About Member Care Energy Services Energy Efficiency News & Events Homepage > About > Operation Round Up® OPERATION ROUND UP® Font Size: Share & Bookmark Feedback Print THE MISSION The mission of the Operation Round Up® program is to provide financial resources to support, improve or advance communities, organizations, charities and worthy causes or events, throughout MEC’s service area. INTRODUCTION There are seven cooperative principles that are the backbone to MEC’s daily operations. One of these core principles is Concern for Community, which is why MEC’s Board of Trustees voted to adopt the Operation Round Up® charitable-giving program in 2021. Operation Round Up® (ORU) is a national program, that’s been serving rural communities for over three decades. Since its inception in 1989, ORU has been adopted by 260 electric cooperatives, and has generated $50 million in charitable donations. SMALL CHANGE. BIG DIFFERENCE. By simply rounding monthly bills to the nearest dollar, members can make a significant group impact. Every penny that is donated, will be pooled together to help local organizations and communities address unmet needs for youth, education, public safety, health, community and emergency services. To impact the greatest number of people, communities and organizations, and in an effort to give the Operation Round Up® program the best possible head-start, MEC auto-enrolled members into the program, on June 1, 2021. On average, participating members can expect to donate $6 per year, and at most, $11.88. Members are always welcome to donate additional funds to the program, by calling the office. Program donations are tax deductible. A year-end donation total will be located on January statements, for all ORU participants. OPT OUT Operation Round Up® is voluntary and MEC fully supports a members’ decision not to participate. In March 2021, we began a three-month campaign, inviting members to opt out, pre-launch. If members missed this window, they are able to opt out, at any time, by visiting our office, calling 406.541.4433, emailing billing@meccoop.com or logging into “SmartHub” and opting out. Upon request, the Cooperative will offer a full refund to any member whose bill was rounded-up without their prior knowledge or understanding of the program. ORU BOARD The Operation Round Up® program is run by a board of seven MEC members (one representative per district). This board will run independently of MEC’s member-elected Board of Trustees. The 2021 ORU Board is listed by district, below: District 1 – Sonia Shearer, Vice Chair/Secretary District 2 – Don Stout District 3 – Matt Ulberg, Chair District 4 – Kelly Richmond District 5 – Jon Kimble District 6 – Jim Lindquist District 7 – Debbie Lester, Treasurer All member donations will be placed into the Operation Round Up® Trust Fund. Each quarter, the ORU Board will meet to review and score applications, to determine which organizations, events and causes, would benefit from these funds the most. APPLY FOR FUNDING To be considered for funding, interested parties must submit an online application. All applications will be compiled and reviewed by the ORU Board on a quarterly basis. This means, applicants need to apply at least one quarter prior to when funds are needed. The cut-off date for Q4 applications is Tuesday, January 4, 2022. Each organization may only receive one donation per year. After each quarterly ORU Board Meeting, funds will be distributed to chosen applicants. The next ORU Board Meeting, and application review, will be held January 18, 2022 at 9 AM. View Operation Round Up® Donations Please note: applications may be prioritized or deferred based on the immediacy of the request. FUNDING MAY BE USED TO: This list is a guide and is not comprehensive. Help schools, organizations and communities with limited resources, which will improve educational opportunities or economic development; Assist community youth organizations and activities which promote good citizenship for strong, healthy communities; Aid community and emergency service providers in their efforts to improve the quality of life for our neighbors; Promote the health, wellness and safety of our communities and members; Meet the quarterly goals set by the ORU Board at the beginning of each quarter. FUNDING MAY NOT BE USED FOR THE FOLLOWING: This list is a guide and is not comprehensive. The ORU Board may reject any applications that don’t support MEC’s mission or ORU’s quarterly and/or annual goals. Individuals; Political campaigns/lobbying; Private foundations; Requests to waive electric charges in lieu of a donation; Mortgage or rent; Property taxes; Insurance payments; Individual automotive expenses; Credit card payments; Religious events/expenditures; National campaigns/fundraisers; Advertising; Fundraising raffles. OPERATION ROUND UP® APPLICATION To be considered for funding, interested parties must submit an online application. All applications will be compiled and reviewed by the ORU Board on a quarterly basis. Please have your application in before the end of each quarter to be considered. Legal Organization Name* FEIN#* Address* Street Address Address Line 2 City Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code Contact Person* First Last Phone* Email* Title/Position/Affiliation with Organization or Event* Purpose of Organization/Event* Amount Requesting* How Will The Funds Be Utilized?* Explain How Your Organization/Event Serves The Members of Missoula Electric Cooperative.* Has Your Organization Previously Applied For Funding?* Yes No If You Previously Applied For Funding, When and For What Purpose? List an *OUTSIDE* Business Reference Familiar With The Organization or Event.* First Last Reference Phone* Reference Email* List a Second *OUTSIDE* Business Reference Familiar With The Organization or Event.* First Last Reference Phone* Reference Email* Date Funds Are Needed* MM slash DD slash YYYY Please note - you MUST request funds at least one quarter PRIOR to when you need them. Applications will be reviewed on a quarterly basis and donations may be considered for up to one year. If Selected, Please Make Checks Payable To:* Organization Name If Selected, Please Mail Check To The Following Address:* Street Address Address Line 2 City Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming Armed Forces Americas Armed Forces Europe Armed Forces Pacific State ZIP Code Consent* I agree to the stated terms. The information contained in this statement is for the purpose of obtaining funding from Missoula Electric Cooperative, Inc.’s Operation Round Up® fund. The undersigned understands that the information provided herein is used in deciding grant funding, and the undersigned represents and warrants that the information provided is true and complete and that Missoula Electric Cooperative, Inc. may consider this statement true and correct until a written notice of change is provided. Missoula Electric Cooperative and the Operation Round Up® Board are authorized to make all inquiries deemed necessary to verify the accuracy of the statements herein. As a condition of receiving and accepting these funds, the undersigned agrees that all funds will be used for the project approved and as stated on the application. Any funds not used shall be returned to the Missoula Electric Cooperative Operation Round Up® fund. Supporting Documents Drop files here or Select files Max. file size: 20 MB. Please upload any supporting documents that might help the ORU Board make their decision (i.e. event flyer, sponsorship packets, etc.). About Contact Us About MEC Board of Trustees Bylaws Operation Round Up® Operation Round Up® Donations Current Projects at MEC Employment Opportunities Grassroots Program Our Mission & Values What is a Cooperative? Youth Involvement Start/Stop Service Electrify the Big Sky Operation Round Up Youth Involvement Outage Map Electric Vehicles ADDRESSES MAIN OFFICE 1700 West Broadway Missoula, MT 59808 OFFICE HOURS Monday through Friday 8:00am to 5:00pm PHONE NUMBERS MAIN OFFICE (406) 541-4433 PAY BY PHONE (888) 477-7340 TOLL-FREE (800) 352-5200 DIG LOCATES GET SOCIAL WITH US Accessibility Notice Privacy Policy Terms of Use Employee Login © 2021 Missoula Electric Cooperative, Inc,. All Rights Reserved.