As a demonstration of its commitment to community development, Pennsylvania Power & Light Co. has awarded $3 million in grants for neighborhood and small business improvement projects.

PP&L funded 75 projects through its Community Partnership Program for 1996. The grants will help nonprofit agencies and organizations across PP&L's 29-county service area in eastern and central Pennsylvania.

Funding for the grant program comes from company earnings. PP&L does not collect any of the cost from its electricity customers.

"We're making an investment in the future of the communities we serve," said William F. Hecht, PP&L chairman, president and chief executive officer. "Their growth and the expansion of the regional economy enhances the quality of life while improving PP&L's business."

The investment, he added, will pay back in small business startups, new jobs, worker retraining, revitalized downtown areas, greater opportunities for home ownership among low-income families and renewal of blighted urban neighborhoods.

PP&L established the Community Partnership Program a year ago after conferring with community leaders and social service agencies about the most pressing needs to improve quality of life in the region.

The grants help local efforts to revitalize urban neighborhoods, promote home ownership and help small businesses start and expand. Over the past two years, PP&L has contributed more than $5.4 million through the program to community development efforts.

Note to editors: For a list of the projects funded and the amounts of each grant, call George Lewis at PP&L, (610) 774-5910.