PowerLines: Grantee Spotlight (Q3 2026)

Grantee Spotlight: PowerLines

The Giving Green Fund is awarding an unrestricted grant to PowerLines to support its work modernizing how U.S. states regulate electric utilities. PowerLines is a nonpartisan consumer advocacy nonprofit based in Washington, D.C.

PowerLines' work falls within our philanthropic strategy of unleashing clean energy in the U.S. and, more specifically, our sub-strategies of (1) advocating for market and grid regulatory reform, and (2) supporting government engagement and policy development to modernize the interconnection process and clear the backlog. Please see Giving Green's strategy report for more information, including potential risks and co-benefits, recommended sub-strategies, theory of change, funding need, and key uncertainties.

Last updated: October 2026

What Is PowerLines?

Founded in 2024, PowerLines is a nonpartisan nonprofit that aims to modernize the utility regulatory system to lower energy bills for American consumers. It focuses on state public utility commissions (PUCs), the regulators that decide how much utilities can charge customers and which power plants and grid upgrades they can build. According to PowerLines, roughly 200 commissioners oversee more than $200 billion USD in utility spending each year. In these proceedings, utilities usually bring far more technical and financial resources than consumer advocates.

PowerLines works through three connected channels. First, it gives governors, state legislators, and their staff nonpartisan policy options and technical analysis on issues such as utility planning, spending transparency, and how rates are set. Second, it supports consumer advocates who participate in PUC proceedings by providing technical analysis, strategic advice, and help drafting comments. Third, it publishes research on rising utility bills to inform the public and decision-makers. Together, these channels aim to change how PUCs evaluate what utilities propose to build.

What Are We Funding, and How Could It Help Address Climate Change?

We are providing unrestricted support for PowerLines' policy, regulatory, and communications work. Its planned activities include:

• Briefing governors and state legislators and providing state-specific technical assistance based on its Utility Affordability Policy Playbook
• Supporting consumer advocates in utility planning, rate increase, and grid planning proceedings with technical analysis, strategic advice, and communications support
• Building a regional network of consumer advocates across the U.S., with a shared bench of experts, centralized tracking of regulatory filings, and training for expert witnesses
• Publishing quarterly reports that track utility requests for rate increases, alongside research on affordability and grid planning

Electricity demand is rising quickly, and PowerLines estimates that utilities plan to spend more than $1.4 trillion USD over the next five years. PUCs decide whether that spending goes first to the cheapest options, including clean energy and upgrades that squeeze more out of the existing grid. However, outdated planning rules and weak scrutiny of utility proposals often let costlier incumbent approaches win out instead. By helping states require more rigorous planning and giving regulators the analysis to test utility proposals, this work will create room for cost-effective clean energy, support its faster deployment, and ultimately reduce emissions.

We also believe this grant is timely because rising utility bills have made regulatory reform a bipartisan priority for U.S. states, and PowerLines projects that 20-25 new governors will take office in January 2027. As a result, there will be an influx of new state governments that will require education and external support to help them successfully reform their grids, which PowerLines can help meet.

Why Do We Think PowerLines Will Use This Funding Well?

PowerLines has quickly built a national profile since launching in 2024. Its quarterly tracking found that utilities requested a record $31 billion in rate increases in 2025, a finding widely cited in national media. It has shared its policy playbook with state governments and announced partnerships with the National Governors Association and the National Conference of State Legislatures.

In regulatory proceedings, PowerLines has supported consumer advocates in several states and reports that its work helped regulators reject rate increases utilities requested.

We believe few organizations engage with the PUC process as closely as PowerLines does. Given PowerLines' expertise in PUC proceedings, its growing relationships with state policymakers, and its team's regulatory experience, we think PowerLines is well suited to help U.S. states adopt reforms that support the deployment of affordable clean energy.

We publish grant spotlights to offer transparency to Giving Green Fund donors and resources for those interested in the impact strategies each grant supports. Giving Green believes our Top Climate Nonprofits have the greatest impact potential for large, unrestricted gifts. For several reasons, we also disburse and recommend grants to other organizations surfaced through our research process for work that we believe is at least as impactful as grants to our top recommendations.

This is a non-partisan analysis (study or research) and is provided for educational purposes.

PowerLines is a registered nonprofit in the U.S.