FirstEnergy Foundation
/OVERVIEW: FirstEnergy is committed to philanthropy through its corporate enterprise as well as through its charitable arm, the FirstEnergy Foundation. FirstEnergy supports education, community development and arts and culture.
IP TAKE: The FirstEnergy Foundation gives modest amounts to a long list of organizations, so this funder will not cover all funding needs. The FirstEnergy Foundation is an avid supporter of music organizations and programming in communities that receive FirstEnergy services. While this funder offers an online grant application portal, note that it only considers proposals it has invited to apply. This is not a particularly accessible funder, so if your nonprofit operates in a geographic area served by FirstEnergy, reach out to local management to discuss opportunties.
PROFILE: The FirstEnergy Foundation is the philanthropic offshoot of FirstEnergy, a “diversified energy company” headquartered in Akron, Ohio. The foundation seeks to contribute “to local nonprofit organizations” to “help strengthen the social and economic fabric of our communities.” It does this by giving to civic and economic development, education, arts and culture in the communities in which it has offices and provides services. The foundation’s journalism and media support falls within its “vitality of our communities” category.
In terms of geography, the foundation’s main interests are the communities to which its corporate arm provides services. This includes substantial swaths of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio, and New Jersey, as well as portions of Maryland and Virginia. The foundation also supports journalism and media where it has additional business operations in Illinois and Michigan. The FirstEnergy Foundation supports these communities by funding nonprofit, community-driven programming.
Grants for STEM Education
FirstEnergy awards modest grants to pre-K and K-12 STEM classroom projects and larger grants to college and university programs. It also provides larger amounts to community-organization STEM education initiatives. Corporate funding prioritizes smaller pre-K and K-12 projects while the foundation provides larger grants to colleges and universities.
The FirstEnergy Foundation funds general studies colleges and universities for STEM education programs, as well as STEM-centric schools and professional societies that support postsecondary STEM education. The foundation’s education funding works to foster “an educated workforce by supporting professional development and literacy, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education initiatives.” Grantseekers should also keep in mind that the foundation seeks to “improve the vitality of our communities and support key safety initiatives,” as well as “promote local and regional economic development and revitalization efforts,” because community-based STEM education programming can be related to these efforts as well.
Grants for Diseases
The FirstEnergy Foundation does not name disease research and treatment as a specific priority, but it does broadly support funding for national and local disease-related organizations. Past grantees include national organizations like the March of Dimes and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. However, the foundation has also supported a mix of diseases in its grantmaking, such as Duchenne, cancer, and Parkinson’s.
Grants for Economic Opportunity and Community Development
The FirstEnergy Foundation’s grantmaking supports efforts to “Help improve the vitality of our communities and support key safety initiatives” and “Promote local and regional economic development and revitalization efforts.” It supports a wide range of local nonprofits, organizations, and initiatives, such as Choose New Jersey, Allegheny Conference on Community Development, Team Pennsylvania Foundation, Altoona-Blair County Development Corporation, and African-American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey.
Grants for Visual Arts
The foundation’s visual arts programming support falls within its “vitality of our communities” category. This foundation is uninterested in national or international level programming, which is great news for locally operated visual arts organizations. Though the FirstEnergy Foundation typically will not be a visual arts program’s sole funder, it does provide support for a wide variety of endeavors. Past visual arts funding includes the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg, Pennsylvania; the Akron Art Museum; GoggleWorks Center for the Arts in Reading, Pennsylvania; the Green Arts Council in Green, Ohio; the Ashtabula Arts Center in Ashtabula, Ohio; and the Toledo Museum of Art. The foundation prefers grant seekers that have created additional partnerships and cultivated other funding resources to assure their arts program’s financial health.
Grants for Music
The foundation’s music programming support falls within its “vitality of our communities” category. The FirstEnergy Foundation supports these communities by funding nonprofit, community-driven programming. This foundation is uninterested in national or international level programming, which is great news for locally operated music organizations. Though the FirstEnergy Foundation typically will not be a music organization’s sole funder, it does provide support for a wide variety of endeavors. Past music funding includes: $250,000 to the Musical Arts Association in Cleveland; $13,800 to the Maryland Symphony Orchestra; $1,000 to the Akron Symphony Orchestra; $750 to Oakwood Community Concerts in Oakwood Village, Ohio; $500 to the Toledo Opera; $500 to the Summit Choral Society in Akron; $400 to the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra in Pittsburgh; $100 to Berks Classical Children’s Chorus in Reading, Pennsylvania. The foundation prefers grantseekers that have created additional partnerships and cultivated other funding resources to assure their music program’s financial health.
Grants for Dance
The foundation’s dance programming support falls within its “vitality of our communities” category. Past dance grantees include GoggleWorks Center for the Arts and the Cuyahoga Valley Youth Ballet in Cuyahoga Falls, among others.
Grants for Journalism
The FirstEnergy Foundation generally supports smaller, local journalism outfits and freedom of the press advocacy. Past journalism and media funding include ideastream, Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, the Public Broadcasting Foundation of NW Ohio; and Berks Community Television in Reading, Pennsylvania.
Important Grant Details:
The foundation provides funding to entities operating in areas where it provides services and does business. This includes substantial swaths of Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey, as well as portions of Maryland, Virginia, Illinois and Michigan.
The FirstEnergy Foundation does not accept unsolicited applications. However, the foundation encourages inquiries via email. Once invited, grantseekers may find all application materials at the foundation’s website.
PEOPLE:
Search for staff contact info and bios in PeopleFinder (paid subscribers only).
LINK:
