible donations Flint Energies' Operation Round Up page. Funds also stay local rather than moving to a national pool.
Who decides which groups get grants?
An independent volunteer board of co-op members reviews applications. That board sits apart from the utility board and commonly meets quarterly to weigh need against available funds Hancock-Wood Electric's community trust fund page. Eligible recipients are generally local nonprofits, schools, government entities, and community groups.
Logan County and Vernon Electric reporting point to needs such as food, shelter, health, education, and economic development. Awards depend on local funds on hand, so amounts and timing vary.
How do you leave the program or seek help?
Participation is voluntary. Roseau Electric and Alfalfa Electric reporting say members can opt out or withdraw at any time by contacting the co-op, although some co-ops enroll new members automatically until they opt out. A member or nonprofit must apply to its own local co-op trust during that trust's cycle.
Hancock-Wood Electric and Todd-Wadena Electric guidelines make clear that funds stay local and cannot be requested nationally.
- Check your bill or co-op website to confirm enrollment.
- Contact the co-op to opt out or to request current grant forms.
- Apply only to your own co-op trust before its deadline.