Light Up Navajo is an initiative to bring electricity to the 15,000 Navajo households that do not have power.
The Navajo Nation is 27,000 square miles, a service area that makes providing electricity no small task. The terrain, distance between the homes, and the sheer size of the area makes it difficult to get families the necessities that many U.S. households take for granted. Electrification in the Navajo Nation has been slow due to the high cost of connecting isolated rural households to the grid, the sensitivity of families to utility costs, and the limited availability of government loans.
Electrifying just one household is an expensive endeavor. Each household, on average, requires one transformer, 0.6 miles of wire, nine poles, 16 insulators, and two arrestors to connect to the electric grid; which is an average material cost of around $5,500.
In coordination with the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority, in Spring 2019, APPA helped start the Light Up Navajo initiative, which is an ongoing annual effort to bring electricity to all households in the Navajo Nation. Public power utilities from across the country have volunteered lineworker crews and equipment to participate in this effort, which helps offset the cost of labor.
We’re asking you to help provide or cover the cost of the materials to connect these families to electricity for the first time.
How to Donate
Donations can be made as a financial contribution or equipment shipped to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. Anyone can donate; participation in the project is not required.
All donations, whether monetary or in the form of materials or equipment, are tax deductible. Donations and charitable contributions will be made and recognized publicly unless requested otherwise. All donations should be made out to the Navajo Tribal Utility Authority. The American Public Power Association will not be handling or involved in any financial transactions.
For financial donations, NTUA is accepting checks mailed to their headquarters (see address below). If you plan on mailing a check, please email Thomas Nelson (NTUA’s CFO) at tomn@ntua.com.
Navajo Tribal Utility Authority
ATTN: Thomas W. Nelson, CFO P.O. Box 442
Window Rock, AZ 86515
If you would like to donate materials or equipment, please contact us at LightUpNavajo@publicpower.org. This option is available for all utilities and utility industry vendors. Your equipment will be counted as a financial donation in regard to recognition and tax exemptions. All material donations should be shipped to the address below, unless you are a local utility who will be involved in the construction phase of the project.
NTUA HQ Physical Address for Commercial Carriers
NTUA Central Warehouse
ATTN: Light Up Navajo
North Navajo Rt. 12
Fort Defiance, AZ 86504
Tel: 928-729-4608
Donation Levels
| Donation | Amount ($) | Recognition Incentives |
| Electrifying one Household | 5,500 | Family letter/photo, mention in national conference presentation |
| Electrifying a Community (5 households) | 27,500 | Letter/photo from community, mention in national conference presentation, name on project apparel, invitation to next year’s planning meeting |