Georgia Power Foundation
/OVERVIEW: This power company funder supports the following causes in Georgia: health & human services, education improvement, civic & community, environmental stewardship, and arts & culture.
FUNDING AREAS: health & human services, education improvement, civic & community, environmental stewardship, arts & culture
IP TAKE: Education programs are the best way to get in with this funder, but overall, funding interests are pretty broad here. Grant seekers should make sure to contact the right foundation manager for their region of Georgia.
PROFILE: Georgia Power is an electric company that has over 2.4 million customers and services all but four of the 159 counties in the state. Since the Georgia Power Foundation was established, it has made over $170 million in grants to nonprofit organizations. In fact, it has been ranked the fourth-largest corporate funder in the state in terms of giving.
Funding areas of interest include health and human services, education improvement, environmental stewardship, civic and community, and arts and culture. Its charitable grant making occurs through the Georgia Power Foundation, Inc., corporate giving and employee giving. It considers grants proposals in the 155 of Georgia’s counties that are part of the company’s service area. In a five-year period, Georgia Power’s corporate grantmaking outreach contributed around $14 million to efforts around the state.
Education support funds organizations addressing statewide policy, workforce recruitment, and local education programs. There is also an employee matching grant program for employee and retiree contribution for higher education institutions. Most of Georgia Power’s health and human services grants support the United Way and the Salvation Army. Environmental support funds programs that improve the quality of the air, water, and natural resources, and for species preservation. Organizations like the Georgia Cities Foundation and the Westside Future Fund typically benefit from this corporate funder’s civic and community support. Arts and culture grants support local and regional organizations like the Woodruff Arts Center and the National Black Arts Festival.
In addition to corporate grantmaking, this company also values employee involvement through its volunteer services department and Club of Hearts program. Club of Hearts is a nonprofit corporation that dates back to 1953 and serves 13 counties in metro Atlanta. There is a strong connection to the United Way here.
In a past year, Georgia Power and the Georgia Power Foundation invested around $15 million in communities and nonprofit organizations. Over half of these funds supported education, and health and human services. The rest funded environmental programs, civic and community efforts, and arts and culture.
Education is the largest priority for this corporation and corporate funder, leading it to provide sizable initiative support throughout the state. Areas of interest include emphasizing the importance of math, science, electric safety, and energy efficiency for Georgia students, as well as building awareness about energy careers. Financial literacy, workforce development, and teacher development have also been areas of interest for Georgia Power.
Unlike many corporate funders, this is one that grant seekers can submit a grant application to directly. Links to the application and eligibility quiz can be found on the Apply for a Grant page. Keep in mind that this funder does not support private elementary or secondary schools, religious organizations, political causes, or individuals.
There are no deadlines to apply for grants, and requests up to $25,000 are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Requests for more than $25,000 are reviewed by the board at meetings in May, August, or December. The funder works with regional and plant leadership teams to evaluate grant proposals within local areas. It is important to contact the appropriate regional manager with the application submission and with any questions.
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