Entergy Charitable Foundation Gives $1.3 Million in Grants

NEW ORLEANS, May 13 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- More than 50 nonprofit groups have been awarded approximately $1.3 million in grants from the Entergy Charitable Foundation, including one funding a new initiative to educate children about climate change.

More than $900,000 of the grants went to various education programs in seven states served by Entergy Corporation businesses. The largest single grant was a $292,100 award to the National Wildlife Federation to help fund a two-year pilot program for schools in the Entergy service territory that will teach students about energy and climate science.  The first phase of the program will begin next fall in Texas.  A site has not been selected yet for phase II, which will begin in the 2011/12 school year. The pilot, which will cover students from kindergarten through high school, could serve as a model for other school systems across the nation.

"We are heading into what almost certainly will be a carbon-constrained future, and our children need to understand and be prepared for the changes it will demand. This pilot program will offer a balanced and effective approach to educating students about energy and the changing climate," said Patty Riddlebarger, director of corporate social responsibility at Entergy. "We hope it will spark interest in the physical sciences as well as help prepare students for jobs in the 'green economy' of the future."

Susan Kaderka, director of the National Wildlife Federation's South Central Region said, "We applaud Entergy for investing in this effort to prepare our children for a new energy future.  This project will greatly enrich NWF's new Eco-Schools USA program, which is helping teachers, students, parents and administrators across the country transform their schools into energy efficient and environmentally sustainable communities."  

Among the other education-related awards issued by the foundation is a $150,000 grant to the KIPP New Orleans Schools to help as the organization opens its first high school and fourth middle school in New Orleans.

A $50,000 grant to Teach For America, Inc. will help kick off its six-year plan to help strengthen schools in the Mississippi and Arkansas Delta region. Teach For America is tripling the number of its teachers from 160 to 550 over two years and partner with high-needs districts in the Delta region.

"Education officials in Mississippi and Arkansas have been encouraged by the results Teach For America teachers have had in Louisiana, so they want to speed up expansion in what is one of the poorest places in our nation. To help start it all, Teach For America will hold its annual summer training session in the Delta for more than 600 new teachers," Riddlebarger said.  

In addition, the United Negro College Fund, Inc. will receive $75,000 to help fund the college educations of more low-income, minority students.

A $25,000 grant will help the Jefferson Chamber Foundation Academy serve at-risk students in Jefferson Parish, including funding enhanced pre-Algebra and Algebra 1 labs that provide students with practical applications of math theory.

A $20,000 grant is going to Polytechnic University, a branch of New York University with a center in Westchester County, N.Y., to fund scholarships for juniors and seniors majoring in engineering or science who want to minor in nuclear science and engineering. The intent is to attract qualified students who may not have considered a career in the nuclear industry.

The Entergy Charitable Foundation is a private, nonprofit foundation wholly funded by Entergy Corporation. The goal of the foundation is to support initiatives that help create and sustain thriving communities. ECF has a special focus on low-income initiatives as well as educational and literacy programs and efforts to protect the environment. The ECF accepts applications three times per year. For more information or to access an application form from the Entergy Charitable Foundation, look under "Our Community/Corporate and Foundation Giving" at www.entergy.com.

Entergy Corporation is an integrated energy company engaged primarily in electric power production and retail distribution operations. Entergy owns and operates power plants with approximately 30,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity, and it is the second-largest nuclear generator in the United States. Entergy delivers electricity to 2.7 million utility customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi and Texas. Entergy has annual revenues of more than $10 billion and more than 15,000 employees.

For more information about Entergy, visit entergy.com

SOURCE Entergy Corporation