Duke Energy announces $750,000 in grants for North Carolina nonprofits dedicated to social justice, racial equity

CHARLOTTE, N.C., July 15, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Duke Energy today announced a new $750,000 grant opportunity through the Duke Energy Foundation for North Carolina nonprofit organizations working for social justice and racial equity.

Applications will be reviewed through a competitive grant cycle, and $25,000 grants will be awarded for general operating funds at eligible nonprofits.

The company has committed to an annual social justice and racial equity grant cycle for at least three years in North Carolina.

"Duke Energy is committed to addressing racism in our state," said Stephen De May, Duke Energy's North Carolina president. "This grant opportunity provides nonprofits with the most flexible funding available to empower the critical work that Black Americans are already leading across North Carolina."

The NC Social Justice and Racial Equity grant cycle will operate with the following strategic principles:

• Nonprofits with a history of championing social justice and racial equity work on behalf of Black Americans, as represented in their mission statements and previous bodies of work, are the priority for this program.
• Nonprofits led by people of color (POC), a historically underfunded group across philanthropy, will be given additional consideration in the grant review process.
• Preference will be given to nonprofits not already funded by, or not eligible for, the Duke Energy Foundation's other competitive grant cycles, specifically the K-12 education, workforce and nature grant cycles.
• The nonprofit applicant may be a governmental entity if the organization meets the strategic principles listed above.
• All regions of North Carolina served by Duke Energy Progress or Duke Energy Carolinas are eligible.

"Providing much needed support for nonprofits in the racial equity and social justice space is strategically important at this propitious moment in our nation's history," said James H. Johnson Jr., Kenan Distinguished Professor at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School. "Entities funded through this initiative will be afforded the opportunity to continue longstanding work and perhaps experiment with new approaches to racial equity and social justice in North Carolina and beyond."

Grant applications should come from organizations with primary missions of addressing social justice and racial equity. Initiatives of focus for interested organizations may include but are not limited to:

• Trainings and policy reform
• Criminal justice reform, including community policing
• Civic engagement for communities of color
• Reducing disparate outcomes for people of color through education and workforce development

"Duke Energy recently announced a $1 million commitment across all its jurisdictions to support the fight for racial justice, and we mentioned then that it was just a start and more work needed to be done," said Danielle Virgil, chair of Duke Energy's Triangle chapter of Advocates for African-Americans, an employee resource group. "I'm proud that we're taking another positive step today and helping local organizations develop long-term solutions to the social justice and racial equity issues our communities face in North Carolina."

The grant application is open now through Aug. 31, 2020. Eligible nonprofits should visit www.duke-energy.com/RacialEquity to access the application and materials. Applicants will be notified about the outcome of their applications before Oct. 31.

This new grant opportunity is in addition to the $1 million commitment Duke Energy made to racial equity across our jurisdictions.

Duke Energy Foundation

The Duke Energy Foundation provides philanthropic support to meet the needs of communities where Duke Energy customers live and work. The Foundation contributes more than $30 million annually in charitable gifts, and is funded by Duke Energy shareholder dollars. More information about the Foundation and its Powerful Communities program can be found at duke-energy.com/foundation. 

Duke Energy (NYSE: DUK), a Fortune 150 company headquartered in Charlotte, N.C., is one of the largest energy holding companies in the U.S. It employs 30,000 people and has an electric generating capacity of 51,000 megawatts through its regulated utilities, and 3,000 megawatts through its nonregulated Duke Energy Renewables unit.

Duke Energy is transforming its customers' experience, modernizing the energy grid, generating cleaner energy and expanding natural gas infrastructure to create a smarter energy future for the people and communities it serves. The Electric Utilities and Infrastructure unit's regulated utilities serve approximately 7.7 million retail electric customers in six states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio and Kentucky. The Gas Utilities and Infrastructure unit distributes natural gas to more than 1.6 million customers in five states – North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Ohio and Kentucky. The Duke Energy Renewables unit operates wind and solar generation facilities across the U.S., as well as energy storage and microgrid projects.

Duke Energy was named to Fortune's 2020 "World's Most Admired Companies" list, and Forbes' 2019 "America's Best Employers" list. More information about the company is available at duke-energy.com. The Duke Energy News Center contains news releases, fact sheets, photos, videos and other materials. Duke Energy's illumination features stories about people, innovations, community topics and environmental issues. Follow Duke Energy on Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

Media contact: 800.559.3853

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SOURCE Duke Energy