Duke Energy Foundation provides more than $340,000 to South Carolina K-12 education organizations during COVID-19 crisis

GREENVILLE, S.C., April 21, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- The Duke Energy Foundation has announced more than $340,000 in grants to support South Carolina K-12 education programs focused on summer reading loss, STEM and experiential learning.

Given the COVID-19 crisis, the Foundation has given each grantee the opportunity for additional flexibility and the option to use the funds to address unforeseen operational challenges.

"Nonprofits are on the frontlines of the pandemic response. Having the flexibility to move funds where they are needed most right now is critical to their success," said Mike Callahan, Duke Energy South Carolina president. "Funding these programs is significant, but helping organizations survive now so they can continue to deliver these services down the road just makes sense."

Together SC, the state alliance that brings nonprofit organizations and their staffs together to help strengthen the state's nonprofit community, understands firsthand the needs nonprofits are facing and the value of flexibility.

"Duke Energy's thoughtful decision to permit grantees to redirect grant funds to more urgent COVID-19 needs is a brilliant move," said Madeleine McGee, Together SC president. "These funds may well be what gets these organizations and those they serve through the next few months."

Some nonprofits across the state are already feeling the impact and have indicated plans to use the funds for COVID-19 response and modify the program to meet both the needs of the students and their organization.

Darlington County School District received funding for a summer book mobile for students in Darlington, Lamar and Society Hill.

"We were so excited to receive this grant," said Marisa Johnson, arts and innovative programs coordinator for the district. "Due to the statewide school closures, we are forced to revisit our original plan and will now distribute books to our students at various locations around the county. We are extremely grateful for Duke Energy's flexibility in allowing grantees to make programmatic changes because of the viral pandemic we are experiencing. Our students will have plenty of books to add to their home libraries thanks to Duke Energy."

Grant Recipients

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.

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SOURCE Duke Energy